They go to the station as quickly as they can. Haneul is still crying, and she's gripping onto Jeongguk's hand so tightly he thinks she's scared to let go. Jeongguk has his eyes peeled, looking around for anyone who looks familiar or out of the ordinary. He can't afford to get emotional right now, despite how his heartstrings pull him. Chances are, the people who took Hoseok are still around, and they're looking to take more of his friends. Then, he spies Yoongi, who looks absolutely wrecked.

He's pacing back and forth in front of the doors to the building, hands buried in his black locks of hair in frustration. They both know Yoongi well enough to know that he's blaming himself for being with Hoseok when it all happened, but not being able to protect him. Hoseok and Yoongi have a special bond—Yoongi could temper Hoseok's energetic demeanor the same way that cream desaturates coffee, and Hoseok could sweeten Yoongi's bitter attitude like honey. No doubt, Yoongi is in bad shape.

But neither Jeongguk or Haneul know just how bad, until they come into his line of view. Yoongi's tearful eyes train on them, and like that, he's running towards them. They think he's going in for an embrace, and Jeongguk opens his arms—

only to be met by a stinging pain that aches in the bones of his face just as much as it hurts his heart. Jeongguk's head snaps to the side and he winces audibly.

"Yoongi!" Haneul gasps, hand on Jeongguk's back in worry. Blood cascades down his cheek from the cut Yoongi's ring made there. Yoongi breathes heavily, shaking out his hand and flexing his fingers, before winding up
again. Jeongguk sees it coming this time, but he doesn't move or deflect Yoongi's fist in anyway, merely letting his knuckles collide with his stomach. Wind being knocked out of his lungs, he hunches over Yoongi's hand, only for Yoongi to follow it up by driving his knee into his crotch. Groaning, Jeongguk collapses, struggling to catch his breath. He goes to hit him again, but Haneul steps in front of Jeongguk, catching his fist in her own. "Yoongi, stop! Please! You're hurting him!" She pleads.

"Are you seriously defending him right now?" Yoongi asks. His voice is quiet, barely audible, but shaking with rage. "Hoseok is gone. They took him, and you're defending Jeongguk? Jeongguk, the one who got Hoseok shot? And now kidnapped?"

"Jeongguk didn't do this, Yoongi. The same way Jeongguk didn't pull the trigger, Jeongguk didn't do this." Haneul says solemnly. She takes the fist that she's holding and unfurls it, lacing her fingers with his own. She squeezes his hand tightly. "I know you're hurting, but blaming Jeongguk isn't going to help anything."

"I understand. Why you're mad at me, I mean." Jeongguk speaks up then. He's fully recovered from his minor beating, albeit the cut still dripping blood on his cheekbone. Yoongi looks at Jeongguk with a combination of contempt and fear and guilt that makes Jeongguk's heart ache for him. He knows that if anything happens to Hoseok, all of those emotions will transfer from Jeongguk to Yoongi himself. Jeongguk knows, because he's felt that level of self-loathing before; he knows better than anyone. "I've put Hoseok through a lot. And you. Hell—all of you."

His brain is wired to say something along the lines of: It's all my fault. I hurt people, it's what I do. I deserve this. I don't deserve to be your friend or have your forgiveness.

But he takes pause now, because he remembers what Haneul said the other night, in the early morning light of Taehyung's kitchen.

"Everyone deserves forgiveness. But you? You fucked up, big time. But you've also gone through more than anyone I've ever known. You care about people more than yourself, at times to a fault. This was one of those times, but you still did it because you care. It was faulty logic, but you care, Jeongguk. You still care. You deserve more than forgiveness. You deserve happiness, too."

In this moment, he realizes she's right.

He fucked up, and the root of their problems may be him, but he didn't ask for this. He never wanted this. If he's going to be able to promise Haneul he'll stay, like he so deeply wants to, he can't keep blaming himself for other people's actions. All he can do is try to fix this.

"It was never intentional." He continues after a few seconds. "But I promise you, with everything in me that I am going to get him back. I will get him back, if it's the last thing I do. And I'm sorry. For all the shit I've done to you. But I can't change the past. All I can do now is try like hell to make sure it doesn't repeat itself." He says sincerely. A shift in Yoongi is visible with his words—the anger fizzles out. The dams in Yoongi's eyes finally break, letting the salty tears stream down his cheeks in rivulets. Haneul pulls him to her in a tight embrace, and Yoongi, the notoriously stable one, just cries.

"H-He was right there. Right behind me. He was right there." He sobs into Haneul's shoulder, and Haneul murmurs soothingly to him. Jeongguk watches. He's compelled to join them, to comfort Yoongi, but he knows that's probably the last thing Yoongi would want. "I could have saved him. I could have—"

"Hey, shh. Stop that. Hoseok wouldn't want—"

"Don't say that." Yoongi chokes out, lifting his head from Haneul's shoulder quickly, all red eyes and damp cheeks. "'Hoseok wouldn't want'. Don't say that. That makes it sound like...like he's..." Yoongi trails off, moment of clarity deteriorating into more sobs that violently shake his whole body and probably his soul and have him burying his face into Haneul's shoulder again. Yoongi doesn't finish his sentence. He doesn't have to, they know what he would've said.

That makes it sound like he's dead.

And Hoseok can't be dead. As much as Taehyung and Namjoon can't be dead, Hoseok simply cannot be dead. Jeongguk won't let that happen. He needs to hold it together for just a little longer and think of something beneficial to finding his friends, because Jeongguk refuses to let them die. Not if he has anything to say about it.

He looks up to the sky in attempts to collect himself, sees the sun's rays reflecting off the glass and steel of the news building—wait.

"I'll be right back, stay here." Jeongguk says to his lover and his friend, if he can even call Yoongi that. He makes a beeline for the entrance of the building, scanning for the person he's looking for.

It's nearly the end of the day, and lots of reporters and other personnel are exiting the building. They all blend together, but one catches his eye. She's a tall, curvy woman with short hair dyed platinum blonde, but Jeongguk sees her lanyard first:

SEOUL SUN
Han Yerim; Investigative Reporter

Perfect. Jeongguk runs up to her, jostling a couple people on his way by. "Excuse me, do you have a second?" He practically skids to a stop in front of her, and she looks confused.

"Sir, you're bleeding—" She says, but Jeongguk brushes it off.

"I'm fine. I think I might have a case for you." He interrupts her, and she still looks disinterested.

"Sir, any case related inquiries only cross my desk after being processed by corporate—"

"It's a double abduction. Two adult men in their twenties. One happened just half an hour ago in this very building while the second abducted person was reporting the first abduction." Jeongguk says, pointing to the news building. Han Yerim looks more interested than before, but still skeptical.

"I believe you, sir, but I still think you should file a report inside—"

"No, we don't have that kind of time." Jeongguk refuses to take no for an answer. He pulls a crumpled flyer with the photo of Namjoon from his pocket. "This is the first man, Kim Namjoon. The second is Jung Hoseok, and—"

"Wait, did you say Jung Hoseok?" Han Yerim cuts him off this time. Jeongguk's eyes widen.

"Yes, do you know him?" He asks, and Yerim nods, shock evident on her face. Jeongguk can't wait to hug Hoseok once they get him back, because another one of his endless supply of connections might just be the reason they do. "You still want me to go file through corporate?"

"No. Tell me everything."

yay you've met yerim!!! she's about to be real important so remember her!!!

hope u enjoyed this one, all the love for you guys!!! please stay safe & stay home if you can!