XVI. KIM POSSIBLE AND JEON STOPPABLE

There was this quote in the drama 18 Again.

"On rainy days, people can measure how big their love is. Even when they share umbrellas, as everyone holds them at different angles, it's clearly visible how big their love is. So love and rain come hand and hand."

People looked weirdly at the pair as they passed by them.

A man was walking slowly on the street with a large bright pink umbrella closed on his upper body. With him was a woman wearing a large paper bag with holes and a cap on her head and large sunglasses taped on it. She had her arm around him and guided him to their destination. Each had a plastic bag on their wrist. There was a light drizzle, so the sight wasn't as odd as it would be on a sunny day. 

Yes, so much love there.

"Are we going to cross the street?" Taehyung asked from under the umbrella.

"I got you, don't worry," Gyeoul reassured while laughing, adjusting her hats.

"Don't laugh, you're not the one under the umbrella," he threw back, making her laugh harder.

"Like it's my fault?"

'Why are they like that?' one might ask. Well, when they were given a half-hour break from filming, Taehyung thought that it'd be a good idea to buy snacks from the nearby convenience store. And Gyeoul, being an avid convenience store snacks enthusiast, immediately agreed. Then they left the set, forgetting they were both famous and had dating rumors.

The cashier, a teenager with such a kind soul, told them how easily people could recognize them and advised them to use disguises. They knew that a simple cap wouldn't suffice. So, them, being two smart people who become idiots when they're together, decided on the most noticeable yet effective disguise they could think of.

"Can you even see?"

Gyeoul sighed exasperatedly, "I'm doing my best. We're almost there."

Just as they were about to cross the street, a voice called their attention.

"Gyeoul?"

"Damn it," she cursed under her breath, recognizing the voice right away.

Taehyung shifted, "Maybe if we ignore him, he'll go away?"

Yongsik furrowed his eyebrows, looking between the two of them weirdly, "I can hear you two." He clicked his tongue, laughing slightly, "Why are you wearing—" he cut himself off, shaking his head, "You know what? I'm not gonna ask."

"What do we do?"

"Make a run for it?"

"The light just turned red." Gyeoul licked her lips, weighing the pros and cons in her head. Sighing, she pulled Taehyung away in case he'd walk into the busy road. "Good afternoon, Yongsik-ssi. I didn't know you'd be here."

"You're in front of Stip-Step's office."

"Oh." She tapped her foot, hoping the light would already turn green. "How'd you know it was me?"

"I heard your voice and thought it was familiar so I just assumed. Plus, you have snowflakes drawn on your shoes. I've seen them a few times in classes." 

Looking down, she saw that she was indeed wearing the same converse highs that she drew little snowflakes on. She smiled awkwardly back at him, shifting her feet from side to side.

"I learned the choreo you taught last night with J-Hope. I really enjoyed it."

Gyeoul perked up at this, "I know. Sorry for the short reply yesterday, but I really am glad you gave it another try." She pointed at the person beside her with the umbrella folded over him. "This is my friend... Umbrella. Umbrella, this is Do Yongsik, a fellow dancer."

Taehyung snorted, "Yes, I'm Umbrella, nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too, I guess? Do you need help crossing the street?"

She smiled, shaking her head, "No, but thank you, though. I hope I'll be seeing you in my future classes?"

"Of course, I can even open up some slots for you in the studio so you can teach as soon as possible."

"I'd appreciate that." The light turned green. "Let's talk about it some other time. We have somewhere to be."

"Okay, be safe!"

"You too!"

She waved at him and guided Taehyung into the street.

"'I hope I'll be seeing you in my future classes,'" Taehyung mocked with a high-pitched voice. Gyeoul grinned, hearing the teasing smile in his voice. "Were you trying to flirt? I'd have thought you had more game than that."

The dancer hit his shoulder playfully, "My voice is a lot deeper than that. And I wasn't flirting, he has a girlfriend."

"Ah, now I remember," Taehyung gasped, "He was Do Yongsik! Your supposed soulmate! I can't believe I met him without seeing him. Do you think he recognized me?"

"I don't think he did, but if he did, I'm sure that he wouldn't tell anybody about it."

Gyeoul didn't say anything else as they walked the seemingly endless crosswalk, her grip on Taehyung's shoulder becoming more protective as more people gave them weird looks. Inside the umbrella, the idol focused on the pavement they stepped on. He was watching out for the droplets of rain painted on it, observing if the drizzle would become heavier so he would share the umbrella with her.

