seokjin huffed, heaving the last trash bag into the dumpster. he sighed, closing the heavy lid.
"that's it. it's also three in the morning. you should go back," jeongguk spoke, wiping his hands on his jeans. "i'm also glad i double-bagged everything. the last one looked like it was about to rip through. phew! what a hassle."
"are you not going to come with me?" seokjin asked out of hope, ignoring jeongguk's last remark. "i'd prefer it if you didn't. i don't want a murderer under the same roof as me."
"i think i'll be staying at yoongi's for a bit. i'll keep great care of his apartment," jeongguk smiled ominously. "it'll be good. i'll be leaving for busan in a couple of days. i'll be out of your hair for a while."
seokjin looked at jeongguk with obvious suspicion. "you're just gonna... leave seoul?"
"yes, yes i am. i'm coming back, though, so don't clear out my room yet," jeongguk said, walking back to the apartment entrance. "so what now, are you going to tattle on me to the police?" jeongguk smirked. "you've always been a tattletale ever since you were young. i wouldn't be surprised."
"i..." seokjin lost his words, trailing off. "i don't know."
jeongguk stretched his arms and cracked his neck; a smug smile rested on his lips. "y'know, if you do go to the police, you'll have to explain to them why you cleaned up after me."
"what? but you—you had me at—"
"at what, gunpoint?" jeongguk scoffed. "did i have you at gunpoint the whole entire time, seokjin? the whole entire time that you were assisting in murder?"
"y-you put a knife to my fucking throat—"
"there was ample time for you to run away, if i were to be honest. a part of me rushed by adrenaline wanted you to go to the police. it would've just made everything more interesting; i mean, the police wouldn't be able to catch me. nobody would. but you—you're just right here. you could go away for being an accessory. or not. is it a gamble that you're really willing to take? imagine the headlines: 'a murderer's childhood friend assists him in the aftermath'. that would sell a lot of copies, wouldn't it?" jeongguk chuckled. "so. are you going to the police?"
"n-no," seokjin replied almost immediately. he clenched his shaking hands into a fist. "i won't."
"that's good," jeongguk smiled, patting a frozen seokjin on the shoulder. "you can change before leaving. i'm sure something of yoongi's will fit you. come on."
···
"oh my god!"
seokjin opens his eyes. he wakes up in a cold sweat in his bed, breathing heavily. he tries to reach for his face, but he can't—he's restrained. his hands are handcuffed to the side of the bed, and his legs are tied together. he's scared when he blinks, because whenever he does, he just sees it all over again—the blood. the bags. jeongguk.
yoongi.
"oh! you're up."
jeongguk enters his room, bringing seokjin a cup of hot tea. he places it on the bedside drawer, unlocking one of the cuffs before handing seokjin the cup of tea. seokjin only stares at it before looking up at jeongguk.
"you drugged this, didn't you?"
jeongguk chuckles. "doubt me all you want. but right now, you just woke up after passing out. i'm not that cold-hearted, you know." he pauses before laughing lightly. "well, i mean, maybe. don't drink it if you want."
seokjin continues to make eye contact while sipping the piping hot tea cautiously. "i passed out?"
"yeah," jeongguk smiles. "and i'm pretty sure you remembered something. your attitude is different."
seokjin breaks away from jeongguk's gaze, setting the tea on his bedside drawer. "yeah," he says quietly. "i remembered that night."
"good, my explanation period just got shorter then. thanks for not being that incompetent." jeongguk grins innocently at seokjin. "i've been seeing results with the medication i gave you. they're not anti-depressants, by the way. you were so naive to even take them from me, not even questioning why you didn't get them from a pharmacy. i hope you've figured that out. it's an experimental drug that i got from someone that works at my dad's hospital." he lowers his voice down to an excited whisper. "and apparently, it suppresses your memories! now, how cool is that? tell me, seokjin, didn't you get headaches and, oh, i don't know, near flashbacks when you didn't take your medication daily?"
"y-yes," seokjin stutters. "jeongguk, i swear, if this is some sick, twisted experiment that you were testing on me—"
"ah, sweets. don't worry, it wasn't," jeongguk chortles, "it was just something on the side. tell me, did i do a good job as hoseok? had i got you fooled?"
"s-sure, if that's what you want to hear," seokjin mutters, "so, why did you tie me up? are you going to kill me? like yoongi?"
"hm." jeongguk strokes his chin with his thumb and forefinger. "i don't know. you're been awfully calm about it. i expected... panic and disorder."
seokjin shrugs. "what can i do? i've been looking for him for three years, jeongguk. and i... i..." he runs his fingers through his hair. "god. i feel... i do feel pain, disorder, and panic. it's all boiling up inside, it really is. but first and foremost—i feel empty. and sick."
jeongguk stares at seokjin, uninterested and bored. "i am not hoseok right now. i am not your therapist anymore. i didn't ask you to describe your fucking feelings. what are you, an overemotional, sensitive twelve year old?" jeongguk clicks his tongue. "anyways, you're going to stay in that place and stay put, because you're going to listen to my story."
scoffing, seokjin turns away. "i'm not listening to anything. go away. i just... i just want to sleep. i'm exhausted. i—i don't want to think anymore. i'd rather not be awake when the panic hits."
"you're not interested?" jeongguk cocks his head to the side, clearly amused.
"no."
"not at all?"
"not the least bit."
"well, your little officer friend came around. he said he got a text. i'm assuming it came from you." jeongguk dryly clicks his tongue.
seokjin quickly turns toward jeongguk, his mouth slightly agape. "w-what? wait, wait, wait. where is he?"
jeongguk sneers. "where do you think the handcuffs came from?"
···
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oops ! :) also i was supposed to publish this like five days ago but yes how are you guys