There was silence as the four of them sat around a small wooden table in Guy's place. He had come in shortly after Namjoon and Suga's argument, lighting a few lanterns for light before offering them supper. Hobi sat next to Suga while Namjoon sat next to Guy. Guy was currently the only one making noise as his serving spoon clinked against the side of the bowls as he served them some soup.

"Apologies that it is more broth than anything else, but at least it'll be something warm in your stomachs."

"Thank you," said Namjoon as he took his now filled bowl from Guy's gloved hands and set it down before him.

Suga and Hobi already got their soups. Hobi was looking at the spoon as if not sure how to use it while Suga was narrowing his eyes down at the contents within the soup bowl.

"I think there is a hair in here..." Namjoon could hear Suga mumble from where he sat, earning him a kick to the shins under the table and a look from Namjoon.

Suga turned his glare up from the soup to look at Namjoon before falling silent again. Hobi looked perplexed at the spoon for a moment more before looking over at Namjoon who was slowly demonstrating how to use it. Hobi mimicked Namjoon's moves; a fact that didn't go unnoticed by Guy even though he pretended he was none the wiser.

"So, what brought you all so far outside of town with no ride?" asked Guy.

"We decided to take a journey and didn't realize how long it would actually take to reach our destination," said Namjoon as he took another spoonful of broth and ate it.

"Well, I'm glad I stumbled across you then," said Guy. "You would have been wandering all night without having reached a village or city. You can rest here for the night and then come into town tomorrow with me."

Suga took a spoonful of the broth after having studied it for a moment more, wrinkling his nose a bit as he swallowed it. He put the spoon down, bringing the bowl up to his nose before giving it a sniff. Guy noticed and let out a chuckle.

"You're not a fan, I see."

"It tastes odd," said Suga honestly, causing Namjoon to flush in embarrassment.

"Odd?"

"Yes. What's in it?"

Guy opened his mouth to respond, but Namjoon interjected before he could.

"It doesn't matter. It was nice of him to open his home to us for the night, right Suga?"

Suga turned to glare at Namjoon but fell silent for now as he cast his eyes about the room they were in. Guy's house was smaller on the inside than it appeared to be on the outside. The kitchen table they were now sitting at was crammed into the kitchen and living room. Only one door appeared off to the left that led to a bedroom while a small ladder directly behind them led up to the loft.

"So Guy, what do you do for a living?" asked Suga as his eyes kept scanning about the place.

"I'm an artist," he said as Namjoon and Hobi exchanged a look.

'An artist. Maybe he was the one we are looking for,' thought Namjoon.

"What kind of art do you do?" asked Namjoon.

"I specialize in statues," said Guy. "I've been told before I have a gift for catching the lifelike essence of mankind in my art."

"Then why are you living out in this shack in the middle of nowhere?" asked Suga as Namjoon kicked his shin under the table again.

"No need to kick your friend," said Guy as he placed his hand on Namjoon's leg. Namjoon looked down to see that Guy had yet to take either of the black gloves off. "I find it's easier to get inspired out here. I meet all sorts of interesting people that inspire my next creation, interesting people like yourselves."

Nothing much was discussed the rest of dinner after that. Suga didn't eat anymore of the brothy soup, instead watching Guy the entire time as they discussed things. The only one that ate the entire thing was Hobi. Guy showed them up to the small loft of his place after where the three of them were welcome to sleep. It wasn't anything special; just a mattress lying on the wooden floor. The three of them tried their best to squeeze onto it together; all lying on their sides as Guy left them, going back down the ladder and to his bedroom for some sleep. They laid like human sardines for a few minutes in the darkness and silence of the house before Suga - who was lying at the back - moved to get up.

"What are you doing?" asked Namjoon in a whisper as he sat up, seeing that Suga was up and peering down the ladder into the darkness.

"What? I can't hear you," whispered back Suga.

"I said..."

Suga waved a dismissive hand in his direction as he mumbled, "Never mind. Your question is probably irritating anyway."

Namjoon watched as he disappeared down the ladder, using the moonlight streaming in through the windows to guide him. Muttering under his breath, Namjoon moved to get up; Hobi quick on his heels.

"Where are we going?" whispered Hobi.

"Just follow me," replied Namjoon as he moved down the ladder.