As he was looking, his eyes focused on the white toe tips of her shoes. An endeared smile stretched across his face. "How adorable."

She helped him on the sidewalk so he wouldn't trip. "I don't know how many times I must say this. He has a girlfriend, so you can't go hitting on him."

"I meant you."

"Thank you."

His eyes widened, "The snowflakes on your shoes, I mean. But you're pretty adorable too."

The dancer let out an elongated 'aww' with the pitch going up and down to tease him, "Look at this guy. You're on a roll today, Taehyungie. Are you buttering me up? Do you need anything?"

"Can't I compliment you without any reason?" She didn't respond, but somehow he could feel her smile. When her silence got too loud, he quickly added, "But can I have your yogurt?"

"I knew it. And the answer's no."

When they got to the set, Seokjin and Yoongi were waiting by the gate. Almost immediately, the oldest started to laugh hysterically to the point that the other members went outside to see what was going on. The moment they saw the pair, they doubled over laughing. Gyeoul and Taehyung removed their disguises, showing defeated smiles.

"What the hell are you two doing?" Yoongi laughed.

"People could easily recognize us," Gyeoul answered sheepishly.

Taehyung laughed, slinging an arm around her to keep himself from falling over.

"The minds of these two, I swear," Hoseok said, shaking his head in amusement. "I might use that in the future."

"Can you put them on again?" Jungkook requested, opening his phone's camera app and pointing it at the pair.

The two 95-liners followed obediently and posed for him.

❆

"Get home safe, everybody. Thank you for your hard work!" Gyeoul said, smiling at the staff as they walked out of the set.

The staff greeted her back with the same enthusiasm, leaving her alone to collect her things. She bowed at them one last time before going to the chairs to get her things from Sungdeuk's backpack. She left her backpack in the BigHit Building and only carried a small sling bag with her that she put in her senior's bag for convenience.

"Thank you for keeping it safe," she said, smiling at the chief performance director.

"Don't bring a little bag if you're not going to use it in the first place." He handed her the bag back.

Taehyung came up from behind her and patted her head, "I'm off. Get home safe." He smiled at her with his eyes and bid Sungdeuk goodbye before walking away.

A fond subconscious smile reached her face as she watched the way her friend's hair bounced as he skipped out of the set with the other staff and managers. His happiness felt like gold itself. But her eyes caught one of the wrists of the makeup artists, they were wearing a bracelet.

The sudden thought of a bracelet brought chills down her spine. Gyeoul bit the inside of her cheek. There was this uneasy feeling that something was missing. It was like a lingering temporary tattoo that she can't wash off. Unable to place this feeling, she opened her bag and searched through the contents inside it. Lip balm, ID, sanitary pads, phone, wallet, keys, candy wrappers... but what she was looking for was nowhere in sight.

"Stay calm, Gyeoul. It's probably in the car or back in the building," she mumbled to herself, placing a hand over her heart in self-assurance.

Sungdeuk squinted his eyes at her, "Is everything alright?"

"I think I lost something."

"Let's check my bag," he suggested, walking to the nearest table and placing his backpack on top of it. He opened the zipper and looked inside for something out of place. "What are you looking for?"

"A bracelet with dark and light green beads."

He nodded and rummaged through his bag, his junior looking over his shoulder with hope. It reached the point where the man would take everything out of his backpack just to find it, crumpled sticky notes and old gum wrappers scattered around the table with his other things. But there was nothing of hers left inside the bag.

"It's not here," Sungdeuk sighed, putting his things back inside the backpack. "Let's look around the set, maybe you dropped it somewhere."

"No, it's fine, you should get going. It's just a bracelet anyway."

Sungdeuk grinned, "If you say so. Anyway, I should go home. Yeonghee and Siwoo are waiting for me to visit my parents." He snapped his fingers, "Speaking of Siwoo, he drew you today."

Gyeoul's insides sparked with warmth, "That's so sweet! Can I see it?"

"I'll send a picture when I get home," Sungdeuk responded, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "See you tomorrow. I hope you find that bracelet of yours."

Smiling politely, the woman nodded at her senior and he walked away. Left alone, she quickly sprung into action. She swept every inch of the set, retracing every step as if her life depended on it.

