The three friends started their day early as they had planned, and thankfully, they didn’t wake up the stranger this time.

They were amazed to see how Jimin completely ignored Yoongi this morning when they walked past the reception and a bit baffled as well.

“How come you didn’t greet him?” Taehyung asked as they strolled along the sidewalk. “Don’t tell me you gave up.”

“Of course not,” Jimin scoffed. “I opened my cards to him. He obviously knows I like him. Now I’ll act like he doesn’t exist, he’ll be confused and curious about my behavior, and he’ll come to me on his own.”

“Wow, that’s a very thorough plan,” Hoseok chuckled. “But what if it doesn’t work and he just, you know, ignores you like you do?”

A contemplative frown budded on Jimin’s features. “I haven’t thought about that, so I hope my plan works.”

The three men chuckled and off they went to enjoy their morning with diving.

For their first try, they did pretty well and were left mesmerized by the extraordinary beauty of the sea. Taehyung took a ton of inspiration for his upcoming drawings and truly couldn’t wait to return so he could start.

They headed back around noon as they chatted about their experience. Taehyung noticed a young man’s presence that wandered near the hostel, and his brows pulled together in cogitation. He had the impression he had been seeing that young man since day one, but he shrugged it off with the conclusion that he was imagining things.

They soon entered and bowed their head to Yoongi, except Jimin, who ignored his existence.

“Hi,” Taehyung smiled.

“Welcome back.” Yoongi’s expression remained steely as usual, though his eyes tracked Jimin’s figure until he was out of his sight. He huffed as he sank back in his seat. He’s ignoring me, huh? So childish.

Yes, Jimin was indeed childish, but the problem was it bothered Yoongi when it shouldn’t. And that meant something he didn’t really want to admit.

“I’m impressed, Chim,” Taehyung said as they trod towards the elevator. “You didn’t even glance at him.”

“Yes, and Yoongi had his eyes glued to you.”

Jimin grasped Hoseok’s forearm, gaping at him with hopeful surprise. “Really? Are you sure?”

“Yes, I saw him too,” Taehyung chimed in.

“Oh my God, my plan is working!” Jimin shrilled in a whisper on repeat as he clapped his hands in tiny.

His two friends erupted into giggles at his overly cute demeanor, and they resumed their way with an exhilarated Jimin who couldn’t stop smiling.

They stood in front of their room, and Taehyung searched for the card key. A muffled voice from the other side of the door silenced their casual banter and ceased Taehyung’s movements in curiosity. He drew nearer to the door and pressed his ear against it.

“No! We can’t wait for something to magically happen. You have to send more men to speed up the process.”

More men? What the hell does this mean? Taehyung thought at the brief silence that followed.

“Every day that passes by with no results is a risk. And especially for me. It’s been four fucking months already. My sanity is reaching its limits.”

Another wave of silence crawled by.

“Never mind, I’ll do it on my own. I’ll risk my fucking life—”

Jimin pulled Taehyung away from the door gently, a disapproving frown adorning his traits. “That’s enough, Tae. It’s not right to eavesdrop.”

Although he was dying to hear more, he knew Jimin was right. He continued the search for the card key and located it in his bag’s pocket. He unlocked the door, and they stepped into the room with an awkward atmosphere surrounding them.

Taehyung examined the unnamed man, who was sitting sideways in his bed. His eyes slid down his form, and then narrowed on his hand that was clutching something. “What’s... that?”

Jungkook’s body was on the brink of shaking by his infuriated nerves — so infuriated indeed he forgot to hide his big button type phone beneath the mattress. “It’s a phone.”

“That’s ancient,” Taehyung snorted.

“I like simplicity.”

“That’s not simplicity, it’s garbage.”

Jungkook’s menacing eyes slashed through him in a scowl Taehyung had never seen before. “Do I seem like I’m in the mood for your jokes?”

It was the first time Taehyung saw the stranger’s eyes clearly and from an averagely close distance. He thought he would be magnetized at the sight of them, but they exuded such viciousness at that moment he couldn’t maintain eye contact for more than a second. “Sorry.”

Jungkook flopped down into his bed and threw his forearm over his forehead.

