Jungkook made four additional arrests in the next six days with Taehyung’s help.

They kept contact daily and also met often at Hangang park; it became their hang-out place, they could say. They still snapped at each other and quarreled, but it was within the limits of playfulness. 

Jungkook noticed something strange, though. Taehyung’s phone was often off service. He just disappeared for a few hours every day. At first, he thought it was a coincidence, but as the days rolled by, he realized it wasn’t. He hadn’t questioned him about it yet, mostly because he knew it wasn’t his business. Why would he care about what Taehyung was doing in his personal life? 

Jungkook also apologized to his team about the way he acted that day and told them they would continue investigating Taehyung’s case. When Taehyung heard about that, though, he was outright against it. Jungkook offered to help him — to use their resources to unearth the reason they wanted to kill him and ascertain that Chae Yeon was behind it, but he objected with a vengeance. 

It baffled Jungkook, to be honest, why he didn’t want their help. Why he kept insisting he’d deal with it on his own. Why he didn’t share more about his family and what exactly happened the night they were killed. He didn’t inquire him about that either, but it led him to one bitter, he could say, conclusion;

Taehyung was hiding something. He still wasn’t honest with him. Maybe he was even still lying to him. But he couldn’t demand to know the truth. Because simply it wasn’t his business and he shouldn’t care so much about it. Taehyung himself even asked him to stop looking into it more. 

However, he found himself caring about it much more than he thought. So he asked Seokjin to keep hunting for something — anything that would give them a lead. 

🥀

Taehyung worked undercover for Jungkook’s team for the second time; he happened to know Ho Jun, a dealer of firearms, and he offered to help them catch him. They hung out at Yu Seon’s place — Ho Jun’s right hand — with a couple more people, and Taehyung secretly texted Jungkook when Ho Jun appeared. Then, Jungkook’s team popped out of their hiding spot and raided the house, arresting everyone. 

Taehyung ended up at the police station with everyone else, but once they took them to different interrogation rooms, Jungkook unlocked his handcuffs. 

“Good job, Tae,” Namjoon said smilingly as he patted his back. 

Jungkook grimaced at the nickname. “Why are you calling him that?”

“We’re close.” Namjoon pulled a shoulder up in a carefree shrug. 

“Since when?”

“I don’t know. He’s very friendly and outgoing. It’s easy to feel comfortable around him.” Namjoon aimed another smile at Taehyung, who reciprocated gleefully. 

“Yah. He’s my informant,” Jungkook grumbled in a murmur. “Get your own.”

Taehyung’s eyebrow lifted in a sneering sort of bow. “That doesn’t mean I can’t be friends with your team.”

“I’m not stealing him from you, Kook, don’t worry,” Namjoon jested. 

“I don’t care. I’m just saying.”

Taehyung rolled his eyes. The amount of times Jungkook used that phrase was the least frustrating. “I-don’t-care guy, come with me.”

Jungkook shot a glare at Seung Ho and then Hoseok once their chortle reached his ears and advanced, trailing behind Taehyung, who seemed to head outside. 

Taehyung held the door for him and continued his way to the side so they wouldn’t bother anyone. He folded his arms over his chest as his vision slightly narrowed on him, inquiring eyes staring deep into his meticulously. 

Jungkook maintained eye contact for scarcely three seconds. The intensity and profoundness his chocolate orbs held made him, in some sort of way, uncomfortable lately. He cleared his throat and twisted his head away, sliding his hands into his pockets. “What?”

“We’re close too, right?”

Jungkook’s now puzzled gaze flitted back to him. “Why?”

“I think we’re close now. I was just wondering if you think that too.”

“I don’t know. Kinda? Why are you asking?”

Taehyung’s arms slipped off his form and settled to his sides as he avoided his stare. “Since we are close, you can call me something else than just Taehyung.”

“Like... what?”

“You know. Taehyungie. Or Tae. Or...” he trailed off, pretending to think of something else, but he knew exactly what he wanted to say. And he hated that he had to ask him that. Hated that he wanted to hear him calling him that. 

Jungkook sensed where this was going and averted his eyes again. “Taehyung is just fine,” he mumbled. 

“Yeah, but hyung is better.”

