just a note : i talk about daegu + the korean countryside in this chapter, and id just like to say that i have never been to korea and have made up the descriptions of daegu + the countryside in this chapter.
just wanted to say that in case some readers who're korean / have been to daegu / who just know about korea disagree with my description of daegu :---))))

anyway hope you enjoy this long awaited chapter !
______________

jungkook focus
as soon as he seats himself in his car, jungkook places his leather wallet in his back pocket and sighs, waiting for taehyung to slip into his seat whilst trying to ignore the niggling desire to go back outside and grab the charred photo.

it felt good for a couple of seconds but now. . . jungkook thinks as he looks back out at to the road stretched ahead of him — the crumpled burnt photograph now fluttering across the road as the wind picks up.

no — no, you don't regret it.

what did that wannabe ceo say again? that im not over her? i am definitely over her, jungkook persuades himself mentally as taehyung enters the car, shivering slightly due to the march winds. he clears his throat and banishes any thought of haneul from his head and turns his attention to his kidnappee.

why'd he "help" me though? he thinks for second as taehyung buckles himself into his seat. jungkook starts up the car once he's finished, glancing at taehyung who sits there, expectant. well whatever.

taehyung focus
after a few seconds of silence, jungkook starts up the car, expertly but distractedly moving the gearstick and pulling off of the side of the road, driving past the lined up evergreen trees and down the black tarmac road.

gurgle.
jungkook lifts his head.

taehyung, sitting in the passenger seat, coughs to cover up his stomach's sudden and incessant loud gurgles whilst simultaneously turning an embarrassing shade of red. he flattens a hand over his stomach, as if to suppress the echoing groans, hoping his kidnapper would ignore the low rumbles and not comment on it.

"burning a photo works up quite the appetite, don't you think?" taehyung coughs sheepishly.

please buy me food, please buy me food, please buy me food, please buy me food, taehyung mentally chants, his stomach joining in with occasional growls as he eagerly waits for jungkook's response.

"have another brunch bar."

taehyung deflates. he removes his hand from his belly, "i helped you get over your ex, didn't i? don't you think i should get something back-"

"hey, i never asked for your help and your method only helped a little." jungkook voices out, briefly glancing at his hostage,

"i still think i should get something in return." taehyung huffs quietly under his breath.

jungkook looks over at him again with an eyebrow raised, "you're suddenly being very daring," he comments.

taehyung clears his throat.
he knows he's being daring, knows he probably should just keep his mouth shut and sit there but he can't help but want to look out at the window and marvel at the sights (i've never been on this particular road before -- ive never been to the countryside either, so surely it'd be okay to do a little discreet sightseeing?), can't help but chat with his kidnapper (he doesn't seem to be that bad) can't help but want to take advantage out of this situation (carpe diem, right? what's wrong with doing a little sightseeing and chatting? dad always said to take and enjoy every single advantage in life).

"and you're suddenly being. . . nice?" taehyung says slowly, as if testing his words. because it wasn't only taehyung who'd done a little change; after burning his photo, jungkook seems to be a little less like a deathly scary man that could kill taehyung in three seconds – he looks almost . . . well not friendly-like but a little more approachable now?

"am i?" jungkook asks rhetorically, snorting in disbelief. "whatever, we'll stop by somewhere."

grateful, taehyung leans against the back of his seat, honey coloured arms folding over his too big shirt as a new wave of growls escape from his stomach.

+

ashy tones cloud the sky overhead as the sleek mercedes benz drives smoothly out into daegu's outskirts, the two of them leaving taehyung's hometown without a word spoken between them.

they amble off the highway and judder along pothole filled dirt tracks, leaving daegu's familiar restaurants, bars and hotels and now escaping to the lush countryside where everything seemed to appeal to taehyung; the large expanses of green fields situated outside the windows were simplistically beautiful, the moving tractors in the distance would peak taehyung's interest (he's always wanted to ride a tractor (especially a red shiny one) since he was young).
and the grey clouds overhead that threaten to rain, made him wait expectantly and patiently for the fat raindrops to patter against the metal of the car, the sound of rain resembling music to taehyung's ears.

however, his little sightseeing session is cut short when the car halts after ten minutes of non stop silent driving and taehyung breaks his eyes away from a nearby cornfield to look out of the front window. immediately, he spots the rundown family restaurant sitting on the side of the road.

"im gonna go get something to eat. stay here and don't move okay?" jungkook confirms with taehyung but the older disagrees, shaking his head, "i want to come as well."

"you're not coming. you're gonna sit here and—"

"don't you think the chance of me escaping is bigger if im in a car alone?" taehyung reasons, propping his elbow on the car's window ledge and cupping his cheek with his palm.

