Take My Hands Now

Chapter 10

Even if you know how it felt like, you would still never truly know what those feelings mean to that person.

—

Hoseok walked into the book store and spotted you at the counter in your daze.

"Y/N", he solemnly approached you.

You jumped up from behind the counter. "What are you doing here?", you asked cautiously, reminiscing the last time he came to find you here to satisfy his ulterior motives.

He frowned in response to your tone, choosing to ignore your hostility. "I haven't been able to contact Jungkook for quite a few days. Just came to check if he appeared around here? Although the chances are pretty low... but I have tried looking everywhere", he murmured listlessly.

"You guys fought?", you asked.

He looked up in slight irritation. "We did... that night after you left his birthday party. Not this time though. So, I guess you haven't seen him either?"

You shook your head and he nodded, turning towards the door. He walked a few steps away but then he turned around, marching back towards you again.

Staring closely into your eyes, he decided to tell you, "Something happened to him. He's definitely not alright. He turned off his phone for the past three days and I haven't seen him around in school or anywhere which we would usually go."

Concern started to grow within you as well, "Maybe he's just at home? Have you checked?"

"That's the last place he would be... I was there with him when it happened... at his house... he won't be going back there any time soon."

So... something happened to him at home?

"Whether you still wish to believe me this time, that's up to you. As much as I hate to admit it, between the two of us now, he might want to see you more than me. But he's still my best friend, and if he comes to look for you, or if you find him anywhere... just let me know whether he's ok", he relented. You were stunned as you watched him leave for real this time.

Good thing your mind was still operating though, "Hey Hoseok!", you shouted after him. "I don't have your phone number yet... if I see him I'll let you know."

—

You tried calling Jungkook and messaging him a few times after Hoseok left, as expected to no avail. Where could he have gone?

The next day you waited and waited to see if he would appear at the lecture. "Are you possessed by a meerkat?", Namjoon wrote on a piece of paper and slid it over your lecture notes.

You side-eyed him with the best death glare you could pull off and he leaned over saying, "Your neck's gonna break at this rate. He's not here and it doesn't seem like he's coming at all, the lecture's ending in fifteen minutes." Namjoon was probably right.

—

Your phone buzzed in your pocket as you were arranging a new row of books, you threw everything down instantaneously to check who it was, but it was just an advertisement from the ice cream place up on the second level of the mall.

As you were putting your phone away in disappointment, this brought back a memory to you. When Jungkook was talking about his father once, he had told you about how he fancied this one ice cream place near his elementary school, because his father used to fetch him from school and then they would hang out there. You mind flashes back to the conversation:

"Remember I told you he became the CEO after I turned eight years old? And he never came to fetch me again. But I still go there from time to time, whenever I feel like being reminded of those times."