Taehyung slouched towards the table and sank down into the chair. He took his folder and pencil case out of his bag and set them on the table with a slight pout dancing around his countenance. The stranger’s behavior was overall curt, but seeing him this enraged because of his joke brought an itching gloom within his chest.

Jimin didn’t have to glance at his friend to understand he was sulking. He could perceive it just by the darkened aura that oozed from him. “Tae, what do you want to do? Should we go for a walk?”

“No. I want to draw everything we saw in the sea.”

Jimin settled a delicate hand on his shoulder and smiled down at him. “Okay. Don’t be sad, though. He doesn’t deserve it,” he whispered close to his ear.

Taehyung mirrored his smile. “I’m okay, don’t worry.”

“Should we cook lunch here today?” Hoseok suggested.

“Yeah, we’ve already spent too much money,” Jimin sighed.

“I prefer spending our money touring the whole island than eating,” Taehyung said, then giggled, tossing aside whatever happened with the unnamed man.

No wonder he’s skinny. Puzzlement cracked through the impassive facade on Jungkook’s face at his nonsensical thoughts. Why do I even care?

“Okay then, let’s go shopping,” Hoseok said.

“You guys can go.”

Jimin tilted to Taehyung’s ear again. “You sure you want to stay alone with him?”

Taehyung laughed his inquiry off. “Yes. I’ll be fine.”

“Okay. What should we cook?”

“Noodles. Easy and cheap.” Hoseok shrugged.

“Noodles it is, then. Let’s go!” Jimin chirped, and the two said their goodbyes to Taehyung before heading off.

Taehyung turned sideways to aim his eyes at the stranger. He craved, for some damn reason, to call his name, and it frustrated him immensely that he couldn’t. “I still don’t know how to call you.”

Oh? He’s not sulky anymore? Jungkook corked up a snort and instead gave his words a thought. He wouldn’t be able to bear having that guy asking for his name every single day until he would leave. “Call me Jay.”

“Jay,” Taehyung uttered through gently smiling lips. He knew, of course, it wasn’t his real name, but it was enough for now. “So Jay, what do you eat around here? Do you cook?”

“Why do you care?”

“Just curious.”

A low groan bubbled at Jungkook’s throat. “I order.”

“With your ancient phone?”

Jungkook tsked at his pointed scorn and reciprocated it. “Yes, with my ancient phone.”

Taehyung shot a moue of pure mockery at him, even though Jungkook couldn’t see it, since he still had his arm over his forehead. At least he doesn’t seem so angry anymore.

Taehyung focused on the blank paper in front of him and began drawing; from their diving suits to the enthralling seashells and rocks, he drew them all.

He admired the results with a satisfied smile on his lips and brought one more blank paper in front of him. He braced his elbow on the table and dug his chin into his palm as he absently drew the outline of a face with smooth brushes of his pencil. A pair of hazel eyes followed that had a notion of viciousness and messy, ebony forelocks.

The haze he had fallen under dispersed on its own with the halt of his hand, and he scrutinized the sketch he made. He breathed a subdued chuckle at the recognition of Jay’s characteristics. I’m crazy. I’m daydreaming about a man who hasn’t even shown me his face.

He shook his head subtly, and with a sigh, he drew the black mask Jay always wore to complete the sketch. He placed his pencil down and set his other elbow on the table to support his chin in both palms. I’m so curious to see his face...

“What the fuck?”

Taehyung jumped in his seat as a booming sound of shock thrust out of his mouth. He stared at Jay’s wrathful expression as his chest fluctuated with jerky breaths. “Um—”

“Why the fuck did you draw me?”

“I—I didn’t... I mean—”

Jungkook snatched the paper and crushed it in his fist. He shoved it in his pocket, then grabbed Taehyung by his collar to corner him against the desk. “Why did you draw me?”

Terrified, Taehyung opened and closed his mouth dumbly. “It—It was... I didn’t realize I was drawing your face. Really. I just... I started drawing and then I saw what I actually drew.” The grip on him seemed to loosen, and his traits saddened, discarding every dreg of fear. “I think it happened because I really want to see your face. I’m so curious,” he uttered, raising his eyes to his, “to see what you look like.”

At the merging of their eyes, each one of Jungkook’s muscles went rigid, as if his breath got caught in his lungs for a moment. The enraged harshness in his gaze fizzled into mind-bending enthrallment, and he fought against it with a vengeance.