"fucking hell, fine. get out." jungkook mutters, unbuckling his seatbelt and opening the car door, swiftly stepping out and slamming the door behind him, startling taehyung a little.

the aforementioned hurriedly climbs out and finds jungkook standing outside for him. he grabs taehyung's wrist but drops his hand when his eyes travel down taehyung's legs.

"maybe you should cover up your legs." jungkook says more to himself as he tugs at the sleeve of his black hoodie, yanking the garment over his arms and head, before chucking the hoodie at taehyung. "wrap it around your waist or something." jungkook instructs.

blinking, taehyung looks down at the hoodie in his hands, registering what his captor just gave and instructed.
growing a little flustered at the suggestion, taehyung mumbles a quiet "thanks, i guess?" before taking the sleeves of the hoodie, wrapping and tying them around his hips. the hoodie did nothing to his appearance except cover his butt, his front however was still on display and taehyung shies at this fact, growing more and more flustered under jungkook's gaze.

"s-so are we, um, gonna go eat or what?" taehyung asks, face beet red.

in response, jungkook takes taehyung's wrist and hurries him towards the tiny restaurant. "we gotta hurry, you're not meant to park cars on the sides of roads and i do not want to pay a fine." jungkook grumbles. "oh, and try anything in the restaurant and ill shoot your limbs off — remember that i have my gun with me."

taehyung visibly stiffens at jungkook's words and he changes his mind quickly; jeon jungkook was not approachable and neither was he fucking nice.

the older averts his attention from his menacing kidnapper to the fast approaching restaurant; LIM'S CHICKEN SHOP was emblazoned in red block letters on a banner across the one storey building as was photos of fried chicken and chips (taehyung brightens up at the familiar photos of fried chicken). taehyung licks his lips with anticipation, wanting to sit down inside the shop and eat already.

snap out of it taehyung, now's your chance to escape.

but how're you supposed to escape? taehyung's eyes flit down to the the fingers enclosed round his wrist.

his stomach rumbles again.

but im hungry.
cant i escape after eating?

no! taehyung, you can't. you have to escape to see mom and dad and hyung and study more to become ceo and—

taehyung'a stomach growls when he catches sight of the posters stuck to the shop's windows — the advert for ketchup smeared chips was practically calling out to him.

. . . fuck it. i can escape after eating and who knows? maybe jeon'll choke on a chicken bone.
satisfied with his decision, taehyung walks into the shop with jungkook.

the interior of the shop consists of a number of booths, each given a greasy tabletop with salt and pepper shakers sitting atop. yellowing foam pokes out of the deep holes in the red booth seats, grease also lines the black and white chequered floor and at the counter, three workers stand bored, sipping at cans of flat pepsi.

jungkook's grip on taehyung's wrist loosens slightly and taehyung tugs his arm away, "im uh, gonna go grab a drink. is that okay?" taehyung asks, pointing at the broken fridge where a few cans of 7up and coke litter the shelves.

"n-" jungkook starts but gets cut off by one of the workers monotonously calling out, "hello? would you like to order?"

jungkook looks at taehyung for a second, thinking. "fine, grab one and come right back to me." jungkook murmurs quietly, lowering his cap to cover his face. taehyung nods and walks across the shop with a stiffened back, knowing that jungkook was still watching him.

taehyung walks towards the leaky fridge, passing by a group of meaty truck drivers along the way, the men talking with their mouths full and guffawing heavily, making taehyung grimace. one of taehyung's major pet peeves being obnoxiously loud and simultaneous talking and chewing.

he distracts himself.
7up or coke? he mentally debates as he stands in front of the fridge, ready hand placed on the fridge handle.

taehyung's broken out of his deep thoughts by a sudden and distressed "mom!" coming from his right side.
wondering who was crying, taehyung looks down at the lined up booths.

a metre away, in a small booth, a stressed young mom juggles a little girl  in her arms whilst another kid — a little boy — wails at her knees, clawing her faded blue jeans as he bawls his eyes out. the little boy — aged maybe two — adorns a navy and white coloured sailors outfit, juice staining the white and he sports red angry spots on his tear streaked cheeks.

"taesuk please!" the woman tiredly scolds the crying child, frustratedly raking a hand through her neat brown hair. "dad's gone to buy some food, just—"

the child continues to cry despite his mom's efforts and taehyung, feeling sympathy for the mom and a pang of softness for the adorable boy, takes his hand from the fridge door and wanders over without thinking, his flip flops sticking slightly to the floor with each step he takes.

"hi there!"