Yo I had no clue what I was writing here, please excuse this weird-ass chapter XD
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It was exactly the crowd they had been looking for. A place where they could get lost in and disappear from the eyes of the two guards that had come with them. The guards were there for their safety, of course, but they did not need them to know where they were going.
To Jungkook's left was Namjoon, who was staring into the distance. The leader's eyes were already in serious-mode, because he knew that the moment to run was nearly there. Meanwhile, Jin was chatting with the guards, making sure their nervous silence wasn't noticeable.
"Boys, I don't think it's a good idea to continue walking this street. It seems to get more crowded the further we go. There must be another way to your family's house."
The guards tried to reason with them before, but they hadn't listened. The three boys were glad that the guards hadn't questioned yet why they were visiting family in Seoul. Almost everyone knew that most of them weren't from this city. Luckily it wasn't usually in a bodyguard's job description to ask such questions.
Now that they were close to where the crowd got thicker, people started to recognize them as well. First, it was only whispers and a few stares here and there, but now people were pointing at them and taking pictures from a distance.
"Sooner or later these people will start following you, we need to go back. Now," the guard said firmly, his hand already on Jungkook's shoulder.
Namjoon knew they had to think of something right now. Something to distract the guards and give them an opportunity to run.
Somehow the first thing that came to mind was faking himself tripping. He fell over, catching himself with his hands, but he hissed as they scraped the concrete.
"Namjoon-ah, be careful!" Jin exclaimed, knowing exactly what he was doing by yelling his name so obviously.
More people turned to look at them now, and a few people even squealed when they recognized the three boys.
Jungkook went to help Namjoon back to his feet and as soon as Namjoon stood straight again, he looked Jin and Jungkook dead in the eyes.
"Now."
Without taking another look at the guards, they dug in their heels and sprinted off through the crowd. People were screaming their names, and the crowd was getting more suffocating, but they pushed themselves through. The guards were hot on their trail, yelling at them to come back and stop running, but that only spurred them on to run faster.
With Namjoon in front, they made their way through the crowd, having to dodge a few handsy fans as well who reached for Jungkook, but the maknae just yelled out an apology and ran away from their grasp. There were confused murmurs all around them and everyone was looking around, wondering where the three boys were running from.
"Namjoon-ah, take a left here!" Jin yelled when they reached a t-junction.
The three of them almost comically turned on their heels and sprinted to the right, giving them the opportunity to look the way they came from and see the guards almost stuck in the crowd that was watching them.
"It's working guys!" Namjoon exclaimed. "Keep going!"
Their legs kept going and with their stamina they could've gone for even longer, but they reached their first destination soon as they disappeared into another street, away from the crowds now and out of sight from the bodyguards.
This first destination, which popped up in front of them, was a small church, almost hidden away in the small street. They had wanted to go to a hidden church rather than a big fancy one, knowing that in there it would be easier for someone to recognize them. They didn't want to attract even more unwanted attention.
"Go, go, go," Jungkook muttered, motioning for them all to go inside.
They opened the doors and Jin, being the last one, closed it quickly.
Inside, it was a little dark. Hidden away in a busy part of Seoul, the church didn't have space for large windows. The candles that were placed all around were the only thing really lighting up the space. There were quite a few chairs standing around, facing the back of the church where a small altar stood.
"Where do we get holy water?" Jin whispered, somehow knowing he had to be quiet but having no clue about holy water or anything else church-related. He couldn't remember the last time he visited a church. Maybe he went there as a kid?
"There should be a little fountain or something near the entrance," Namjoon replied softly. "But I think it's best we just ask someone. I'm sure they wouldn't mind."
They looked around for someone who could help them and soon enough they found a priest who had just walked out of a side room.
"Oh? Hello boys, can I help you?" the priest asked, seeing them staring at him. Jin and Jungkook stood there awkwardly, unsure how to address a priest.
"Hello, sir." Namjoon started, a polite smile on his face. "We were wondering if you have some time to help us? We are... ehm... we would like to ask for some blessed water."
The priest blinked at them for a few seconds, before smiling back. "Of course, that's no problem. Did you bring any water to be blessed, or would you like me to retrieve some?"
Now they hadn't thought about that, of course, so they looked at each other in confusion.
"I could have any water blessed if you bring it here, but I can also give you some that has already been blessed in this church by one of the priests here," the priest proclaimed.
