Love Story Short | Jikook/Kookmin

Chapter 18

 "Are you okay?"

Yoongi blinks in a state of tiredness, then slowly nods. His dark circles stand out in the bright morning. He steps back, stuffing his hands in the pocket of his jeans, staring away. Something definitely happened, but Jungkook waits to dig deeper.

A few minutes later, they are situated by the open fire Yoongi has started in the nook of a wood. He is boiling some sort of soup in a tin. He offers some to Jungkook, saying it will cure his headache.

"There was no stove inside," he explains, slurping his own soup from a metal spoon. "So I lit up a fire. You might have smelled it in your sleep, I don't know."

Jungkook blows on his spoonful, watching Yoongi through the fog. He doesn't have time to think about the logistics of how the soup came to be. Yoongi looks like he didn't sleep all night. It worries Jungkook deeply, adding to his guilt of not being of any help in a situation Yoongi needed him most. He must have sighed so loudly that Yoongi's eyes snap up at him.

"Where did you find him?" the producer asks.

The question sends a flutter down Jungkook stomach and a wave of hotness around his neck. He feels invaded, although it's exactly the kind of question he was thinking of asking Yoongi.

"Jimin? Near the boat," he answers, and when Yoongi raises an eyebrow at him, blushes. The quicker he says it, the faster it'll end. "He was in pain."

"What do you mean?"

"I think he has a back problem. I checked on him but he says he just needs to rest," Jungkook explains, anxiety increasing as the concern on Yoongi's face grows.

"Are you sure that's all?"

Jungkook swallows hard. If he convinces himself that Jimin is okay, does it count as lying to Yoongi? Because trying to erase the memory of Jimin crying last night weighs heavier on him than the guilt of nodding in Yoongi's direction. Right now, Jungkook doesn't feel like he believes his own words or the lies he's telling his friend.

Yoongi leans back in his chair, pieces of hair falling over his eyes doing little to hinder the judgment in them. Like always, he seems to know everything Jungkook doesn't.

"Have you... found Hoseok?" Jungkook asks slowly, tentatively, stirring the subject in his favor.

The producer's eyes flicker, and he lets out a sigh this time, his shoulders sagging ever so slightly. It looks like he won't answer but then he surprisingly says, "Yeah," and Jungkook nearly falls out of his chair.

"Yeah?!" he repeats, his voice not louder than the pounding on his chest. For good measure, he puts his bowl to the ground, attention unwavering from Yoongi who pretends like it's not a big deal.

"I was right. Namjoon is his cousin."

Wow. Jungkook's admiration for his hyung's genius returns full blown. Shame on him for doubting him for a second!

"Okay but did you see him though? Is Hoseok here?" he can't stop himself now.

Yoongi taps the table, eyes warning him to be quiet but a small smile spreading his lips. "I did. I saw him."

Jungkook's jaw drops. He can't believe it. He knows that it's true if Yoongi is saying it, absolutely. But there is something about finding Hoseok being this huge, sacred goal that perhaps made it unattainable in his eyes. The thought sends a jolt through his heart, and Jungkook knows it's because, that particular thought is connected to a bigger reality in his world — a reality he has been wholeheartedly ignoring, pushing down.