Taehyung watched the change in his view fixedly and was left throughout rapturous at the ray of emotion he found in his cool eyes. They didn’t embody even the tiniest amount of viciousness like before, and his stomach fluttered at his instant yearning to draw him again.

Another desire, even more consuming that even blurred his mind from any rational thought, was to finally complete the image of his face, and his hand ventured closer to that damn mask of its own will.

Jungkook caught the ascending hand with the corner of his eye and seized it at warp speed as his brows curved into two high bows of shock. “What the fuck are you doing?”

Only then the realization of what he was about to do slapped Taehyung across his existence, and he frantically wriggled away from him. “Oh God, sorry. I’m so, so sorry. I’m fucking crazy,” he spluttered while he surged towards the exit, then he shut the door without giving Jungkook a chance to comment on his delirium.

Jungkook gazed at the closed door as a frown carved vertical lines on his forehead. He stuffed his hand into his pocket and slithered out the crushed sketch of him. He flattened it with his palm against the table and let his eyes analyze it. He’s good at drawing, though. Crazy indeed, but good at drawing.

And so effortlessly, without even realizing it, admiration raised the corner of his lips that always hid behind that damn mask he was forced to wear.

Taehyung hurried down the stairs, still in a frantic state, and thankfully encountered his two best friends when he needed them the most at the entrance.

Worry rapidly took over Jimin’s face as he examined his condition. “What happened?”

“Guys, I almost pulled his fucking mask down. Without his permission. I’ve gone crazy!”

Hoseok scoped the place to check who was around and listening to them, and only found Yoongi behind the counter, who stared at them through squinted eyes. “Let’s go upstairs to the lounge.”

They took off right away, not bothering to wait for the elevator.

“Tae, why did you do that? You know you don’t have the right to remove his mask if he doesn’t want to,” Jimin said.

“I know, of course I know. What I don’t know is what the hell got into me. He was just so close and staring at me with his hazel eyes, and I wanted so much to at least glimpse at his face. I didn’t realize what I was doing until he grabbed my hand to stop me.”

Creases of bafflement spread across Hoseok’s face. “Why were you two so close?”

“I... I drew him. His face with the mask. But I did it unconsciously,” he rushed to defend himself. “He saw it and got mad and... pushed me against the desk.”

“What? Did he hit you?” Jimin asked as his brows clumped together in a scowl.

“No! No, he didn’t do anything. When our eyes met, we both kind of froze, you know. His anger seemed to melt. And my damn brain broke down.”

Jimin’s worried gaze lingered on Taehyung as they arrived at the lounge. “Tae. He sounds dangerous. I mean, we don’t know anything about him. Maybe we should keep our distance.”

A shivery sigh cartwheeled from Taehyung’s mouth. “Maybe that’s why I’m so drawn to him. He is dangerous. And I never had anything dangerous in my life.”

“Tae,” Hoseok said with a thread of light scolding. “You sound as if you like the guy and you haven’t even seen his face yet.”

“I don’t know if I like, like him. I’m just... drawn to him. I’m curious about him.”

“It’s because he’s a mystery guy,” Jimin said. “I’m sure it’ll pass. You should keep your distance either way.”

The saddest of smiles emerged on Taehyung’s features as he laid his eyes on his friends. “That’s the thing. I can’t. I can’t keep my distance. I want to know more. And I will.”

🥀

Jungkook and his three friends gathered as every day at their usual spot and fixed time. They had a bottle of soju each in their hands and enjoyed each other’s company, even if silence prevailed over them here and there.

Yoongi supported his forearm on the table and locked his eyes on Jungkook. “What’s going on between you and that Taehyung guy?”

The unexpected inquiry clenched at his muscles, though he concealed it as he shifted in his seat. “What do you mean?”

“I heard him talk to his friends. He said he almost pulled your mask down without your permission. And that he has gone crazy.”

“What?” Seokjin let out as he jerked forward, alarmed. “How did that happen?”

Jungkook released a nasal sigh, looking away from them. “Nothing happened, guys. Don’t worry.”

“Jungkook, they can’t see your face,” Namjoon warned. “They’re looking for you. And not only in Seoul. If someone shows them your picture—”

“Joon. They won’t see my face. Listen, we need to find Ji Hoo. And we need to do it now.” Jungkook leaned on the table and sent a grave glance at them in turn. “I’ll go look for him.”

