"The cookies are gone."

"That's your fault, Tae."

"No, c'mon, don't blame this all on me, you had a share in this."

"Mhm. Whatever you say, Tiger."

Taehyung laughed at the exchange, tossing the now empty plastic container into the sink to be washed. Yoongi had since made himself comfortable on the couch. The tv was on, currently playing a series of commercials that didn't interest him in the slightest, but then again neither did whatever was playing on tv.

His gaze drifted around the room. The door caught his attention and in that moment Yoongi suddenly recalled something from earlier that day. "Hey, Taetae, where's that roommate of yours?"

"Jungkook?" Taehyung glanced over his shoulder and shrugged. "Said he was going on a walk. None of my business..."

"That was hours ago."

"Yeah?"

"It's 11 p.m., Tae," Yoongi pointed out, not hiding his concern. "Kind of a long walk, don't you think?"

"Maybe he stopped somewhere."

"You sound awfully disinterested."

"He's a grown man," Taehyung said almost in protest. "He can do what he wants, it's not my job to make sure he's home before his 'bedtime'. He acts like a child but he can take care of himself. I don't care if he's out late."

His response struck Yoongi as a bit suspicious. If anything, Taehyung almost seemed angry. His expression reflected bitterness in the smallest degree, but it was still there, under layers of some other emotions Yoongi couldn't quite decipher.

"Tae, why didn't you tell me before about having a roommate?" He asked his friend. Taehyung only sighed as he made his way over to Yoongi to sit beside him on the couch. "You look bothered, Tiger..."

"He wasn't my roommate until just recently," the other confessed. "He lost his job and apartment."

"And he approached you about it??"

"We're both music majors."

"Still, that's kind of a big favor to ask someone you don't know well or feel comfortable around." Yoongi stared at Taehyung until his friend looked back at him, somewhat guiltily. "So you're friends, then, right? I'm surprised you wouldn't tell me, Tae, you've never wanted to make other friends since high school..." 

"He's not, we don't mean anything to each other-"

"Really? Then why did he look so upset you weren't paying attention to him?"

It took Taehyung aback. Feeling an odd sensation in his chest, the boy sat back against the couch and shrunk into himself. "I didn't...notice..." He muttered.

"I didn't say anything 'cus I didn't really feel like it was my place to say," Yoongi began, "but I couldn't ignore his frequent looks at you, Tae. Like he really did not look happy you spent the whole day talking to me."

"Whatever, he's just a kid-"

"But you said he wasn't."

Now it was beginning to exasperate him, for the sole reason that he knew Yoongi had a valid point, but Taehyung wasn't in the mood to talk about it. He wanted to enjoy Yoongi's visit. That's all. Not dwell on what Jungkook meant to him, or why feeling lied to hurt more than he wished it did.

"He's Jungkook, that's what he is." Taehyung shifted his eyes over to the door but didn't move his head.

"Did you guys get into a fight or something-?"

"Will you stop asking about him??" Taehyung immediately winced at himself for raising his voice. "Sorry, I didn't mean to yell, sorry, Yoongi, I-..."

"It's okay." Yoongi placed a gentle hand on his friend's shoulder. "Just take it easy, Tiger. I want to help you, not stress you out."

It didn't help that talking about Jungkook was only stressing him out more, but Taehyung didn't want to admit that to Yoongi. His plan to avoid the subject altogether had already failed, so he just didn't feel like trying anymore.

"He's just Jungkook."

Taehyung released a deep breath and held his head in his hands for a moment.

"He's just Jungkook..."

"Doesn't sound that way."

Yoongi could see how much it bothered his friend. He had always been particularly perceptive, especially when it came to Taehyung, so the change in the boy's disposition was so incredibly obvious to him, he couldn't ignore it if he wanted to. Just as he couldn't ignore Jungkook's behavior earlier that day.

Yoongi put his arm around Tae's shoulders and hugged him slightly. "Why don't you call him or something?" He suggested in a soft tone. "Do you have his number?"

"I do..." Taehyung muttered.

"Good. Checking up on him couldn't hurt anything, right?"

"I guess not.."

He hadn't been on his phone practically the whole day. He didn't need to be since Yoongi was around, so the device had spend the majority of the morning, afternoon, and early evening sitting on the end table beside the couch. Taehyung reached across the arm rest to grab it.

No messages from Blue. Taehyung had forgotten to block him, but it seemed Jimin hadn't bothered to text him since he was found out anyway.

No messages from Jungkook, either. He pulled up the boy's contact.

Taehyung
where are you

Taehyung
you said you were going on a walk, it's really late

Taehyung
text me soon or i'll lock you out

He felt a little better after sending those messages. There was no immediate reply, but Taehyung believed the boy would get bored of being stubborn and answer him soon enough.

He did answer. After another half hour, Taehyung received a phone call from him. It took him by surprise, because Jungkook never called him before, nor vice versa. It had always been just text messaging.

Hesitantly, Taehyung raised his phone to his ear.

"Jungkook?"

"Tae...please..."

Strained breathing..

"Jungkook, where are you? Didn't you get my messages?? It's late!" He scolded. "Get back to the apartment before I lock you out."

