"Jimin."

The name is uttered in a softened tone.

"Jimin!"

It repeats, louder this time.

But the boy continues down the concrete path in front of him, a pout poking from his thick lips.

"Where is it that we're going?" Jeongguk's voice flows yet again in a drawled out whine, body slumping as though his feet weighed down like hefty boulders beneath him.

And well, it wasn't his first time asking this question out loud. He'd been walking side-by-side with his best friend Jimin, whom he had just had a heartfelt reunion with after not seeing him for what felt like years apart to them both. And normally he would be chatting away until his voice gave out, except...

Well, silence was all that accompanied the two men.

The reason being, Jimin was uncharacteristically quiet, a permanent frown seemingly having seized its place deep in the furrow of his brows.

"Can you please say something..?" Jeongguk's pleading voice cracks at the silence once more, and then he drops to a whisper. "Never thought I'd live to see the day I'd wish you wouldn't shut up.."

His comment doesn't draw a chuckle from the other, but rather Jimin continues down the path they strolled along with a deep pondering glaze in his eyes.

At the lack of reaction from the blond boy, Jeongguk merely sighs for the nth time.

Maybe he should've waited longer before dropping such unbelievable news like that to someone. Hell, even Jeongguk himself had a hard time believing that the love of his life was truly alive.

"You said you... spoke to him?" Jimin's quiet words finally slip from his tongue.

Jeongguk's head perks. "Yes, for the millionth time.." He sighs. "Taehyung is alive."

After the clarification Jimin is once again silent, and this time Jeongguk doesn't make any effort to bother the poor boy. Instead, he follows him until they end up at a cozy-looking building, seemingly coated in fresh paint. Jeongguk stops at the corner, stares at the structure for a while as Jimin made no hesitation in his steps towards it.

The blond approaches the front door, rings the doorbell and waits.

Seconds roll by, and Jeongguk takes this moment to walk up behind his best friend while the door takes initiative to swing open.

"Unkie Jimin!" A cute voice chirps, and a small body runs toward their direction, wasting no time in jumping into Jimin's embrace.

Behind them comes a scolding shout. "Seoyun-ah! I said no running after people at the door!"

The child ignores the comment, instead squeezes her grip even tighter on the man that happily returned the hug on her small frame. "Look at you, princess!" Jimin coos, the pitch in his voice rising the more he spoke. "You're getting so big now!"

"I'll be taller than you one day!" The little girl responds with slightly broken Korean and a big smile, flashing her rows of teeth where some were missing.

"It's not that hard to outgrow Uncle Jimin," a feminine voice then speaks, causing Jimin's smile to drop in an instant, a frown now reigning his facial features once more.

"Shut up!" He scoffs, then turns to look at Seoyun, the girl. "Tell mommy to shut up."

"Shut up, mommy!" Seoyun squeaks, and the woman at the door gives a dramatic gasp.

"Don't learn those things from Uncle Poo-poo!"

A smile tugs at the corner of Jeongguk's lips while he watches from a relative distance, and when the woman peeks a look over at him, he finally gets a better look at her face.

And that's when Jeongguk became nearly frozen.

"Oh—um...?!" The woman gives another gasp, a more genuine one this time. "Is that—...?" She inhales. "Is that who I think it is?!"

Jeongguk takes another brief moment to process his shock before he runs over to the woman and wraps her into a sudden hug.

"Misun!" He squeals, feeling his heart lift at the sight of another close friend after years apart.

"It's Jeonggukie!" Misun pipes back, her arms quickly returning the boy's hug. "God, it's been so long, how have you been?!"

"Who's that?" Seoyun whispers toward Jimin, who merely responds with a soft chuckle.

"Why, he's another 'Unkie' of yours!"

※ ※

Just like that the three adults find themselves gathered at the living room; Jimin and Jeogguk sat beside each other on the couch while Misun sat on the loveseat across from them. Little Seoyun, on the other hand, was busy running between the living room and her bedroom down the hall, each time appearing with a different toy she wanted to show off to her two guests.

"This one is Mr. Bear!" Seoyun holds up a stuffed bear and places it on Jeongguk's lap. "He likes chocolate and figure-skating."

"Oh hi, Mr. Bear~" Jeongguk pats the toy's fur. "Lovely to meet you."