“Yah. I just said they’re looking for you—”

“You think I don’t know that?” Jungkook snapped. “I just can’t wait anymore. I need answers.”

“We said we’ll handle it, Kook,” Yoongi sighed. “You don’t trust us?”

“Of course I trust you.”

“Then why do you want to endanger yourself?” Seokjin’s downcast eyes rested on him. “Let us find him. You can’t go outside, and you know it.”

Although displeased by the situation, Jungkook nodded. “I talked to my father on the phone today. I asked him to send more men, but he said it’s better not to because they may suspect something.”

“Who? Ji Hoo?” Yoongi scoffed. “Because we haven’t found even one of his men.”

“He has to have someone with him. His father would never leave him alone in this fucked-up situation,” Namjoon said.

“Where will you be searching tonight?” Jungkook asked, then sipped his soju.

“Gapa Island. Someone will wait for us at three to take us there,” Seokjin said. “Hyeon Min will work the night shift for me, so I can go.”

“I have to work the morning shift, though, so I won’t go with them,” Yoongi informed.

“Okay. Do you think you’ll find him there?”

“I don’t know,” Yoongi said. “I mean, we’ve been searching for four months, and we haven’t found anything. Maybe he isn’t here.”

“You know my father said after what happened he fled to Jeju Island. He has to be here.”

“Shouldn’t we be looking for Kang Soo, though?” Seokjin questioned. “He’s probably the one who did this. Not his son.”

“Yeah, I know. But we still have no information about where Kang Soo could be. Please bring me something tonight. I can’t do this for long.”

Namjoon gave a comforting squeeze on Jungkook’s shoulder, along with a slight smile. “Don’t worry, Kook. We’ll get through this.”

“Of course.” Seokjin raised his bottle to the center of the table, and the other three followed, clinking their bottles together.

 
Jungkook returned to his room a while later, and to his dismay, the three chirpy friends had stayed inside tonight. He found them in their beds chatting and laughing without caring about his entrance, and likewise, he climbed up to his bed silently and lay down, facing the wall.

He endured their bubbly banter for about an hour, playing games on his phone, but there was something that baffled him when they said their goodnights to each other. Throughout their chat, they didn’t mention Yoongi, and they didn’t talk to him at all. Not even Taehyung, who usually tossed off some questions here and there out of curiosity.

And there was Jungkook, staring at Taehyung’s back while lying in his bed in the dimly lit prison-like room. He considered that newly found urge, which coursed through his system, to talk to him, and he truly couldn’t pinpoint its origin. It was just unexplained, unprecedented, and... so, so annoying, he concluded.

Jungkook dipped his face into his pillow as it screwed into a frown of pure frustration. Clutching the said pillow, he expelled a groan and twisted his head to glance at the opposing bed. “Yah.” The lack of Taehyung’s response only puzzled him more. “I know you’re not sleeping. You didn’t go for drinks tonight.”

Taehyung swallowed, unsure about what to do. To be honest, he told his friends he would try to ignore Jay, despite him saying he wanted to know more about him. He was kind of forced to say it since he didn’t want to worry them, but now Jay talked to him first and even insisted on a reply. “Well, I’m about to sleep, so...”

Jungkook snorted. “No depressing thoughts about life tonight?”

Taehyung tried. He tried to keep his word. But it appeared he didn’t have that much self-control when it came to Jay, and it was simply insane how much he longed to chat with him. “No. Because I keep thinking about... what happened.”

“What happened?”

Taehyung rolled on his back and risked a peek. “You know. Between us.”

“Nothing happened between us.”

“I almost pulled your mask down, Jay.”

“When? I don’t remember anything,” he responded nonchalantly, then his eyes glinted with a spark of strictness. “And you better forget it too and never do it again.”

Taehyung turned his head an inch away to dissemble his deep pout, as if he were a little child who received the scolding of his life. “Sorry.”

Jungkook picked up on the pout in his voice, and any tittle of sternness vanished from his gaze, leaving a slight, just a tiny bit sheen of remorse. “It’s just better this way,” he uttered in the gentlest of ways, unconsciously wanting to eradicate his sulky state.