Their gazes met at once. Taehyung’s tentative eyes wanted to observe his reaction, as Jungkook’s mildly startled ones wanted to search for a gleam of jest — something that would tell him Taehyung didn’t mean it. But no changes showed on Taehyung’s face in the extended silence that engulfed them — no twinkle of mirth, no semblance of a smile, nothing. Just a set, imperceptibly hesitant expression stayed glued on his traits. 

Until Taehyung gulped and ducked his head. “Forget it,” he breathed out and forced his lips to stretch into a smile. “Ah. It’s our one-month anniversary today!”

Jungkook’s still dazed mind couldn’t process his sudden remark, and he gave him a narrowed, even more puzzled look unconsciously. “What?”

A figure slowed to a stop upon spotting the two, and its alarmed, attentive eyes regarded the scene as it hid behind a parked car. 

“Don’t give me that face.” Taehyung playfully nudged his head, banishing the previous awkward moment from his mind for good. “I mean, we met for the first time a month ago. We should celebrate.”

“That’s not something to celebrate, you know.”

“It is for me. So let’s do something!” Taehyung’s voice rose to a gleeful pitch as he grinned. 

“How can you even remember it?”

“I was working that day and I keep notes about my work. I had met Sieun for the first time that day too.”

Jungkook’s mind flew back to Sieun’s interrogation at the mention of his name. “We’re in love.” A subdued snort leaked out of him as he absently shook his head. 

“Are you laughing at me, or are you thinking about something?”

Jungkook gulped as he looked away. “Um, never mind.”

“Hey, tell me.”

His slightly sulky voice drew Jungkook’s eyes back to him for a fleeting moment. “Sieun had said... you guys were in love.”

Taehyung released a choked noise of surprise, but then he remembered that was exactly his plan. To make him fall for him. “I shouldn’t be this surprised. That’s what I wanted. To make him fall in love with me. And apparently I did it.”

“Why?”

“Because he would trust me way faster this way. And he did. People are so easy to control with a good fuck sometimes.” His gaze set on his face after his carelessly spoken remark and pored over his tightly sharp features. Any shred of mirth vanished in a split second from Taehyung’s whole existence, and he coughed faintly, scratching his nape. “Well, I don’t blame you for calling me a slut in the past. I am in some way.” He shrugged a nonchalant shoulder. 

Jungkook didn’t speak for a short while because simply he didn’t know what to say. Didn’t know what to think of this. Didn’t know how he felt about this. “I have to go back.” He chose to flee instead. 

“Are you mad?” Taehyung curled his fingers around his biceps, stopping him. “I can’t read you again.”

The concealed presence gasped at the proximity of the two, eyes growing bigger and more frantic. 

Jungkook refrained from glancing his way, especially now with the reduced distance between them. “I shouldn’t care about what you do in your personal life. So why would I be mad?”

“Yeah, you shouldn’t,” Taehyung’s low voice let out in a breathy timbre. His hand descended the shapely muscles of his arm in a slow caress — the thin, long-sleeve shirt he was wearing was perfect to feel every inch — until it slipped away and dropped to his side. “But do you?”

Jungkook suppressed a storm of goosebumps that prickled his belly at his touch and drew away. “No,” he answered and walked past him. 

The corner of Taehyung’s lips quivered with a tiny smile. “Are we gonna meet later again?”

“I’ll call you when I finish.”

The moment Jungkook closed the door behind him and disappeared from his sight, Taehyung’s chest fell with a stuttering exhalation. The feel of his muscles burned in his hand, making it tingle as it craved for another touch. A longer one. Maybe even a skin-to-skin one. 

Taehyung puffed out a sigh. He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jacket and plodded down the few stairs. He passed the station’s gate and turned right, planning to get a taxi to go home. 

At the next right corner, a sudden wrench on his shoulder spun him around and then two shaky hands grasped the collar of his jacket. 

Alarmed, Taehyung gripped the person’s wrists, ready to yank them away, but a brume of utter befuddlement and shock cloaked his owlish eyes as he identified that person at a glance. 

“You... You...” Sa Rang stumbled over her words, her murmuring voice cracking, as the maze of dread that spiraled through her mind was impossible to confine enough to speak coherently. 