"He has a best friend. I'll go get him!" The little girl giggles and disappears down the hall, causing Jeongguk to exhale a short laugh.

"Last time I saw her, she couldn't even open her eyes yet.." He recalls fondly while reaching for the mug on the coffee table—tea that Misun had so kindly brewed for them.

"They grow up so fast, don't they.." Misun leans back on the cushioned seat, lifting her legs up in front of her. "I'm sad you didn't visit us until now... Could've watched her grow to where she is now."

"I'm sorry... I promise I'll visit more from now on.." Jeongguk's head lowered. "I just got so busy with school and then my job and... well, everything."

"It's okay," the woman cracks a smile. "I don't blame you. You were going through a lot. We all were." A small pause. "But hey! You're a cop now. Like father, like son right?"

Jeongguk gives a lowered giggle. "Well... He's more like your stereotypical active cop. I'm more of a detective."

Misun waves a hand. "Same shit."

Seconds later Seoyun reappears, this time at Jimin's side. "This is Mr. Polar! He's Mr. Bear's best friend," she places a white stuffed bear towards Jimin's lap.

"Mr. Polar! He's so cute~" Jimin perks up, before lowering his voice. "I'm cuter, though."

Seoyun lets out another string of giggles before dashing back off, and the adults all look at each other and continue their light chatter with calm voices and gleeful eyes. Jeongguk felt as though he were right back in his college years, when everything seemed bigger. When his laughs were louder, when his tears were stronger, when he learned longing and heartbreak and joy and what it felt like to float on clouds and then slip right through them; through the cracks, only to plummet right back down to hardened soil.

His youthful years, when he learned of danger and of patience and of love.

And boy, did he love. He loved, and no one and nothing could love the way he loved.

Jeongguk was but a child back then, yet he thought he had already known love. He thought he'd already learned it all. Romantic love, from his high school sweetheart. Platonic love, from his friends. Familial love, from his family. He didn't think there was more to it than that.

Not until his college years, when he really felt heart-stringing, excruciating, passionate love. The kind of love not everyone experiences in their entire lifetime. The kind that happens when a parted soul is reunited and it clings to each other because there's nowhere else it belongs.

Nowhere but the presence of its own blood pumping in a sway like crashing waves, like a pebble causing disturbance in a steady pond.

He had loved until he couldn't love. Because there was only one lover he could love with that kind of passion. A lover that was gone with the wind and back just like that, as though nothing had been taken from him. As though he had forgotten to love like he used to love, and needed a reminder.

But Jeongguk hadn't forgotten. The minute Taehyung had returned to him, so did all those feelings. All those emotions. All that love.

Click, click.

The rustling of a knob turning broke Jeongguk from his mournful thoughts, and he lifts his head and peers toward the swinging front door, where a figure leisurely slips through the entrance.

"Ah-," Misun speaks up, suddenly rising from her seat. "You're here early. Welcome home!"

Jeongguk and Jimin's heads both turn simultaneously towards the man who approached from the hall, dangling keys at his right hand. "Home? This ain't exactly my home." A new voice appears, and Misun scoffs at the words.

"Second home," she clarifies, once Jeonggunk and Jimin begin to get a clearer look on the man's face. And when they do, their eyes widen before their bodies spring up from their seats as well.

"Yoongi-hyung!" Jeongguk bursts forward, dashing across the room to land an embrace over the older man, one that Yoongi returns with half a smirk on his face. "How have you been?!"

The older pulls back and smiles rather sheepishly, his raven bangs cascading down beside his ears. "Oh you know..." He simply shrugs. "Busy." A brief pause. "You look well, though. I'm glad."

A scoff leaves Jeongguk's throat at the other's rather easy-going tone, and once he takes a step aside Yoongi's gaze lands on the blond boy who meekly walked towards him.

The two stare at each other in a moment of stillness, eyeing each other up and down, taking in one another's presence. Their silence persists for a while longer, until Jimin finally cracks a smile and pulls the man into a hug of his own.

"You better have been well.." He hears Jimin's voice whisper beside his ear, and the words put Yoongi at peace.

Peace, knowing that the younger has been well, himself. That he had lived a life he doesn't seem to regret, and that he wished the same for him.