“If you don’t want anyone to see your face, why are you staying in a hostel with strangers?”

Jungkook maintained his silence as his throat suddenly felt too constricted. “I can’t answer that.”

Taehyung shifted to his side and sneaked a hand between his head and the pillow for support. “How old are you? You sound young.”

Jungkook cleared his throat in his attempt to diminish some of the constriction. “Twenty-six.”

Taehyung’s expression stretched into a mask of shock, a subdued gasp flying off his mouth. “You’re younger than me!”

“Yes. So?”

“Tsk. You shouldn’t be rude to your elders.”

“Age doesn’t matter. For example, you’re twenty-eight, but you never act like it. You talk too much, you don’t know about boundaries, you can’t control yourself. Immature, I would call it.”

“Yah,” Taehyung grunted. “Did you start this conversation to insult me? I’m just being friendly. As for the other things, I have lived with boundaries my whole life. I don’t want to control myself anymore. I’m tired. I want to do whatever I want, the moment I want it, and however I want it. Is it so wrong?”

Jungkook meditated on his words as he withdrew behind a wall of silence. It was so ironic how different their lives were. Jungkook had lived his life doing whatever he wanted and never cared about what his parents would say. Maybe because they let him do anything he wanted once he came of age, but still. He never had boundaries or restrictions.

And now, for the first time in his life, he was forced to stay in a room, hiding his face and existence, actually, from everyone. It was as if he were in prison, but even the prisoners knew when they would be released. He, on the other hand, had no idea. And that was what drove him insane the most every day.

“Never mind.”

Taehyung’s whispering words restored his lucidity, and only then he comprehended he took too long to respond. He caught him shifting, probably wanting to turn his back to him, and a hurried ‘um’ spewed from him. Detecting he had his full attention again, an askew smile lifted the corner of Jungkook’s lips. “It’s not wrong. It’s what you should have been doing for years now. So just do it.”

Taehyung heaved himself to a sitting position and crossed his legs. “Are you telling me to do whatever I want?”

“Yes. What do you want, Taehyung?”

His eyes wandered around the bed as everything he wanted to do for years now started springing up into his head. “There are so many things...” he breathed out, then his gaze crept up and zoned in on him. “Should I tell you what I want right now?”

Jungkook recognized a flame of eagerness meandering across his dimly illuminated face that triggered a bubble of muted anxiety in his belly. “What do you want right now?”

“To know you. To learn your story. Can you tell me your story? In eleven days, you’ll never see me again. And I promise. I won’t say anything to anyone. Not even to my two best friends.”

Jungkook expected him to ask to see his face, but what he actually wanted at that very moment was rather... bewitching. No one had ever asked to learn his story. He was in a type of business that relationships and feelings in general didn’t have a place. And especially now, creating a bond with someone was strictly prohibited. Not only from his father and hyungs. But from himself as well.

Jungkook perceived he had stretched his silence for too long again. He forced a half chuckle and rolled to the other side. “Goodnight.”

Taehyung’s shoulders sank with defeat, his mouth drooping at the sides. He inflated his lungs with air and blew out a long sigh as he lay down, facing his way. “Everything was so clear in my life until now. I only met kids of lawyers, doctors, businessmen. That’s the people I interacted with my whole life. It’s the first time I went on vacation with the two people I love the most. The first time I can really do whatever I want. I don’t want everything to be clear, determinate, or by the rules. All that is boring. Maybe that’s why I like you. Because you’re a mystery.”

The muscles in Jungkook’s face hardened by the flash of sheer bewilderment that crossed it. “What the fuck do you mean you like me?” he questioned in a harsh undertone. “You don’t even know what I look like.”

“It’s not about your face,” he said at once, as if he had reflected on the matter for hours. And he had, to be honest. “It’s about you. About what you’ve shown me until now.”

“You’re delusional,” Jungkook sneered with an edge of irritation. “I didn’t show you anything. Now shut up and let me sleep.”

Taehyung smiled sadly to himself. Even if Jay hadn’t realized it, he had changed since the first time they met. He could see it and even feel it. Even if the change was faint, it was there. And Taehyung clung onto that with a vengeance.

───⭒───༺🎭༻───⭒───

I'm so curious about your theories 😊 I hope it's interesting enough for you! Thank you for reading 💜