“What are you doing?” Taehyung’s perplexity only surged as she convulsed him, not failing to notice her tearful eyes and the mixture of disquiet, anger, and anxiety they held. 

“Get away from my son!” she spewed through clenched teeth, clinging to her self-control with a vengeance. 

“Wait. You’re Jungkook’s mother, right? I saw you the other day at the station. What’s wrong?” Taehyung struggled to tear himself away from her grip and succeeded without hurting her. 

“Why are you here again? Why are you talking to my son?”

“I—We just know each other.”

“Cut your bullshit,” she snarled. “What do you want from him? Hmm? Did Jin Mo ask you to kill him? Tell me!”

The tide of shock that crashed down on Taehyung was so gigantic it rendered him incapable of restricting it from spreading over every inch of his face. “What are you talking about? I’m just his informant.”

“I know everything about you, Kim Taehyung.”

It felt like his heart stopped for a second at the sound of his real name, then spurted into a full out sprint. “Who the fuck are you?” 

“Listen to me, you little piece of shit. If you hurt my son, I’ll kill you. Stay away from him. And tell Jin Mo I won’t let him kill my other son too.”

“Your... Your other son too? What does this mean?” Although the implication of her words was sorely apparent, his brain refused to acknowledge it. 

“Stop acting like you don’t know what your boss did!” Her piled-up distress overwhelmed her, spilling the tears that stung her eyes. “Jin Mo killed my son, Kang Ho. I won’t let him take my other son too. So stay away from him. And tell your boss to stop messing with my family.” Sa Rang shoved his shoulder and stormed off, leaving Taehyung staring at an empty spot in the air in a nonplussed, startled trance. 

A swirling of gnawing questions blitzed his mind, hazing it over more and more. Sa Rang knew everything about him. How? Why? Who was she truly? Jin Mo killed Jungkook’s hyung. Why did he do it? Why didn’t he tell him? 

Taehyung lunged towards the cabstand. He needed answers. At least the ones he could get at that very moment. 

He went to his house to take his motorcycle and drove off right away. During the long ride, he kept repeating the same questions in his head in vain. He couldn’t produce any possible explanation of how Sa Rang knew him. He couldn’t trace anything that would connect him to her, to her husband, to the whole Jeon family. So how the hell did she know him?

Although all Taehyung wanted to do when he finally arrived was to dash to Jin Mo’s office, he paused, drawing in a calming breath. If Jin Mo found out that someone irrelevant knew his real name, he would kill that someone without a second thought. 

He had to be careful. 

He advanced to the entrance and waited until the gate opened for him. He resumed his way, bowing his head to the people he met, and stood outside of Jin Mo’s office a few minutes later.

The door split in half, revealing a seated Jin Mo sipping his whiskey as usual. “What happened? You didn’t tell me you were coming.”

Taehyung perched on the couch across from him. “Nothing. I helped Jungkook catch Ho Jun today. He’s warming up to me.”

A pleased smile sprawled over Jin Mo’s lips. “Good. You should finish this mission as soon as possible.”

“I’m trying. He’s been asking about you every day, you know. He’ll suspect me if I don’t give him anything new about you.” 

Just as fast, his smile fell off his face as a sigh erupted from him. He drummed his fingers on the couch, reflecting on what he should do. “I have a lot of side hideouts where a few of my men work secretly. Tell him about the one at Mapo-gu.”

“What about your men who live there?”

“I’ll tell them to evacuate and leave some evidence about a few deals I did in the past. We can give them all the evidence they want. They still won’t get me. And if someday they do, I’ll confess, anyway. I think that will be enough for our dear detective for a while. But don’t do it yet. I need at least a week to find another side hideout for them.”

“Okay.” Taehyung watched as Jin Mo finished his drink in a single gulp, sighing softly afterwards. He crossed one leg over his knee and cleared his throat, keeping his feigned nonchalance. “Did you kill... Jungkook’s hyung?”

The abrupt inquiry brought creases of mystification across Jin Mo’s forehead. “His hyung? Kang Ho? Hmm, I don’t remember. Did I?”

“It was three years ago. How can you not remember?”

Jin Mo chuckled and set his glass on the table, then reclined. “Taehyung. Do you remember me leaving this mansion in the last six years?”