"Oh! We didn't bring any, so if it's no trouble...?" Namjoon trailed off.
"Not at all," the priest said with a smile. "You can take a seat and wait here for a moment, I will be right back."
Jungkook was way too nervous to take a seat, as was Namjoon, but Jin gladly sat down on one of the wooden chairs. He looked around the church in silence, while Namjoon and Jungkook paced around. They were impatient, they wanted to find their friends and they wanted to find them today. They couldn't leave Taehyung and Yoongi in the demon's clutches any longer. There was no time to waste!
Luckily, the priest was back soon enough with a few bottles of water.
"Here you go, boys. May I ask what you need the blessed water for?"
Jungkook took the bottles from the priest with a bow, softly thanking him.
"Well, it's a long story, sir," Namjoon said with a nervous laugh. For a moment he debated whether or not he would tell a fake story, but he couldn't lie to a priest.
"I would be happy to listen, if it meant I could give you some advice," the priest said sincerely. He motioned for the restless Jungkook and Namjoon to take a seat next to Jin and he himself sat down in front of them.
"Our friends are missing," Namjoon started. "And we're going to find them back. The thing is... we... ehm... we've got evidence that..."
He trailed off, not knowing how to end that sentence. Jin put a hand on his shoulder, a sign that he would continue speaking. And Jin didn't beat around the bush.
"They've been taken by a demon. This demon has been terrorizing us, while keeping two of our friends hidden as hostages."
The priest's eyes widened. "Well, that's something you don't hear every day. And you're absolutely certain this is a demon?"
Namjoon's mouth fell open with how easily this priest accepted their story. Wasn't this way too unbelievable? Did priests hear stories like this more often?!
"We're certain. I think it was called a bodysnatcher. It somehow took on the form of one of our missing friends," Jungkook replied softly.
The priest nodded. "And have you made arrangements to get rid of this demon yet?"
Jungkook nodded. "Two of our other friends are talking to a shaman of some sort as we speak."
"We had to do this at the same time, if we find our friends today, it means that we have to get rid of the demon today too," Namjoon said.
"And we've tried to fight it before, but there's not much that works against it. So we hoped that holy water could help us out a little," Jin added.
"If you're in need of extra help concerning an exorcism, the church could also offer their assistance," the priest said, once again surprising Namjoon with how easily he talked about the subject. "I can give you the number of a very experienced priest in Seoul, if you want?"
The boys looked at each other, considering the offer. They hadn't really thought about all the possibilities. Hoseok had looked up different shamans of some sort, but they weren't entirely sure if they could help out with demons. Namjoon, having been an atheist for as long as he can remember, was confused about how these people could help them right now. But he guessed all the help was welcome.
"We would appreciate that, yes," the leader therefore said.
And so it was done. They received the number of a priest that supposedly lived nearby and they left the church after some encouraging words from the priest. Now it was time for the most important part of their mission. They had to find Yoongi and Taehyung.
Namjoon had prepared as well as he could. He had made a whole ass list of specific underground areas in Seoul. Places that wouldn't be too crowded, places where hardly anyone would come. Abandoned houses and their basements, abandoned subway stations, tunnels underneath the city, anything. He had made Jungkook draw a map, because they weren't allowed to have their phones and had no way to look up where they needed to go once they left the safehouse. They also had no way of contacting Hoseok and Jimin, which concerned them a little, but at least they should be safe and far away from the demon.
First, they went to one of the nearest subway stations.
Namjoon had found online that this particular subway station had an entrance leading to a few underground tunnels. They used to be placed there in case of emergency; a hiding place, or bunker-like space for people to run to.
The three of them pulled the hoods of their hoodies over their heads and put sunglasses on, not wanting to be recognized in the streets where they had created chaos not even half an hour ago. They hurried towards the subway station, not too fast to look suspicious, but just enough to look in a hurry.
They went down the long set of stairs and checked in to the subway with their cards. It was quite crowded, but they had become skilled at getting away mostly unseen.
"The door is supposed to be two turns from here," Namjoon said, having memorized almost the entire webpage about the bunker tunnels. He hardly needed to look at the map Jungkook had drawn.
They reached the door soon enough and it was luck that somehow the entrance was in a very quiet part of the subway station. Hardly anyone walked by.
The door was locked, as they had expected, but even for this Namjoon had prepared.
