Taehyung was lost in his thoughts by the time he finally made it to the grocery store. He kept thinking back on what had just happened at the cafe. He still felt as if he had been to that cafe at some point before. He didn't know why he felt that way, but he couldn't shake the feeling.

"You need to focus," he said out loud to himself in the middle of the cereal aisle. "You have a task to complete."

He had been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed that there was a woman in the aisle with him. He only registered this fact when she began to move. Catching the movement out of the corner of his eye, he turned to look at her. The woman was dressed in jeans and a red and white checkered blouse. She was arching an eyebrow his way while holding on to the hand of a little blond boy that looked like he was no older than five. The boy was hugging a box of cereal to his chest with one arm.

"Sorry," said Taehyung, even though he really didn't know why he was apologizing for talking out loud. People did it all the time, didn't they?

The woman continued her trek down the aisle while giving Taehyung a wary glance. Taehyung turned his attention back to the shelves and grabbed a can of soup off the shelf just as he heard a girl squealing down the aisle. Turning again, he saw a teenage girl rushing right over to the woman with her cell phone out.

"Mom! Mom! You won't believe what just happened!"

"Calm down," said the woman to her excited daughter. "You don't need to make a scene in the store."

"But mom, I met Jungkook's panic girl!"

Hearing Jungkook's name, Taehyung's ears perked up as he continued to watch the teenage girl trying to shove her phone in her mother's face.

"Meeting her means that I met Jungkook through association!" declared the girl in excitement.

"You're ridiculous," muttered the woman, looking embarrassed to the extreme. "You need to lay off the K-Pop."

"But MOM!"

Taehyung watched as the woman quickly herded her daughter out of the aisle. He would have asked her about panic girl, but he already knew that he wasn't that woman's biggest fan. Keeping the can of soup in his hand, he moved to walk out of the aisle. Was it possible that the woman he and Jungkook were looking for worked here? Was it really that easy?

He forgot about what he had come to the store for at that point, beginning to scour all the aisles for a mobbed employee. He saw a lot of bored ones, but none of them were the woman he was looking for. None of them fit the bill.

Taehyung gave up on shopping, knowing that he had to get back to the apartment to tell Jungkook what he found out. He kept the soup in hand as he moved to the only checkout aisle open. The woman there was intriguing. She had rainbow streaks through her platinum blond hair. Her hair looked like it was the result of a sandy beach having a baby with a unicorn.

"Is that all you're getting?" asked the cashier as she rose an eyebrow at Taehyung. No doubt she was wondering why he was so covered up. "Are you sick?"

"I'm fine," he said as he waited for her to ring up his one item.

Maybe that was why the woman had been staring at Taehyung so oddly. He forgot how covered up he was.

"Whatever you say, dude," said the woman.

Taehyung's eyes landed on the name tag on her apron. Freddi. An interesting name to go with the interesting hair do. Maybe he ought to ask her about panic girl.

"Do you happen to know someone that people are calling panic girl?"

Freddi froze halfway through beeping the soup can, keeping it in her hand as she looked at the man in front of her.

"Oh not you too."

"Not me too?"

"Do you realize how many people have come in here and hounded her today?"

"You know her then?"

"I do, and that's as much as you're getting out of me buster."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. You're not getting her name out of me or anything. She just wants to be left alone. Becoming panic girl has ruined her life."

Taehyung felt bad. That was an awful label to be sure. He desperately wanted to tell this Freddi person who he was so that she would be aware that he was just trying to help the woman. He didn't though, and it was obvious Freddi was going to protect this woman with her life.

"She works here though?" asked Taehyung, trying one more time to ask in hope.

"What did I just say, buster?"

Taehyung sighed, taking the soup can as Freddi held it out to her.

"You're a good friend," said Taehyung. "She's lucky to have you. Have a great day."

Taehyung wasn't deterred as he left the grocery store. He knew what he and Jungkook had to do next. Tomorrow they would set the plan in action.

- - -

"Freak," muttered Freddi under her breath as she watched the man leave with his can of soup.

"Who are you talking about?"

Turning, Freddi saw Ame standing there. She was looking out the front window too, trying to see who Freddi was making a reference too, but that person was already gone.

"Some weirdo," was all Freddi felt at liberty to say. She didn't want Ame to worry about there being one other person noticing her for being panic girl.

"Well, good night Freddi. I'm off. See you same time and place tomorrow."

"You betcha," said Freddi.

Ame gave her one last smile before slipping out of the store. As soon as Ame was out of sight, Freddi moved to dig out her cell phone.

Freddi
I protected your sister. You owe me.
A lot of people asked for her all day.

Ruby
When you say a lot...

Freddi
A lot as in a legion.
As in half of ARMY.
As in every other minute.

Ruby
Oh.
Is Ame okay?

Freddi
Oh yes.
I was here all day shooing them away.
Shooing away all those girls
And one random guy that was all covered up.

Ruby
Random guy?

Freddi
Yes.
Don't worry. I can hold my own.
He didn't get any information from me.

Ruby
Did this random guy wear a gray beanie?
Black hoodie?
Sunglasses?
Black Mask?

Freddi
Yeah...why?
Did he bother you too?

Ruby
Oh my word...

Freddi
What?
Spill the beans woman!
The BEANS! 🥫

Ruby
First off, that's not a bean can.

Freddi
Shut up.
There is no emoticon for that!
Now stop dodging.
Do you know McShady?

Ruby
Yeah.
He was in the cafe earlier.
He caught me after Talia tripped me.

Freddi

Ruby
Weirdo. 😂

Freddi
Is he some sort of stalker?
Do I need to put my ninja hat on?

Ruby
Ninja hat?

Freddi
Yeah.
I can kick butt and take names.
🥷

Ruby
He's harmless.
There is no need for that.

Freddi
Harmless.
He's a stranger.
Wait.
Did you actually fall for him?
Like not only literally

Ruby
I didn't fall for him.
Thanks again for watching over Ame.
Talk to you later, Freddi.

Ruby stopped texting then. She had been debating on telling Freddi about her suspicions that the stranger they were talking about was V. Ultimately she had decided not to though. She knew how insane she would sound, especially after earlier when she had texted Freddi pictures of her new neighbors under the assumption that she thought they were members of BTS. She must still be starstruck from her brief interaction with V last night at the concert that she was now seeing him everywhere. Ruby let out a sigh as she put her phone away, moving to finish the rest of her shift.

- - -

AN: I do not own the meme used in this chapter.