His eyes rolled in a circle of thought as he frowned. “No. But I’m not always here.”

“Yeah, that’s true. But you’re forgetting that I don’t do the killings. I have people to do them for me. Only on special occasions I leave this mansion to deal with things. Kang Ho wasn’t special at all. I didn’t have a reason to kill him.”

Taehyung didn’t have to probe more; he knew him too well to comprehend when he was lying or not. And he was truthful at that moment. “You didn’t kill him.”

“No, I didn’t.” Jin Mo held his gaze cleaved to him in wordless scrutiny. “I’m curious, though. Who told you this?”

“I’m not sure. I’ll tell you when I find out more.”

Jin Mo shrugged. “Anything else? I have to get back to work.”

“Just one more question because I’m curious too.” Taehyung let a moment of silence overtake them. “Do you know who killed him?”

“No.”

Taehyung didn’t discern any changes in his expression or mannerism. He couldn’t be sure if he was telling the truth this time. “Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

After leaving the office, Taehyung met with his two best friends and recounted the events with Sa Rang. They were equally appalled and throughout mystified about how she knew him. He asked Jimin to do a scrupulous search about her, but at first glance, everything seemed normal. Even when he dug deeper, he couldn’t trace any connection between Taehyung and the Jeon family. 

He had to talk to her again. All these years, she thought that Jin Mo killed her son. Jungkook probably thought that, too. He wanted at least to tell her it wasn’t him. 

🥀

“Good job today, guys,” Jungkook said with a little smile once the time they could leave came. 

“You want to grab a drink?” Hoseok suggested. “It’s been a while.”

“Yes!” Seung Ho exclaimed at once. 

“Yeah, I’ll go see if Seokjin is done,” Namjoon said. 

“I’m meeting Taehyung.”

“You saw him like six hours ago,” Hoseok pointed out. 

“I have to ask him something. I’ll call you later.” Jungkook turned off his computer and trod to the changing room to get ready. 

 
Soon he returned, only to find his team seated at their desks, chatting with Seokjin. “You’re not going?”

“Listen to this first, Kook,” Namjoon said and nodded at Seokjin, signaling him to narrate what he just told them.

“Remember the symbol on Taehyung’s cube?”

Jungkook’s face crumpled in a perplexed frown as he took his seat. “Yeah.”

“Maybe it means nothing, but my buddy found something more as he was working on a new case. That symbol... is the ancient symbol of darkness.”

Jungkook mulled over his words but couldn’t interpret them. “I... What can this mean? I don’t know what to think.”

His team seemed to be in a similar state of mystification. “What if... this symbol isn’t Seon Ji Sun’s gang symbol?” Hoseok asked falteringly. 

“And it’s just the symbol of darkness?” Namjoon put in. 

“Yes.”

“But Taehyung confirmed this,” Jungkook uttered. 

“Maybe he doesn’t know about this either,” said Seung Ho. 

Jungkook rubbed his face with both hands, still in a maze about the new revelation. “Then what does it mean? What’s that symbol’s meaning? How is it related to Taehyung’s father?”

No one had any answers for him. “Why don’t you ask Taehyung about it since you’ll meet him, anyway?” Hoseok proposed. 

“I’ll try, but he’ll get pissed again. He always gets snappy when I ask him about his past.”

“He’s hiding something. Right?” Namjoon asked. 

“Yeah. There’s no reason for him not to want our help. Anyway. I’ll call you later.”

His team said their goodbyes, and he was on his way to his motorcycle. He climbed over it and fished his phone out of his pocket to call Taehyung. 

Surprisingly, Taehyung picked up after just a few seconds, as if he were waiting for his call. “Yes?”

“It’s the first time you picked up so fast.”

“I’m bored. Did you finish work?”

“Yeah. You want to meet at our usual place?”

“Yes. I’ll be there in ten.”

“In ten? It’s a five-minute ride.”

“I prefer walking to exercise a bit too.”

“Fine. Just don’t leave now,” Jungkook said in haste and cleared his throat. “I need twenty minutes. Don’t wait in the cold.” He ended the call before Taehyung could say anything else. 

