seokjin walks the busy streets of seoul, his hands deep in his pockets and his pace fast. he makes sure to breathe in deep, inhaling the fresh air in order to clear his mind. suddenly, he stops dead in his tracks and runs his fingers through his hair, shaking his head.
"ah, shit. i forgot to take my antidepressants. can't sleep if i take them too late."
seokjin sighs, walking into the nearest cafe. he gets in line, staring at the menu for a moment before placing his order.
"i'll have a... regular caramel macchiato. iced."
he reaches into his back pocket for his wallet, but he groans when he realizes he had forgotten it at home.
"ah... gosh, sorry, i seem to have forgotten my wallet at home. i'll be back shortly." seokjin gives an embarrassed smile to the cashier before turning back to go back home.
a hand on his shoulder stops him. "i'd like an iced americano. i'll also be paying for his drink as well."
slightly bewildered, seokjin raises a brow at the man clad in black. "excuse me? it's fine, really. it won't take me long to go back to my house and—"
the stranger slides his credit card across the counter before lifting up his black cap, enough to make eye contact. "remember me?"
there it was again. the familiar scent—it was the same scent from the burger place a few nights back. now that he had some time to process the given information, he realizes it smells like a mix of familiar cologne and peppermint, neither too strong. seokjin also recognizes the deep, almost soothing, voice.
"oh, you're that guy from the burger place," seokjin chuckles, stepping out of line. "i guess we meet again."
"small world out here," the stranger replies, chuckling.
"i... kind of remember what we were talking about before. i'm sorry, i still don't know who you are. mind if you tell me? you seem really, really familiar, but i just can't recall—i'm having a bit of trouble with my memory lately—well, i wouldn't say lately, but—"
"hey, hey, calm down. let's go sit down somewhere—" he then lowers his voice down to a whisper, "my name is namjoon, by the way." namjoon leads seokjin to a table for two by the windows, his walk brisk and facing away from the majority of the people in the cafe.
seokjin purses his lips as he takes a seat across . "are you, like, a criminal or something? look, i really appreciate you buying me a drink, but you really didn't—"
namjoon laughs, covering his mouth with the back of his hand. "no, i'm not a criminal. i'm the idol, kim namjoon; i'm a rapper. i believe we share—" he pauses, his eyes flickering for a moment before he inhales sharply, "—shared—a mutual friend."
"w-wait, i think i remember," seokjin scratches his head. "you—you were that famous guy that—uh—yoongi was friends with. you guys went to high school together, didn't you?"
"yep, that's right," namjoon chuckles. "hey, i'm kind of disappointed. i recognized you at first sight, but you didn't recognize me until i told you my name!"
"um, i'm really sorry if i offended you in any way, but—"
"i'm kidding! take it easy."
seokjin chewed on his lip, briefly saying 'thank you' to the waiter that had brought his and namjoon's drinks out. seokjin stirred his drink with his straw, staring at the ice as it swirled around the plastic cup.
"so, um, i've been hearing that you were still looking for yoongi."
seokjin stops stirring his drink. "from who?"
namjoon shrugs. "just... around."
seokjin takes a quick sip of his drink, feeling the cool liquid slide down his throat. "well, why does it matter to you? and wait—you talked about him in past tense. do you know anything? is he dead? no—no. he can't be dead. he's not, right?"
"i haven't confirmed that he's dead, but—but he's been missing for three years. don't you think it's a lost cause? and if someone kidnapped him... jeez, i don't see why they would, but in most abduction cases, the victim is killed within thirty-six hours since the time of his abduction." namjoon nervously plays with his straw, bending it and straightening it over and over again. "don't you just feel like it's... it's a lost cause?"
seokjin bites his lip, fiddling with his fingers. he knows it's true. yoongi had been missing for so long, but there was something that he couldn't exactly pinpoint. there was something keeping him on edge, and maybe it was jeongguk, maybe it wasn't.
"are you here to tell me to give up?"
"no, no, not at all," namjoon waves his hands, dismissing such idea. "i'm just... i'm wondering if you had any luck. anything, really. even—even if he was dead, i—i'd like to know. i'd—i'd like closure. i'd like that."
namjoon's voice was shaking. seokjin wanted to say something, something encouraging. something positive. but he knew they'd be empty words. he couldn't even say anything motivating to himself, for god's sake. if he were to offer namjoon kind words, he didn't want them to be empty, but genuine. he wanted it to be something he himself would want to hear.
jeongguk.
"i..." seokjin lowers his voice down to a whisper, leaning closer to namjoon, swallowing nervously. "i think i'm onto something. i'm not entirely sure, though."
"really?" namjoon asks, excitement and hope evident in his change of tone and face. "is that true?"
"yes, but... i don't want to get ahead of myself yet."
namjoon shuffles in his seat, pulling out a pen from his jacket pocket. he proceeds to write down his number on a napkin, sliding it over to seokjin.
"give me a call if you find anything. i want to know before—before the news gets it, or something. do you think yoongi can still... be alive?"
"not sure, but... i'm still hoping for the best."
···
[ a / n ]
merry christmas pt 3. someone bring me a caramel macchiato