Peace, between two ex-lovers.

"I've been doing great.." He says back. Simple words, that in return did well in putting Jimin, too, at ease.

And that was when a clatter of small footsteps emerged from the opposite hall, and Seoyun reappears with a bright gummy smile on her face.

"Appa!!" She screams, jolting herself toward Yoongi, who caught her and lifted the small girl up briefly into the air.

"Hi sweet sugarplum," The man gives a light chuckle. "How's it goin'?"

The girl responds with a burst of giggles while clinging to him in a tight hug, and the group move back toward the main living area where they reclaimed seats and began their tender chatter.

Nostalgic talks of their past, and questions consisting of 'What have you been up to's and 'Remember when's.

A cup of tea on hand and smiles on their lips. Minutes that turned to hours.

Jeongguk learned a lot of what his old friends had been up to the past five years. Apparently, Yoongi and Misun had clearly figured out a parenting strategy. Although they live apart, little Seoyun gets to see both her parents often, though she lives primarily with Misun.

Yoongi, on the other hand, lives across town and is rooming with his current boyfriend. Supposedly, a boy named Suzo.

Jeongguk thought this name sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite pinpoint why.

Jimin told the others about what he's been up to, too. Told them how he had lived with Hoseok in Gwangju for a while. How the man was mourning Yerin all these years, but was able to admit to Jimin that he'd always had some form of feelings for him. Something that was confusing to him even back in college, and that he'd tried his upmost to suppress those puzzling emotions.

As much as he loved Yerin, Hoseok loved Jimin in his own way too. 'As a friend,' he had thought. But to his dismay his heart told him things he wasn't ready to hear.

It had taken the two men years to even think about trying to be in a relationship. And Jimin was okay with that. He knew how much Yerin meant to Hoseok, and her death was something he knew would take time to heal from.

And naturally, time did heal the two of them, hence their current engagement.

The four of them talked a lot, just catching up on each other's lives, as though nothing had changed at all.

And it was when Jeongguk had been on his fourth cup of tea that Jimin had spoken words that had turned the room silent for a lingering moment.

"So Jeongguk told me that Taehyung's alive..."

Yoongi looks up, and Misun's gaze freezes on the younger boy.

Seoyun, who had been laying over Yoongi's lap had long lost interest in the adults' conversation and was now dozing off, oblivious to the look of utter shock on her parents' faces.

"A-Are-" Misun nearly chokes on her spit. "What? Are y-you serious?"

Jimin responds by simply turning to look at Jeongguk, and suddenly all eyes were on him.

He inhales a long breath, and the anticipation rises in the air. Jeongguk then gulps, swallows his breath and meets Jimin's gaze.

"You know how I always see him, every year, every anniversary... and he's not real?"

The blond merely answers with an empathetic look.

"Well this time, he's real.." Jeongguk finishes. "He's real, and I've been meeting up with him, talking to him, hearing his voice... If anything, it feels unreal."

"W-When was it?" Misun speaks up again. "That you found out and... spoke him.."

Jeongguk sighs. "Just earlier this week, though it feels longer than that.." He looks down at his hands. "But the thing is... The alters are dormant. His fifth alter, X—the one that never fronted before, is now acting host. So far I managed to get Dot to front, but... I haven't even spoken to Taehyung or Vante or even V..."

"Holy shit.." Yoongi's lowered voice pierces the air. "What has he been doing all this time..? How is he even alive?"

Jeongguk's shoulders slump. "We haven't spoken about that yet.. From my understanding he's been with Namida's brother gang, the Chi gang."

Yoongi's brows rise. "The Chi gang? They're stationed in Japan..." He speaks slowly, as though to process the information. "So he's just been across the sea this whole time?"

"I guess it makes sense.." Misun frowns. "Bangtan hasn't been active since his supposed 'death', despite Seokjin being the acting leader right now."

"Acting leader?" Jeongguk leans forward in his seat. "What happened to Namjoon-hyung, then?"

The room falls silent once more. Yoongi rests a gentle hand over dozed little Seoyun's head and lightly caresses through her hair.

"No one's heard from Joon." Yoongi finally speaks. "Not since he disappeared back to America, after Taehyung and Yerin's funeral."