Panic was slowly seeping into her when she realized that her bracelet wasn't there. Gyeoul sat down on the nearest chair she could find to collect her thoughts and catch her breath. Being so stressed about not finding it wouldn't help her case in any way. She closed her eyes, leaning her elbows on her knees and massaging her temple.

"Don't overthink," she told herself, abruptly standing up from the chair and walking out of the exit. "It's probably in the car or the building or at home."

"Gyeoul-ssi!" she heard someone call as she made it to the parking lot. It was one of the managers about to enter a black van. "Why are you still here? Do you need a ride? We're on the way to the building!"

"No, but thank you!"

"She's still here?" someone said from inside the van. Jimin's head peeked through the tinted windows. "Gyeoul! Are you going back to the building? Us too! Let's race!"

The manager's eyes widened, turning to Jimin incredulously. Jimin only sent the manager an innocent smile. Gyeoul pursed her lips, shaking her head 'no' at her friend before jogging over to her car. She opened the door and scanned the interior of the vehicle before getting in. The van Jimin was in passed by her car, the windows were rolled down with Jimin and Hoseok peeking out and waving at her.

She waved back at them with a strained smile. Once they left, reality came crashing back in. Heaving out a sigh, she kissed her teeth and continued to check every nook and cranny she can reach.

Deciding that she must have left it in BigHit, she drove off.

Back in the van, Jimin scrolled through Weverse while Hoseok had his eyes closed.

"September is almost ending and I still can't believe I lost," Jimin spoke suddenly, bringing Hoseok's attention to him. "Do you think they'll find out by early October?"

He nodded, shifting on his reclined seat to face his younger member. "I mean, it's been so long, they should know by now."

"Our schedule's been so hectic, they wouldn't even have any time to remember—" His eyes widened, rising slightly from his seat, "Isn't that Gyeoul's car?" A speeding car passed by the van, not enough to get a speeding ticket, but still fast. "She must be excited to come home."

"I thought she didn't want to race."

"She probably knew we'd lose."

Hoseok chuckled, "How considerate of her."

In a record time of twenty-nine minutes, a little less than the regular travel time from the set to the home base, the performance director arrived. The moment she settled her car in the parking lot, she practically jumped out of her car and pressed the button on her keys to lock the door without even looking back. She was in so much haste that she didn't care when a black incoming van almost hit her on her way to the entrance.

She was blinded.

Blinded by that fear of losing such a seemingly insignificant object. That bracelet was anything but insignificant. For so long and for a reason she couldn't fully remember other than it was from her old friend, she's held on to it as something with sentimental value that she couldn't think of it as anything but.

Gyeoul bit her lip, jogging to the gym that she spent her morning in on that day. She checked around the equipment she used, the showers, the lockers, but still nothing. She moved on to the studios, but still nothing. She moved on to the building's cafe, but still nothing.

The dancer barged into the performance directors' lounge, ignoring Hyeonsu and Songhwa who were obviously having a heavy make-out session before she came in. Skipping the larger couch since the couple was still there, she checked the cushions between the loveseats. But still, there was nothing. She moved on to the desk and cabinets that she didn't even touch that day. Her desperation peaked to the point that she even checked inside the refrigerator.

Tears started to well up as her hope continuously dimmed.

"Oh, baby, what's wrong?" Songhwa asked, approaching her and caressing her cheek.

Three knocks came from the door.

Hyeonsu stood up and opened it, revealing Jimin and Hoseok who looked especially worried.

"Gyeoul, are you okay?" Jimin asked, walking up to her and linking their arms.

"I think I—" she bit the inside of her cheek, her emotions getting worse at the comfort. The younger woman cleared her throat, trying to keep her voice from shaking. "I think I lost my lucky bracelet."

Hyeonsu sighed in relief, "Turns out we were worried for nothing. If it means that much to you, then I'll buy you a new one myself."

"Thank you, sunbae, but this bracelet means a lot to me." Gyeoul gently pulled away from Jimin and Songhwa's comfort and went to check on the cushions between the larger couch.

"We'll help you find it," Songhwa assured, already checking around the room.

Hoseok's eyes widened in realization. If he recalled correctly, Taehyung picked a bracelet up in the studio yesterday. He beckoned Jimin over and started to explain. Quickly pulling out his phone from his pocket, he made a group chat without Taehyung. Jimin left him to it and approached his friend, helping her look for the bracelet.