A soft smile painted over Taehyung’s lips at his sudden consideration — a trait of his which he didn’t encounter that often. “Wait. We’re supposed to be celebrating tonight. We’re gonna celebrate in a park?” he reflected out loud as his smile melted into a slight pout. At least I get to see him. He hopped off the bed in a burst of excitement, but he froze once he reviewed his thought. “What the fuck? Why am I getting excited about seeing him? Get it together, Taehyung,” he told himself in an austere tone. 

He wore warm and casual clothes, leaving his hair in its natural condition; silky soft and mildly wavy. He exited his house about ten minutes later and sauntered towards the park. It was freezing cold that night — so much that he regretted not taking his scarf and gloves. He slipped the hood of his cardigan over his head and stuffed his hands into his coat’s pockets. 

His phone rang a while later, and he instantly sighed upon glancing at the name. It was Ha Soo Gun, his new “target”. That guy gave him the worst vibes. Something about him was just vile. 

“Hello, Soo Gun-ssi.”

“Where are you? Wanna meet?”

“I can’t right now.” 

“Come on, Taehyung. We had such a good time yesterday. Don’t you want to repeat it?” 

The good time Soo Gun just mentioned was Taehyung sucking him off while he smoked a joint. He often jerked up his hips as well, something that made that unpleasant moment even worse. No, he definitely didn’t want to repeat that.

“Maybe tomorrow, Soo Gun-ssi. I want to rest today.”

“I don’t like being turned down, baby.”

God, he was so pressing about everything! They only knew each other for five days, but Soo Gun already seemed obsessed with him. 

“I’ll keep it in mind for the next time. Now, I want to rest.” He couldn’t help the slightly sharper element that hardened his voice. 

“Fine. But don’t forget. If you’re good to me, you’ll have anything you want, baby.”

“Okay. Goodnight.” Taehyung hung up without waiting for his reply. I need to find out everything about him as soon as possible and never see him again. 

Another sigh emitted from him as he put his phone in his pocket. Several minutes later, he arrived outside of the park and found Jungkook already there. “Am I late, or are you early?”

Jungkook snorted. “I’m early. Let’s go.”

“Wait,” he protested. “I thought about it, and we’re supposed to be celebrating. Is this your idea of celebrating?”

“Well, I got soju.” He presented the bag he was holding behind him then. 

A grin erupted onto Taehyung’s face in an instant as he clapped in enthusiasm, and he insensibly pitched forward. His movements rested steeply, though, as he registered he was about to fling himself onto him. 

Jungkook imbibed the awkwardness that washed over his face through bemused eyes. “Were you... about to—”

“No. No, no,” Taehyung spluttered and went off at a scurry towards their hang-out spot, with his chin firmly tucked into his chest. Embarrassment flared his cheeks as his countenance stretched into a mask of horror at his stupidity. 

Jungkook stood rigid with surprise. Mostly because his hands instinctively moved an inch when Taehyung jolted towards him, ready to catch him and cage him into them. But thankfully, Taehyung was too busy with his own embarrassment to perceive it. 

“Just forget it and let’s go,” Taehyung muttered the moment he glanced behind him and noticed Jungkook was as stock still as a column. 

Jungkook dispelled his discomfort by his unconscious actions with a deliberate cough and proceeded. 

They trudged in tandem in silence until they reached their usual bench. An awkward aura floated in the surrounding air as they settled down and it carried on strong along with the fragile silence. 

Jungkook took the two bottles of soju out of the bag and placed one close to him. He sent a glance his way and caught him adjusting the collar of his coat, bringing it closer to his neck. “It’s cold tonight, huh?”

“Yeah, but it’s okay.”

They opened their drinks and clinked them, barely looking at each other, then took a sip. 

The frosty night seemed to warm a fraction with the bitter liquid that slightly burned Taehyung’s throat, a comforting warmth undulating across his insides. His attention shifted abruptly at a fluffy item that was delicately thrown onto his lap. And his eyes crawled towards him once he recognized it as the black scarf Jungkook was wearing, fixing on his face in a baffled but soft stare. 

“What are you doing?”

Jungkook’s expression was indifferent as usual, and he sipped his drink as an excuse to dodge his incessant view. “I don’t need it. Wear it.”

“But since you took it with you, it means you need it.”

“I need it when I’m driving my motorcycle. I’m not driving now, so.”