Hearing such a thing, Jeongguk's gaze falls to the floor where he let himself feel a newfound ache, wondering where the previously fierce gang leader may be. What he might be doing.

"The Chi-Ase-Namida, or better known as the Blood, Sweat and Tears Organization are a trio of three brother gangs.." Jeongguk speaks up in a lowered voice, as though to be talking through his thoughts. "Namida is obviously stationed here in Seoul, which Misun's brother is now a leader of. Ase is a group active in Hong Kong, and Chi is in Kyoto. Being spread out across three different countries gives them more power and more influence over resources.."

"Who knew he was practically under our reach this whole time.." Jimin chimes in, grasping his hands into fists over his lap.

Jeongguk's teeth dig into his bottom lip until his eyes suddenly grow large, and he bolts up off his seat.

"I totally forgot.." he murmurs beneath his breath, though the others couldn't quite hear him as they settle their startled gazes over him.

"Gguk?" Misun questions, matching both Jimin and Yoongi's looks of confusion.

Jeongguk seethes in a breath and hurries to return his empty teacup toward the coffee table. "It was nice chatting with you all again. It's been so long and... we should do this again! But I have to go now—"

Jimin opens his mouth to utter something in response, rising to his seat while the other made his way quickly to the door.

And just like that, the boy was gone with the slip of the wind.

※ ※

A soft tune bursts from small speakers while a man lays back, relaxed into his chair until someone approaches the front desk he was stationed at.

"Woojin." A voice calls out his name. "How's it going?"

The man, Woojin looks up from his computer and perks up. "Jeongguk, welcome back! Here to see the Boss?"

Jeongguk's eyes nearly twitch at those words, though he quickly swallows past them.

"No, I... was wondering if the new guy from the Chi gang stopped by here. His name is, um... Jaeho..." He mumbles, eyes lowered as he slips one hand to his pocket. He had to be careful not to use Taehyung's real name within the gang scene. After all, it's what X had asked of him. So for now he'd have to instead get used to calling him by his alias name.

"Ah... Kim Jaeho, yes?" Woojin shifts closer to his desk in front of the other male. "If I'm not mistaken he booked a room here for tonight. Said something about grabbing something to eat before he went off on his way."

Jeongguk gives a nod, body retreating a step back before giving a small bow. "Thanks."

Just like that he naturally follows the pathing to the hotel's cafeteria. Considering how evening was already seeping in, people were busy dining elsewhere or preoccupied with other activities, it seemed. Hence the empty halls and uncrowded dining space.

"We always find each other. Don't we?"

X was indeed right about that.

Because there, at the corner round table near the wall, strands of dark blond hair fall over thick brows adorning a handsome face. The man who sat there in a tight suited vest holds a cigarette in one hand and chopsticks in the other. His eyes are lowered to the table, long lashes directing the boy's gaze toward his full lips.

Jeongguk's chest rises in an inhale, a low breath then puffing silently beneath his lips.

There he was. The love of his life. He'd always find him.

And nothing could describe the sheer joy that Jeongguk felt, as he approaches the man and the two make sudden eye contact.

He'll always adore this feeling. Having the man gaze at him with his stark eyes and sharp soul. A look that captured the boy, pumped blood into his veins.

When Jeongguk takes a seat to accompany the older, the first thing the alter says to him is;

"Hey. You found me."

At those words, a cheeky adoring curve forms on Jeongguk's lips, the crescents of his eyes lifting in his smile. "That I did."

At the very least, that was something he knew would never change. Because there they were, miles of obstacles stacked against them. And yet somehow, in someway, they always found their way back to each other. Like magnets constantly seeking, aching for the moment they would reattach. Never feeling quite right when they were apart.

"So, then..." He hums, his long finger tracing the outline casing of his ash tray after letting his sizzling cigarette rest upon it. "I have an inkling suspicion you wanted to see me for a more intricate reason than you lead on." A short pause. "Am I wrong in thinking such a thing?"

Jeongguk doesn't counter the statement, instead responds with somewhat of a meek nod. "I... Well, I wanted to ask you for a favor."

This quirks the man's brows up.

"A favor?"

Jeongguk nods again.