HOSEOK
SOS

HOSEOK
GYEOUL LOST HER BRACELET

YOONGI
i'm in my genius lab

YOONGI
i'll be down in a minute to help look for it

HOSEOK
IT'S THE LUCKY FRIENDSHIP BRACELET

HOSEOK
TAEHYUNG HAS HER BRACELET THINKING IT WAS HIS

JUNGKOOK
OH MY GOD

NAMJOON
KADHUANGQJAJ

NAMJOON
WHAT DO WE DO

SEOKJIN
SOMEONE MAKE A PLAN

YOONGI
taehyung was pretty distraught when he lost his bracelet last year

SEOKJIN
is she okay???

HOSEOK
jimin's trying to calm her down

HOSEOK
i mean she's pretty calm but she has this conceal don't feel type of vibe right now

HOSEOK
but she's not okay i think she's getting closer to breaking into tears

SEOKJIN
i'm with taehyung right now and he's looking at me weirdly

SEOKJIN
we're stuck in traffic but i'll figure out a way to stall the managers into not taking us home directly to give some time to whoever's near the dorm to find the bracelet

YOONGI
doesn't he bring the bracelet with him at all times?

HOSEOK
he has two of the same bracelet so the other one is probably at home

NAMJOON
jungkook and i are almost home

Inside a black van with heavily tinted windows, Jungkook and Namjoon shared looks of panic, both of them not knowing what to do.

"Excuse me," Namjoon called the attention of one of the managers, "Is it okay if we go faster? It's kind of urgent."

The manager driving the van nodded and drove faster.

Namjoon clicked his tongue, "Here's the plan, while Jin-hyung is distracting the other car, we swoop into the dorm and look for the bracelet. Then we fly back to the building."

"We're going to fly?" Jungkook asked with his eyes wide.

The older member pursed his lips, "Well, no. It's just an exaggeration. I meant that we're going to drive so fast to the building that it'd feel like we're flying." He saw the way their managers shared a look of panic and laughed awkwardly, "That's an exaggeration as well. We're going to drive slowly and safely. Better yet, we'll just ride our bikes."

Jungkook's eyebrows knitted in confusion, looking at Namjoon with imaginary question marks floating around his head. Namjoon only gave him a look that said, 'we'll talk about it later.' The younger idol went along with it, sending the managers an innocent smile.

"I think you're going to win this one, hyung."

"I don't think winning 10,000 won matters anymore. I just want them to finally get on with it. Almost five whopping months have passed and they still have no idea."

The two of them paused their conversation and opened the new group chat.

SEOKJIN
TAEHYUNG'S TOO SMART FOR THIS HE KNOWS I'M WHAT I'M TRYING TO DO AND NOW I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO

YOONGI
use the fiancee card he'll understand

SEOKJIN
YOU THINK I DIDN'T ALREADY DO THAT??

NAMJOON
how's gyeoul doing?

JIMIN
she's losing hope

HOSEOK
NO SHE'S NOT

HOSEOK
I'M TRYING MY BEST HERE

"We've arrived," the manager driving the car announced. "Please don't do anything stupid."

Jungkook grinned, "Don't worry, we won't."

That didn't comfort them at all.

After bidding their goodbyes and expressing their gratitude, the duo basically ran to their unit.

"I'll search Taehyung's room and you stay on the lookout," Jungkook directed as they made it to their unit, practically tripping over the low ledge of the entrance when he was taking his shoes off.

"I'll search with you, that way we'll find it faster."

"We can't take any risks. You might break some things."

Namjoon didn't press on any further, "Understandable. I'll be right outside the room."

Jungkook crept along the hallway like a spy, motioning him to do the same. The older member rolled his eyes but went along with it. Namjoon fell so much into character that he was taking it farther than the maknae instigated.

"Agent Jeon, are you in position?" he whispered, pressing into his ear.

The youngest member hasn't even made it past the door yet. "Affirmative. Stand your ground, Agent Kim, I'll be in and out in approximately five minutes."

One might ask why they were taking the whole bracelet situation so seriously. Last year, for their fourth Bon Voyage, Taehyung became so distraught and stressed to the point that he was crying frustrated tears when he lost the same friendship bracelet. The rest of the members witnessed his meltdown and understood fully where Gyeoul was coming from. The only thing different now was that they had to snoop around so this little incident wouldn't jeopardize their reunion.

First, Jungkook checked Taehyung's jewelry box where he saw the bracelet last. But of course, since that was almost three months ago, the bracelet wasn't there. He then went to a chair, going through the pocket of the hoodie that he knew Taehyung wore yesterday since he saw it in the live. But it wasn't there either.