For a time, there wasn't a reply. Just a continuation of that strained breathing. Taehyung listened and waited impatiently, expecting an answer, an explanation, but before long he started to hear the faintest sound of crying.

Worrying didn't begin to describe it.

"Tae, is everything-"

"Jungkook, where are you??"

Yoongi froze. The panic in his friend's voice was unmistakable.

"Kook, answer me now, this isn't funny!"

"Jang...su...sam..."

"Jangsusam? Where on earth is that??"

"I'll look it up," Yoongi joined in. Hastily he tore his phone from his pocket and typed the name into a search engine. "It's a small restaurant. Eight miles away."

"Jungkook, I'll be there to pick you up, okay?" Taehyung said sternly into the phone. "If you're drinking I swear I'm gonna kill you."

With no answer following the next fifteen seconds, Taehyung ended the phone call and raced to the door to slip on his shoes. Yoongi also rose to his feet.

"I'm gonna get him," Tae said, a slight tremor in his voice. "Probably ordered too much wine or something and can't move, that brat."

"Do you want me to go with you?"

"No, Yoongi," Tae said without hesitation. "You're on vacation, you stay here and relax, this kid is my responsibility."

Yoongi couldn't believe his ears. "You're really contradicting yourself with your words, Tae-"

"Doesn't matter, I'll be back twenty minutes tops, okay?"

"You've got me worried-"

"Don't worry, everything's fine. I'll be right back, Yoongs."

He was gone before Yoongi could press another argument. Gone and out of his apartment, out of the building and into his car, where he straightaway brought up a GPS route to this 'Jangsusam' place. Only eight miles. It didn't take long to get there in terms of time, but in Taehyung's head in felt like endless miles, endless hours.

He tried convincing myself what he told Yoongi truly was the case.

Jungkook was inside, nearly passed out from drinking. That's it.

He didn't have any money, though, so how could he have been able to purchase so much?

Maybe he's with someone.

Oddly enough that wasn't reassuring.

Not much later and Taehyung discovered there were no places to park outside this restaurant. It was a small place to begin with, on a small, not-too-busy street.

And it was closed.

Actually, it had closed over an hour ago.

Taehyung double-parked right outside the restaurant and ran over to the window. There was no one inside. Not even staff.

"Jungkook?!"

No answer. Of course there wasn't.

Taehyung's shaky hands pulled out his phone and called Jungkook's number.

In the near distance he heard it ring. A faint, nearly inaudible, distorted sound. Taehyung ducked his head around to peer into the alleyway just beside the small restaurant.

And there he was.

Jungkook, lying sprawled out on the concrete, his phone, with its screen cracked, ringing in his open palm. At first glance Taehyung couldn't tell if the boy was conscious but things sure didn't look promising.

His heart in his throat, Tae darted into the alley and dropped to the ground beside Jungkook. And now, needless to say, he could him much more clearly. More specifically, Tae could see the absolute terrible state this boy was in physically. Bruises covering his face and even the revealed skin of his partially rolled up sleeve, dark red blood from the fresh wounds staining his flesh, his lips, his teeth. Even the tips of his hair were marked in red as a result from the wound across the boy's head.

The sight of it all did something to Taehyung. Establishing a sickening feeling deep in his gut, one that spread through his own bloodstream and affected every inch of his being. Deep down he already blamed himself. Before even knowing what had been the cause of this, Taehyung blamed himself for ever letting Jungkook stay out so late to begin with.

Tae couldn't speak at first. Choked up all of a sudden, he pursed his lips and gave Jungkook the slightest push. "K-...Kook, c'mon, get up, are you awake?? Can you hear me??"

Nothing. Jungkook wasn't opening his eyes.

Frantic beyond words, Taehyung hovered his hand over the boy's mouth and nose.

He was breathing. And after a few seconds, his eyes opened, too. Tae's heart jolted in his chest.

"Kook?? Kook, just, just hang in there, okay? I'm gonna take you back to the apartment, y-you're gonna be fine, okay?"

Anyone in their right mind would have called an ambulance immediately. But Taehyung couldn't think rationally right now, not to mention his strong fear of hospitals always tended to steer him away from them in any way possible.

So that being said, he took hold of Jungkook's arm, lifted him up off the ground and as carefully as he could, carried him to his car and helped him into the back seat.

He hated not feeling like he had better control of the situation. But he wanted to. He didn't want to rely on anyone else, he never did, and right now Taehyung felt solely to blame, again, without even knowing what had happened. Perhaps it had been because of how he treated Jungkook, the neglecting, the harsh words in the past that the boy probably didn't deserve. So what if he were keeping a secret? He had been kind and accepting to Taehyung without asking for anything in return.

And this is what he had to show for it.

"Jungkook, can you hear me??"

To his knowledge the boy was still awake. But barely.

"I know it's hard to talk, I'm sorry, you don't have to talk, just relax, it's gonna be okay, Kook, it's gonna be okay."

He said these things more for his own benefit than anything. He needed to convince himself. Things would be okay. Jungkook would be okay.

You have to be okay.

"Kookie, just breathe, okay?"

*
*
*

end of chapter nineteen.