Taehyung's lips stretch into a smirk, ever so slowly. Just watching it appear on that handsome face of his nearly made Jeongguk's cheeks break into a blush. Dare he say this man has the same effect on him as always.

That, at least, would also never change.

And with an adorably determined look on his face, Jeongguk declares his favor with a puffed chest. "Give me your number."

Taehyung's lips part, eyes becoming wide as he gazes at the younger male with fascination swirling his pupils. There's only a brief moment of still air, before Taehyung then pierces through it with a loud and boisterous laugh.

"Pffft—hah!" The older cackles, back pressing into the chair behind him while he struggles to collect himself. Jeongguk watches with a patient smile, somewhat amused at the other's lively reaction to his words.

"My—" A curt laugh. "My number?" Taehyung lets out through a string of chuckles. "Now, is that a favor or a demand?"

"Demand." Jeongguk gives a quiet giggle. "I haven't asked for my favor just yet."

Taehyung's boxy smile remains on his face. "Mm. What ever would you need my number for? Are you planning to ask me out on a date?"

"At some point, yes." Jeongguk plays along with the alter's whim. "But not right now. The favor I have for you is for a more 'intricate reason,' as you said.

Taehyung simply stares at him, posture relaxed while his hand reaches for the cigarette that remained rested at the tray in front of him.

"I see." He props the blunt at his lips. "Give me your phone."

At the command, Jeongguk was quick to pull the device from his pocket, sliding it towards the older and watching as he input his contact info in fluid movements. Once his phone was returned back to him, Jeongguk wasted no time in speaking up.

"There's somewhere I want you to come with me to." He begins, an airy tone to his voice, as though a chilly breeze had hit him.

Taehyung blinks, gazes past the rising string of smoke and into the younger's bright eyes. And since the older made no effort to voice a response, Jeongguk felt the need to clarify a little more.

"I thought of a way we can try to lure back the other alters' consciousness."

At this, the older leans forward again, now fully attentive to the glisten in the boy's gaze.

※ ※

By the time the two men had finally dispatched themselves back into the streets of Seoul, the sky had already burnt to a warmth behind orange clouds.

Taehyung, or rather X, had ignited another cigarette which he held to his lips while the unobtrusive wind swept in their direction. He was stood beside a convenience store, where the automatic doors soon slid open to allow Jeongguk to emerge past them.

"Okay, let's go!" The boy hums, marching directly down the street with a paper bag in his left hand.

Taehyung eyes the brown bag curiously, but follows after him compliantly.

"Now.. precisely how are we helping the others front?"

Jeongguk merely skips in his step and flashes him a grin. "Hmm, well it's quite simple! I think doing things that they like to do will make their subconsciousness return—and then maybe if we're lucky they'd want to do it themselves so much that they end up fronting!"

Taehyung listens in silence, letting the theory simmer in his head.

"Like with Dot, I-... I think the reason he was able to come back was 'cause he enjoys cooking so much," Jeongguk continues. "He made the same meal for me.. The one that we were cooking the other day. So he probably wanted to make it again so badly that he just... took over Taehyung's body."

"Hm. I see." Is all the alter says before falling to a silence that persisted until Jeongguk stood in front of a wooden bench. When Taehyung takes a moment to look around them he sees remnants of people walking in and out of the park he found himself in.

Jeongguk plops himself down and takes a seat, peeks toward the horizon occasionally while he skims the sky in search of the soothing sight of birds.

Being in the park with Jimin earlier had reminded him—had taken him back to those quiet afternoons after classes, when he would sit on the grass while Taehyung sketched in his drawing pad.

Vante loved the park, so of course he'd front often at these places too. And when he did he'd easily get distracted watching birds roam, wings gliding on the wind of their freedom, taking them to wherever.

Somewhere, anywhere. It didn't matter. As long as they had the choice to choose.

And Vante envied that.

He'd tell Jeongguk stories of places he'd like to go to if he ever grew wings. Some of these places were real, and some did not exist. But Jeongguk never put down those dreams or scolded him for them. He knew how important it was for Vante to exercise his vivid imagination.

And at the end of the day, when they'd finally get up and walk home together, Vante would tell him to accompany him on his journey in flight. Would invite him into his world.

He'd say; "Traveling everywhere would be no fun if you're not with me, Gguk."