Taehyung was left amazed at his considerate behavior once again — despite that his way of showing it was implicit — and he couldn’t help the fond smile that tugged at the corner of his lips. His eyes glittered in a bizarre sense of bashfulness, like the shimmering little stars dotting the sky, but he cast his head down when he registered Jungkook turning his head towards him. 

Even by his profile, though, Jungkook individuated the soft smile on his countenance and unconsciously copied it as he observed him wrap the scarf around his neck and then tuck it into his coat’s collar. 

The realization that he was staring at him didn’t take long to sink in, and his expression became blank in a heartbeat as he shifted in his seat. “So, Seokjin hyung found out something.”

“About?”

“About the symbol on the cube you have. Had, actually.”

Taehyung kept his gaze on the bottle in his hands while he briefly recalled the cube incident. Now that some time passed and he got to know Jungkook a bit better, he felt remorse about his actions. And it made him wonder, really, how Jungkook would react when he would find out that he was behind the break-in. 

But on the other hand, he didn’t have to know. 

“I told you to stop looking into my past.”

“And I told you to give me one good reason to stop while I know someone is trying to kill you.”

“Because I don’t want you to,” he snapped. “And that’s reason enough.” 

“Whatever. I have to confirm this with you, so I’ll just say it. That symbol is the ancient symbol of darkness.” Jungkook instantly noticed his face screwing into a frown, but he still asked, “Did you know that?”

Taehyung set aside the jab of vexation in his gut and contemplated his words. “No, I’ve never heard of that before.”

“Did your father tell you it was his gang’s symbol?”

“Yes. He had said he chose that symbol because it represented his gang's name perfectly.”

Jungkook hummed a thoughtful sound. “Odum and the symbol of darkness. It makes sense.” He took a swig of his drink, letting the silence reign over them for a stretch. “Did you find anything about Jin Mo?”

Taehyung gave him an idle look of disapproval. “We won’t talk about anything like that. I’m not your informant right now.”

“And what are you?”

“I’m just Taehyung. And you’re just Jungkook. Not detective Jeon.”

A deep inhalation sounded from Jungkook and tumbled out of him in a sigh. “Fine. I’ll just ask you about one more thing. Do you know anyone who’s working for Jin Mo?” 

Taehyung’s muscles stiffened at the question, but he didn’t let his startle project on his face. “Not personally. Why?”

“Do you know Kim Taehyung?” 

He couldn’t suppress the twitch of anxiety that crossed his face this time. “Kim... Taehyung? I’ve heard of him,” he mumbled and gulped down some more of his soju. 

“What do you know about him?”

“Nothing much. I know he’s a seducer. And Jin Mo’s best.”

“Is there a way to find him?”

“I don’t know. Why do you want to find him?”

“I want to find anyone who works for Jin Mo because it’s the only way we’ll get him.”

“I told you, his men won’t talk. They’d rather die than rat on him.” He sipped his drink, wanting to tame some of his discomfort by the conversation. “But if you found Kim Taehyung... what would you do?”

“I would ask him about Jin Mo. And then lock him up.”

“For working for him?”

“No, for forgery.”

Taehyung’s grip on his soju tightened. “What?”

“He’s using someone else’s identity.”

“How... do you know that?

“It wasn’t hard to figure out. There’s no trace of him anywhere. But anyway. We can stop talking about work now. I would like a break, to be honest.”

Fuck, that wasn’t good. If he knew he was using someone else’s identity, it was a matter of time to hunt out the truth. He had to keep him away from the real Seon Taehyung and everything related to him. He cleared his throat, trying to push his thoughts aside for the moment. “What do you wanna talk about?” 

“I don’t know. I’m not good at that.”

“At talking?”

“At talking about anything than work related.”

“There is one secret question you can ask to get a normal conversation started. Listen carefully.” He tipped closer with an earnest look and waited until Jungkook did the same. “How was your day?” 

Jungkook snorted at once and straightened his posture, his eyes rolling at his friskiness. “Thank you for the unnecessary mockery. I’m serious, though.”

“Just relax. And ask me something you want to know.” 

“I don’t know. It’s awkward,” he said under his breath, brushing his thumb against his soju and eyes following the movement. “It kinda feels like... we’re on a date or something. And I’ve never done this before.”