"Are we really going to pick a lock?" Jungkook asked incredulously. He had never seen his hyungs do anything against the rules and he had grown up to be as well-behaved as them. Picking locks had never been on his mind, but now he watched Namjoon take out some tools and open the lock as if he had done this many times before.
"Namjoon-ah, how did you even...?" Jin trailed off, staring at the now open door.
"Just watched some YouTube videos," Namjoon replied with a shrug. As if anyone could just learn how to do this as easily as he did from watching a few videos the day before.
"Your brain really does work differently," Jin snickered.
"I think I could do it too if I watched the videos," Jungkook said as they walked through the door and into the tunnels.
"Sure but that's because you're somehow good at everything. You probably wouldn't even have needed to watch the videos," Jin replied, taking a flashlight from his backpack. He turned it on as soon as Jungkook closed the door behind them; they would've been completely blind in the dark otherwise. There was not a single source of light in here.
With the flashlight on, they could see that the tunnel reached far and bent off to the right. It was empty, no doors to other rooms or tunnels, just a long hall that turned right in the distance.
"Well, let's see what's at the end there," Namjoon said.
"Do we call their names?" Jungkook asked, looking around carefully.
"No," Jin said, shaking his head. "We have to stay quiet. If the demon is at the end there, it will hear us coming. We need the element of surprise."
So they walked in silence.
They went all the way to where the tunnel bent to the right and Jin, who walked in front with the flashlight, was somehow brave enough to turn his head around the corner and peer into the darkness.
"What do you see?" Jungkook whispered, trying to look over Jin's shoulder.
"There's a room here," Jin said, squinting his eyes to see as much as he could. This place seemed nearly empty as well. "I see a few closets, some chairs, but... nothing else."
He stepped around the corner and pointed the light at the back of the room. Nothing. No Yoongi, no Taehyung, no demon. Only a basically empty bunker, save for some furniture.
Jin's shoulders sagged and he turned to Namjoon and Jungkook, who looked equally disappointed.
"Well, it would've been too easy if we found them right off the bat, huh?" Jin said with a grimace.
"Damn it..." Jungkook mumbled.
"Alright, what's the next one on the list?" Jin asked Namjoon, who immediately took the paper from his pocket.
"Well, good thing we're at a subway station, because we need to travel for this one."
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Jimin and Hoseok had some trouble getting rid of their bodyguards. They hadn't been able to find an easy way out, no way to use Namjoon's idea of getting lost in a crowd. There was, after all, no crowded place near their destination – a temple in the north of Seoul, away from the busy areas of the city.
So they had to trick the guards. Pretend that they had arrived at the right place, only to leave unseen.
They had stepped into a building, the bodyguards fully convinced that this was where their family lived. They never even questioned where the other car with the three other members was. They asked the guards to stay outside the building, because what could happen to them inside? They would be with their family, right?
Well, soon enough the two of them found a backdoor and left the building as unseen as possible. They had found their way to the temple and it hadn't taken long to find the person Hobi had contacted and who was willing to help them. The man had introduced himself as Im Dowon and he had been honest about not knowing for sure whether he was the guy for the job. But he had assured Jimin and Hoseok that he had helped out with people being pestered by demons many times.
Not even half an hour later, Jimin and Hoseok walked down the road back to their family's so-called home. Jimin with a nervous look on his face that seemed almost permanent, and Hoseok with a determined smile. He was holding a paper in his pocket with Dowon's number. As soon as they were ready to deal with the demon, they would call him and he would help them out.
"We're finally getting rid of that thing," Hoseok said, almost spitting out the word 'thing', referring to the horrific monster that was waiting for them back at the safehouse.
"Only if the others find Yoongi-hyung and Taetae..." Jimin mumbled.
"They will."
Jimin looked at Hoseok, his face unsure and worry clouding his mind. "How can you be so sure?"
Hoseok grinned, putting a hand on Jimin's shoulder and squeezing. "Of course they will! Namjoon figured everything out and has an IQ of 148, Jin is Mr. Worldwide and Jungkook is our golden maknae. Together they will definitely find our brothers. They're an amazing team!"
Jimin laughed, a genuine laugh, which mostly came from how ridiculous this sounded. "You make it sound like they're a superhero team."
"Bangtan is a superhero team," Hoseok said with a grin.