He would hold Jeongguk's hand and give it a squeeze.

"So stay with me always."

To which Jeongguk would always smile and say, "Of course. I'll be with you always."

And now there Jeongguk was, on the same bench they sat on five years ago, and the man now sitting beside him was Vante but not quite Vante.

"You gonna feed the birds?" Taehyung—X, speaks up.

Jeongguk's hands rumble through the paper bag beside him. "Yeah," he smiles. "Vante loves feeding the birds. He says it feeds their stomach and feeds his soul."

At that, X blurts out a curt laugh.

"Sounds just like him."

Jeongguk himself lets a small giggle leave him. Because well, X is right—it does sound just like Vante. And just thinking about it filled his heart with glee. But even more than that, the sound of Taehyung's laugh was enough to make his skin feel heated for no other reason than the fact he had craved the male's company.

"Here. You try it." Jeongguk grabs his hand and places an array of seeds on it.

Taehyung—X's eyes remain locked on the younger. On that sparkle in his eye. Being up close like this made his eyes wander. Wander down to Jeongguk's glossed lips where Taehyung's stare lingered as though it were natural to him.

But soon enough he catches a grip on reality again and he finds himself extending his hand, sparking the interest of nearby doves who made landfall on the concrete by them.

Taehyung flicks his hand and a couple of seeds dart from his grip. The birds naturally fling their wings and approach even closer, heads dipping to grab their meal with their beaks. Beside him, Jeongguk giggles softly.

"See? They already love you."

A light snort. "Me? I think they're far more infatuated with the food I'm so kindly offering them."

Jeongguk merely smiles and fills Taehyung's palm with even more seeds. This goes on for another moment—Taehyung tossing seeds to the ground and watching as birds flock to claim them. Seconds turn into minutes, that then turn into nearly half an hour, and the two find that they finally ran out of seeds.

"Well?" Jeongguk speaks up, gaze remaining locked on the birds ahead of them. "Do you feel any sort of new presence?"

There was a brief silence, the sounds of flapping wings and bird cooing filled the lack of chatter between the two. And then Taehyung lets a quiet sigh slip from his lips.

"I wish I could tell you what you want to hear, but-.." He stops, and Jeongguk gives a slow nod of his head.

"I get it." The younger leans back against the bench. "It was worth a try though.."

Taehyung glances toward him, brow rising in slight concern. "Listen, it doesn't mean that your theory won't work it just means we have to try something els—"

"Let's go." Jeongguk cuts in, suddenly rising to his feet and speeding off down the concrete path. Taehyung's jaw lowers, not having expected the younger to remain so determined after a failure. But he, too, rises from his seat and makes a swift movement to follow after him.

"Uh, go where, exactly?" He calls out. "Are we going to feed birds elsewhere?"

"Well that was my plan, at first," The boy admits sheepishly. "But I just thought of something even better!"

"Could you at least slow down—"

With that the younger took off in an even faster pace, and Taehyung found himself nearly jogging to catch up to him. Once the two exit the park, it didn't take long for Jeongguk to finally settle at the corner of a block, right in front of a food establishment.

Taehyung catches up to him and lets out curt pants, slowing his breathing as he peers toward the menu on display at the place's window.

"What, are you hungry now?" He breathes out steadily.

Jeongguk nearly chuckles before grabbing the older's arm, coaxing him forward.

"My mom and I used to come here all the time, back in the day.." He says softly. "And I've brought Vante here before. We got corn dogs for each other, so I thought we could do the same.." He pauses, and Taehyung hears a sudden low grumbling. "P-Plus yes, I-I'm a little hungry..."

At that, the alter bursts into a low laugh before following the younger inside, or rather he was being tugged along by the delicate grip at his wrist. The first thing they did upon entry was consult the menu, one that Jeongguk didn't need much time with since he already knew precisely what to order. Taehyung on the other hand, finally reached a conclusion after a moment, and when he did the clerk gives them both a small square-shaped piece of paper, along with a miniature pencil.

"Mm? What's this for?" The man blinks down at the sheet while Jeongguk immediately turns to write something down on his own.

"See, if you come here with someone else, this place lets you write a message that they'll copy to your friend's corn dog using ketchup," Jeongguk explains with a small smile. "I told the others before, how I used to draw hearts so that my mom's corn dog would have ketchup hearts all over them. And with Vante, we-...." He trails off, a faraway look in his eyes.