“You’ve never been on a date before?” He couldn’t conceal the surprise in his voice. “Not even in uni?”

“Does it count?”

“Of course it does.”

“Then, okay, I’ve been on three dates.”

“And how did they go?”

“Well, they ended with sex, so I guess good.”

“Yah, sex isn’t everything in life, and it says a lot since it’s coming from me.” 

The lilt of whimsy in his voice caused Jungkook to chuckle lowly. “Well, I never had the time to keep a relationship. I tried, but they dumped me because I was always so busy. I wanted to become a great police officer, so I devoted my whole time to that. And at some point, I just stopped caring about it. And trying.”

“I get that,” Taehyung uttered with a soft exhalation. “For me, getting close to people was always scary. The thought of losing them one day, like my parents, terrified me. I think that’s why I didn’t want a relationship. But I start to wonder, for some reason...” His gaze traveled to him as an inkling of a smile surfaced on his traits, meeting his attentive one already anchored on him. “How would it feel to connect with someone like that? How would it feel to have someone to share my day with, my house, my bed. To share the real me.”

An abnormal, inscrutable feeling grew upon Jungkook as their eyes held at a standstill on each other. His chest itched with a baffling urge to know who the real Taehyung was and bubbled up, sitting heavy on his tongue. “Who is the real you?” That urge eventually spilled from his mouth in a muted question. 

Taehyung smiled bitterly. “I don’t know anymore,” he whispered. “But it’d be nice to find it out together. With that someone, I mean.” With a swig, he finished his soju and sighed in content. “We should drink more often when we’re coming here. It’s nice.”

“You finished it rather quickly, so I guess you can handle your alcohol well.”

“Not at all,” he chuckled. “If I drink one more, I’ll get dizzy. In the half of the third bottle, I’ll be drunk.”

Jungkook’s lips twitched. “It’s a good thing that I only got you one bottle, then.”

“Yeah. How about you?”

“I don’t get drunk easily. I need at least four to feel dizzy.”

“Wow. I probably would have passed out before the fourth bottle.”

Taehyung’s remark pulled a throaty chuckle from him. “It’s okay. Every person is different.”

Their time together carried on, talking about different things that lent a relaxation and comfort to the atmosphere. 

It was a mutual decision to leave a while later, as both needed to rest. Jungkook offered to drive him home, and he accepted right away. They sauntered towards his motorcycle, and Taehyung took off the scarf, then handed it over. 

But Jungkook just gazed at him, unmoving. “Keep it until I drive you home.”

“I’ll be fine since you’ll block all the wind for me. Just take it.”

The scarf was shoved into his hands, and he accepted it with a sigh. After curling it around his neck, he grabbed his helmet but halted, staring at it as if contemplating something. He extended his arm towards him, keeping his head away. “And you take this.”

Taehyung was in awe yet again. He found it rather cute, to be honest, how Jungkook avoided his eyes at all costs. “It’s okay. It’s just five minutes away.”

“Still.”

Taehyung smiled at the small nudge of his hand closer to him, and he caved. He wore it and secured it, then mounted the motorcycle and immediately fastened his arms around Jungkook. 

That five-minute ride was strangely cozy and warm for Taehyung despite the icy wind. He almost asked him to drive around a bit more. But he couldn’t. It would be too weird to ask that. 

So Taehyung simply got off the motorcycle once they arrived and passed the helmet to him. He thanked him for the beautiful night they had together, for the ride, for the drinks, and everything he did for him. It was a side of him he hadn’t seen before and it puzzled him a tad that he wanted to see it again and again. 

Or maybe he just wanted to see him again and again. 

Jungkook thanked him too and said his goodnight before driving away. Although he said he’d call his hyungs, his need to sleep was immense. He wanted the night to end like that. With the image and feel of Taehyung clinging onto him. His sweet smile as he told him goodnight. And his gleaming eyes as he waved at him before his departure. 

───⭒───༺🌑༻───⭒───

Important note; Odum in Korean means darkness. That's why Jungkook said it makes sense.

We had a few revelations in this chapter as well! Jin Mo didn't kill Jungkook's hyung. Sa Rang knows Taehyung. Do you have any theories about Sa Rang? I would love to hear them💜