When Namjoon got back down to the first floor where the small kitchen was where they had had their dinner, he noticed the front door was open a crack. Moving towards it, he opened it to see Suga making his way towards the barn. Namjoon figured that's where Suga was going. Slipping out of the house with Hobi, he shut the door as quietly as possible behind them before jogging to catch up to Suga. He managed to catch up with him just as he reached the barn doors.

"What do you think you're doing?" asked Namjoon as he placed a hand on Suga's shoulder and made him turn around to face him. "You can't just invade Guy's privacy like this."

"Look, I don't care if you don't believe me. Your grandfather created me to be a guardian and I know there is something odd going on here. Guy gives me an uneasy feeling."

"He's an artist. Artists are odd in general. Who knows? Maybe he is the man my grandfather wanted us to find," said Namjoon.

"No. I really don't think he is. Now if you don't believe me stay out here and stay out of my way," said Suga, turning back around to grip the barn door and shove it open.

Namjoon could definitely see where the 'uncompromising' part of Suga's name came from now. Sighing, he dug his phone out of his pocket and turned the flashlight app on.

"We're going to need this," said Namjoon as Suga - who was irritated at this point - just nodded and stepped inside.

The three of them entered the barn half huddled together as they looked about them. Stalls lined the walls on either side of them. Horses took up the first stall on both sides, but the rest of the stalls appeared to be empty; their doors thrown open and blowing in the breeze.

"See? There's nothing here," said Namjoon as he cast his flashlight about as they passed the horses.

"We just started exploring," said Suga. "Scaredy cat."

"I'm not scared."

"Uh huh. Sure."

"You two really should quit fighting. You're both probably more alike than you realize," said Hobi as Namjoon and Suga both said, "Shut up" to Hobi at the same time.

Hobi fell silent as the three of them kept steadily walking forward. Namjoon soon paused when his beam of light landed on two marble statues in one of the horseless stalls. He wandered over to them, noticing just how lifelike the features of the marble statues were as he scanned his flashlight over them. His eyes paid special attention to the look on the statues' face. They each wore a look that was a combination between horror and sadness. His flashlight scanned the rest of the stall, noticing two names scratched into the wood behind it.

'Why were the statues given human names?' thought Namjoon.

Namjoon turned back around and began to notice that all the stalls held two marble statues. Suga and Hobi were peeking inside another stall as Namjoon walked over to them. The statues looked just as lifelike as the ones he had left, and all had the same looks on their faces. Names were scratched behind them too; some even scribbled out as another was put beneath them.

"I don't like this," said Hobi. "Something seems off."

"Just like I told both you knuckleheads all along," said Suga.

Namjoon walked further back into the barn, freezing at one stall that only had one statue in it. His flashlight had caught sight of his grandfather's name scratched into one side of the stall. It hadn't been crossed off yet. His grandfather had been here.

Entering the stall, Namjoon examined his grandfather's side. There wasn't much there aside from his name. Namjoon scanned the light around the bottom of the stall facing the wall, noticing a small slip of paper sticking out between two of the floorboards. It was sticking up just barely so Namjoon almost couldn't grab it with his fingertips. When he had a firm hold of it, he yanked it free and unfolded it, recognizing his grandfather's writing.

Before he could read it though, he heard a round of clapping echo out through the barn. Namjoon's heart sunk in his chest when he realized that Guy had found them. Knowing that he had to hide, Namjoon tucked into the corner of the stall where the statue that was still there was. He kept his flashlight down so that he could continue to read the paper as he heard Guy's voice echo out, "Congratulations. You've seen my art before it hits the public eye. What a rare treat."

Namjoon had no idea where Suga or Hobi were, hoping that they had hidden out of view and couldn't be found by Guy. Namjoon tried to focus his panicking self on the note before him. He realized the note was the same sentence in the journal that had lead them here in the first place.

'The artist's work was cracked, decayed, and becoming forgotten. In my struggle to show him his worth, I lost him.'

The artist's work. That was the first time that those three words stuck out to Namjoon. Maybe his grandfather hadn't meant they needed to find an artist, but their work of art instead.

"You three are going to be the finest pieces of art I've had in a long while," said Guy. "You'll be my masterpieces and the world will sing my praise. All you have to do for me is to sit still and look pretty. It shouldn't be hard. Just come out."