Taehyung glances down between the boy and the piece of paper. And the silence told him the memory was too dear to explain to him now.

"So," He clears his throat. "Whatever I write here is a message to you?"

Jeongguk inhales a curt breath before nodding. "Yeah. Exactly."

The man scratches the side of his head and faces away from him, jotting down something on the paper before folding it. The two eventually hand their folded notes back to the employee, and proceed to stand on the side to wait on their order.

Jeongguk bites down on his lip, heart loud inside his chest while they wait in silence. And then he makes the mistake of turning his head to peek a glimpse at the older's handsome eyes. Eyes that were locked directly at him, as though to analyze his very being. At the sudden inspection of those deep raven eyes, Jeongguk immediately looks away to hide the rosy cheeks that had flushed a much deeper red than he'd like, and that's when he hears Taehyung laugh loudly, hand reaching to ruffle the younger's hair, a gesture that Jeongguk had made sure to whine about for a few seconds, although it set his cheeks ablaze.

His heart was much too weak for this, and he wanted to melt into the floor and dissipate right then and there. But luckily for him, their order number is soon called, and the two redirect their attention to collecting their corn dogs at the front.

"Mm, let's see here.." Taehyung begins to examine his corn dog, stopping once he saw the Korean characters written vertically in ketchup.

' I've missed talking to you like this.'

He reads it, over and over in his head, about a million times, the smile on his lips only growing wider. Then he peeks eagerly toward Jeongguk, who was staring at his corn dog with his big, sparkling eyes.

When he doesn't say a word for a few long seconds, Taehyung exhales out a soft laugh.

"Well?" he speaks up, blinking at the boy patiently. "You just gonna stand there?"

Jeongguk slowly puffs out a shaky breath, stood in total disbelief, head then lowering while his eyes shut. "Y-You're always like t-this.." He whispers in an unstable voice.

"What's that?" The older reaches the corn dog to his lips and takes a bite from it, taking the younger's letter to him into his tongue.

Jeongguk gulps, eyes fluttering back open to gaze once more at the Korean characters written in ketchup over his meal, a swarm of butterflies filling the lining in his stomach.

"Won't you turn around and look at me, Gguk?"

The younger blinks a few times, head now slowly turning to face Taehyung, though he couldn't quite look him in the eyes.

"Jeongguk."

A low hum from the boy.

"You read my message, yeah?" Taehyung continues to munch on the corn dog.

Jeongguk's stare remains fixated on the ground while his lip tremble slightly, unable to give a response.

"Yeah?" The man repeats.

And the younger finally looks up, meets his gaze. That bright, dazzling gaze.

"Y-Yeah.."

Taehyung gives him a warm smile, to which Jeongguk ignores the fire in his veins. He slowly looks back down at his corn dog, reading over Taehyung's message for him one last time before he finally stumbles forward, a sudden dash that causes him to lose grip of the corn dog, it plopping straight to the floor into a crumble. Though neither of them really minded that.

"Welcome back..." The words push through a crack in his voice, tears spilling down his cheek while he finds himself squeezing the man tighter into his hold.

A large, boxy smile appears across the older's lips, his strong arms reaching to embrace the slimmer build of the younger boy clinging on to him.

"It's good to see you, Ggukie."

And on the crumbled corn dog on the floor beside them, the ketchup letters remain in tact with a message that read;

' Sorry I kept you waiting for so long. '

✱ ✱ ✱

{ A / N + April Fools Reupload }

it's been a while since i've updated this book! i hope those who have patiently been waiting for an update enjoyed this chapter 🐰

i appreciate your patience, and if you're one of my lovely followers you'll get notified of the next upload date when it's posted on my message board :]

now here's a question for you readers, out of curiosity:

who is ur favorite alter?

i've asked this question before a while back, but i'm curious to see if any opinions changed (especially since X has been introduced!)

also, last year for April Fools i posted a silly chapter for fun :] it's republished and it'll be available to read throughout the rest of the month of April this year! whether it's your first time reading it or if it's a reread for you, i hope you get a giggle out of it either way 🤭

take care :3

💜