My Home. My Hope.

It was that easy. After weeks of searching. That easy to find Hoseok slumped behind a trash can turned bonfire in the cracks of Itaewon. Yoongi's breath caught at the sight but all Jungkook felt was an indescribable, blinding rage.

That easy.

The reunion wasn't much. Hoseok, bearded and dirty, gave them a single surprised raise of an eyebrow before standing up, patting the dirt off his hands on his tattered jeans, and said "Well it's about time for someone to buy me a meal."

And that was that. Hoseok shared another look with Yoongi, a second longer than someone regarding an old friend, and began to lead the duo out of the ally and into the streets of the city.

No one spoke as Hoseok walked for hours, peaking into windows of different restaurants or regarding menus, smiling at the owners who gave him a stare. Yoongi lingered back while Jungkook's head spun.

It took twenty loops through Itaewon before Hoseok settled on a Chinese restaurant and ordered the most expensive hotpot on the menu. Then another hour of just the man eating.

"Hoseok." Jungkook finally said through his teeth, losing his patience and Yoongi threw him a warning look.

Hoseok looked up from his food, soup dripping from the side of his mouth. He smiled.

"What? Not the reunion you were expecting?"

"Please." Jungkook said, slow and truly pleasing.

Hoseok's brows shot up.

"How's the mafia shit holding up?" Hoseok asked, eyeing Jungkook's tattoos and massive build. The piercing in his brow and ears. Hoseok smiled again, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"You know why we're here. We both know it's not to small talk."

"Mm. How's Jimin liking the whole guns and tattoos and illegal life? Definitely surprised he joined you on that one." Hoseok said, brushing Jungkook off and dipping a roll of meat into the hot pot as he watched the soup base cook it.

"He doesn't remember it." Jungkook said shortly. "Got hit in the head by a SADA member, we barely got away."

Hoseok pulled out the meat and ate it, still looking down at the boiling hot pot soup.

"That's rough buddy."

Yoongi snorted. Jungkook almost killed both of them at that.

"Look." Jungkook said slowly. "I need to find him, Hoseok. SADA has Jimin and they're already taking advantage of his amnesia. Please, they're going to destroy what's left of the man I love. Everything that happened in our childhood, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I didn't show up the night you asked me to help you escape SADA when you were a pledge. I was scared of them, scared of what they could do. But I've grown, learned. Don't let me make that mistake again. Please, if you know anything about where SADA's base is, help me save him."

Hoseok paused and stared at Jungkook for a very long, slow moment. Then he took an equally slow spoonful of his hot pot without blinking like an old man deciding whether or not to give their least favorite grandson money. Jungkook could practically feel each second tear away as if the world had to physically push the hands on a clock to move.

"I don't blame you for that anymore, Jungkook. When I tried to leave SADA I was a kid. So were you. I don't blame you. It might not look like it, but I'm better off living how I am now than when I was successful underneath them. I'm not hiding, Jungkook. SADA gave me an ultimatum, they always give ultimatums, either I leave and never be able to work in the profession I love, my name blacklisted, or I stay and live in that monster of a world. So I left and they stuck to their word. I tried for a full year to get any type of work, not even in dance anymore, just anything I could get my hands on, and somehow the resume would always get lost in the system or I'd never get a call back."

Jungkook furrowed his brows.

"I won't go back in there with you but I'll help you get Jimin out. But you have to understand what you're up again. They're powerful, Jungkook."

Jungkook wasn't breathing. "How?" he asked, Yoongi leaning into the table at his side. "How do I find them?"

Hoseok dug into the pocket of his large coat and pulled out a dirty envelope made of gold lined thick paper. "They taunt ex-members by sending these things, hoping we'll come back or some shit. It's an invitation."

"What's it for? Is there an address?"

"I'll write it down for you." Hoseok patted his coat then popped his lips open theatrically. "Pen?" he asked and Yoongi already had one as if he'd been holding onto it the entire time.

"Thank you thank you" Hoseok said and grabbed it, his hand lingering on Yoongi's fingers and Jungkook swore his pale vampire of a friend blushed.

It was that easy for Hoseok, that simple to write down SADA's address while Jungkook had torn himself apart with no leads. Even Yoongi was the one to find Hoseok.

"Invitation to what?" Jungkook asked again, his mind racing.

"Jimin's orientation." Hoseok said, blinking back surprise. He almost dropped the pen. "Wait - you guys know how big of a deal this is, right?"

Yoongi just blinked, leaning back in his chair. Apparently if there was no chance for some sort of sexual flirting with Hoseok then he wasn't that invested. Jungkook on the other hand, he'd never been so focused in his life. The energy that had drained out of him little by little all suddenly flooded back.

Hoseok sat stunned. He stared unblinking at Jungkook as if a bug had sat on his face. "He was your fiance dude, you'd think you'd know how much SADA was horny for Jimin."

"I know that they wanted Jimin to join - they almost killed me to get him to agree to it."

"Uh yuh" Hoseok said, waving his hand as if that part was obvious. "Because he's like Seokjin's muse or whatever. Jungkook, when Jimin refused to join freshman year Jin went psycho. Like the guy was already wack but then when he lost Jimin the entire organization fell apart. Or, more like it tightened."

Jungkook's heart raced as Hoseok leaned back and waved his hand.

"Everything that once was fun and had slightly weird formalities evolved into this...mess. The organization grew out of the college and what once was an alumni network was now a full blown cult. There's no freedom there. No joy. No real connections. No emotion. It's do what you are asked and be what you are asked to be. You have to understand that the SADA members want Jimin as much as Seokjin does - even more, maybe. When Jimin turned his back on SADA Jin changed. Cracked. If Jimin comes back everyone's hoping Seokjin loosens up. They're gonna use Jimin to do that, Jungkook. They'll sacrifice him for that change over getting away themselves and ending up like me."

Jungkook took the envelope and address from Hoseok and suddenly the world around him was red and silent. There was no shaking in him, no rage or uncontrollable heart rate. Just a very dangerous, deadly calm.

"Thanks for the meal." Hoseok said, getting up. He flashed a look at Yoongi who reciprocated.  Jungkook could care less about it, Yoongi and Hoseok could go skip into the sunset if they wanted. He needed to get Jimin out - that was more important than anything else.

For fucks sake, Jimin wasn't some friend of Jungkook's and never was. Jungkook lied to himself when he promised Jimin that they could be. That was his fiancé. The love of his life. He'd tear the world apart just to see him safe.

"It won't be easy." Hoseok said as he stole some napkins from the table and a handful of mushrooms into his pocket. Also chopsticks. And a salt shaker. "Oh and Jungkook, I almost forgot. The orientation's tomorrow. Good luck."

_________

I wish I could share my outline with you guys because it's so wack for no reason. I added a note for a future chapter so I will 100% share it when we get there but sometime I look at my outline and just think "what the actual fuck." I usually just write little notes so I have a general idea and I think this chapter's was like "they find Hoseok and he's like "woah hey bro Jimin's in danger. Thanks for the food tho. And Jungkook is all like ah! My fiancé!"

Anyway, have a good one tonight you guys <3

- Vio