Namjoon didn't move, shutting his flashlight off as he looked at the statue in front of him. Just like the rest, this statue was lifelike in detail. Everything about the design of the statue was flawless except for a crack on its forehead that had been filled in with sort of gold detail.

"I'm sure what I say doesn't make sense. I wasn't really planning on explaining it to you, but you see, I have a gift much like King Midas. Only - instead of things turning to gold when I touch them - they turn into beautiful statues. Isn't that absolutely fabulous? I'm an unrecognized genius."

'Or an unrecognized madman,' thought Namjoon.

Namjoon was trying to process how what Guy was saying could be true, but he supposed it could be. He never thought a time traveling RV was real either until earlier.

"Most people cross my path because they have lost their way," continued Guy. Namjoon jumped when he heard a stall door being kicked open. "Or they are travelers like yourselves. I try to show them their worth by reinventing them. I find myself rather hospitable. The world may not have found them worth it before - but after I'm done with them - they are worth their weight in gold."

Namjoon could hear Guy's voice getting louder as he got closer. Soon his hiding spot would be compromised. His grandfather had obviously been here before if his name was carved there. He had to have escaped, but how? Namjoon looked at the statue in front of him before moving to slip behind it. He moved to put his hands on the base of the statue as he heard Guy kick open another stall.

'Please let Hobi and Suga be safe,' thought Namjoon, chiding himself for not listening to Suga earlier.

Namjoon leaned forward to put his forehead against the back of the statue in front of him, closing his eyes as he did so. Namjoon hated what Guy was saying. No one was worthless. Everyone had flaws and that's what made them beautiful. As Namjoon kept his eyes closed and his forehead pressed against the statue's back, he was surprised to feel that the coldness of the marble was disappearing. He opened his eyes, letting them widen in shock when a young man about his age was sitting bewildered on the ground in front of him.

The man had jet black hair that laid flat against his head, some of it hanging down in a sweeping fashion over his forehead. He had model like qualities that made him handsome; his almond eyes filled with shock. The only part about him that still was statue like was the golden scar on his forehead.

"Where am I? Who are you? What's..."

Namjoon reached out to place a hand over the man's mouth to silence him as Guy kicked open another stall.

"We need to be quiet right now, okay? There's a mad man trying to get us."

The man just nodded his head as he folded himself into the corner next to Namjoon. The man reached down to grab Namjoon's hand tightly. Namjoon still was trying to wrap his mind around how this statue had turned back into a man, holding the man's hand tightly back to try to comfort him. Just when Namjoon was sure that Guy would find the stall they were hiding in, he heard him let out a shout. Namjoon let go of the man's hand to peek up over the stall and see that Suga had popped out of hiding and smacked Guy with some sort of board. Guy had his still gloved hands cupped to the back of his throbbing head as he turned around to face Suga.

"I have to go help my friend," said Namjoon as he turned to look at the man. "I'll be right back."

The man nodded his head as Namjoon grabbed up the nearest weapon he found available, tucking his phone and his grandfather's note into his pocket before exiting the stall to run to Suga's aid. Namjoon swung the shovel he had picked up at Guy's head. Guy leaned back as the shovel came his way, managing to dodge it. Suga looked over at Namjoon - surprised that he came to his aide - but also not complaining as he swung the board at Guy's feet.

"Ah. So two of you have come out of hiding I see. Not ready to be pretty, obedient statues yet?"

"You're demented if you think either of us would let that happen," said Namjoon.

Guy dodged another swing from Namjoon as he smirked. Hobi - meanwhile - stayed hidden in the shadows of the stall he was hiding in. Hobi had been hiding with Suga when Suga had decided he had to do something as the security. Hobi had watched as Suga raced out towards Guy with the board, not sure what to do now that he was alone. Looking across the way at the stall that Namjoon had just run out of, Hobi made sure the path was clear before racing across the way to it. He entered it, freezing soon after when he saw a man in the corner jump at his sudden appearance.

"Who are you?" asked the man as he took in Hobi's weird lime green outfit.

"My name is Hobi," he said as he moved to crouch down beside the man. "What is your name?"

"Taehyung," he said. "Kim Taehyung."

- - -

AN: Just in case anyone is wondering, here is how I envision Kim Taehyung in this time period. I don't own this photo.