He went through the cabinets and coats, frantically looking around while keeping the things that he touched in the same positions as he found them.

"Agent Jeon! Jin-hyung and Taehyung are entering the gate!" Namjoon shrieked from outside the room.

Jungkook's mind became frazzled and started to look frantically around the room. His eyes landed on Taehyung's desk, seeing the bracelet placed neatly on top of a notepad.

"Idiot," he muttered to himself as he quickly snatched the bracelet from the desk and ran out of the bedroom.

"They're in the lobby!" Namjoon continued to yell out in panic and started to jump up and down.

"Agent Kim, I have the package! Let's move!"

Namjoon snapped out of it and followed after Jungkook, running out of their unit. They abandoned their shoes and used sandals instead.

"Where are you going?" Taehyung asked as he and Seokjin saw the duo pass by them. His question was unanswered as the two disappeared from their sight. He looked back at the oldest member, squinting his eyes, "This is getting suspicious. What aren't you telling me? Are we doing a new theme for Run BTS? Is this a hidden camera thing?"

Seokjin didn't answer and ran inside their unit to lock himself in his bedroom to avoid the younger member's questions.

Back at home base, the search party was spread out searching for the bracelet. Well, Gyeoul, Jimin, Songyi, Songhwa, and Hyeonsu were looking for the bracelet in the reception room for artists. Hoseok and Yoongi were waiting in the parking lot for Namjoon and Jungkook.

"I should check at home," Gyeoul sighed, harshly wiping her frustrated tears away. Jimin pouted and clung to her side.

"I'm sure Hobi-hyung and Yoongi-hyung found it by now."

As if on cue, Hoseok barged inside of the room, holding the bracelet up like a trophy. "We found it!"

The performance director's eyes brightened up and she ran up to the idol, wrapping him in a hug. Yoongi and Jimin immediately joined.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she breathed out, happy and relieved tears rolling down her face. "Where did you find it?"

The idols shared a look that went unnoticed by Gyeoul.

Yoongi scratched his head, "We found it in one of the studios. You must have left it last night."

Gyeoul nodded, "Yes, thank you again for finding it." She turned to Songyi, Songhwa, and Hyeonsu, "And thank you for helping me with everything. I'm sorry for overreacting—"

"You weren't," Songyi interrupted her before the full sentence rolled out of her mouth, giving her a reassuring smile.

"We understand where you're coming from so if it ever gets lost again, we'll be here to scour the whole world just to find it," Hoseok stated, "Taehyung's been there before too."

"Taehyung?"

Yoongi cleared his throat, giving him a look, "Another story for another time." He patted Gyeoul's shoulder, "Go home and destress."

After sharing more expressions of gratitude with her companions, the dancer finally went home.

She went home without knowing she had the wrong bracelet in her bag.

❆

"You said something before about seeing each other again when we grow older. Do you really think that will happen?"

"I hope it will. I wish that it will."

"Then that wish will come true too."

Gyeoul suddenly sat up, an idea popping into her head. "What if we switched bracelets?"

"Then it'd be pointless. They look almost exactly the same," Taehyung rolled to his side, curling into himself and closing his eyes.

She knelt over him and shook his shoulder as annoyingly as she could. "Taehyung-ah." The obvious pout in her voice and the dramatic rising and falling of her voice made him try to hide a grin. Gyeoul brightened up, laying her upper body across his, "Don't ignore me, I just saw you smiling."

Taehyung pushed her off of him, sitting up. His best friend grinned and laid her head on his lap.

"Let's not forget each other, pengweng," he, picking her wrist and slipping the bracelet into it. "We won't forget, right?" He was uncertain himself.

"We can't promise that we'll remember each other," Gyeoul replied somberly, slipping the similar bracelet into his wrist. "But I won't forget the friendship you shared with me, xiaolongbao, you're my favorite person in the whole universe."

Now, the bracelet with the black bead was with Taehyung, and the one with the brown bead was with Gyeoul.

Grown-ups kept telling them that childhood friends were nothing but side characters in one little chapter of their lives. The possibility of even remembering the name of one would be considered a challenge. While that may be true, they wished the case would be different for them.

Taehyung raked his fingers through her hair once and leaned on his palms, looking up at the sky with his heart overflowing with hope.

NOTE

missing hobi hours

i hope you enjoyed this chapter!!