Hoseok practically stormed Yoongi's room once the demon gave the go-ahead.
Taehyung sat against the bed's headboard, posture slouched as he looked imploringly at the nooks and crannies of the room. He instantly smartened his back when the door slammed open, eyes locking onto Hoseok's with apparent shock before his gaze melted into molten relief.
"Hoseokie...!" he exclaimed breathlessly, reaching his hands out listlessly. Hoseok hurried to the bedside and kneeled onto the floor as he craned his neck up to meet Taehyung's hesitant, gentle caress. "Are you okay?" Taehyung asked as he brought his hands into his lap. "You didn't get injured or anything?"
Hoseok laughed as he pulled himself from the floor, steadying his balance as he stumbled away from the bedside. "I should be asking you that, Taehyung-ah; you've only been resting for a few minutes. Are you sure you should be sitting up?"
Taehyung dismissed Hoseok's concern with a flippant wave of his hand. "I've been through worse. A little fever's not gonna keep me down."
"You say that, but Jungkook was the one who had to carry you from Timbuktu while you spent the entire ride passed out," Yoongi said after dragging Jungkook through the doorway.
Taehyung startled at the information, eyes wide with worry. "Oh, really? I'm so sorry, Jungkook-ah! Are you okay? I know I'm not the lightest thing to carry..."
Jungkook hesitated on his words, looking from Taehyung's worried gaze to Hoseok's taut form. He averted his eyes when he realized he'd been caught and muttered to the floor, "It's no big deal."
"I've raised such a modest subordinate," Yoongi bemoaned. "Truly unbecoming of a demon."
Taehyung laughed along with Yoongi, but Hoseok couldn't join them. His focus was trained on Jungkook as the demon tried to make himself as small as possible against the bedroom wall. It might have worked had he not developed a fully fleshed-out human body, not a single trace of his original shadowy husk left in his build.
It was pathetic. It made Hoseok want to vomit. Because he was the reason Jungkook looked like he wanted to crawl out of his own skin, to go back to the bygone days of arrogant shadows and baseless deals.
"Oh!" Taehyung exclaimed, effectively snapping Hoseok out of his thoughts. "I don't think I've introduced myself. My name's Kim Taehyung, and I'm Jungkook-ah's and Hoseokie's companion. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"I wish I could say the same," Yoongi sighed. "You're not supposed to be down here, but that's not your fault—the blame all goes to Jungkook. And judging by your nonchalant attitude, I'm guessing you aren't aware of your situation."
Taehyung blinked. "What situation?"
Yoongi explained to Taehyung how he used to be an angel and how the Underworld was affecting his body, Taehyung growing less and less reactive as he went on.
"I...used to be an angel? And what I thought was a birthmark was actually a holy mark this entire time?" Taehyung said after a moment of consideration, uncertainty and doubt heavy in his tone.
"Sounds ridiculous, right?" Hoseok said sympathetically.
"Don't listen to the non-believer," Yoongi said. "I've seen plenty of people exactly like you in my time. It's not some life-changing fact or fascinating truth. You just don't have to deal with regretful mistakes or greedy demons common people often encounter."
"Really? Because I can count two of those so-called greedy demons hidden in this room," Taehyung said with mirth.
"Oh, you picked a funny guy, Jungkook."
Silence met Yoongi's jab, and the room's occupants turned toward Jungkook's quiet form with raised brows. Hoseok knew that Jungkook was still reeling from his recent shock of figuring out his past, and he felt his heart begin beating rapidly because he was the reason behind that misfortune.
Desperate to escape the uncomfortable hush, Hoseok blurted, "We should find a way out of here."
Yoongi's eyes narrowed at Hoseok, suspicion heavy in their gaze, but he pardoned Hoseok's poorly disguised diversion nonetheless. "I assume Jungkook's already told you the only plausible exit?"
Hoseok nodded in confirmation. "Yeah." He held his hands out in a desperate sort of motion. "So, when do you think a client'll be able to summon us?"
Yoongi shrugged his shoulders. "A client is almost always available. The problem lies within which demon responds to them quicker." He pointed an accusatory finger at Hoseok, eyebrows furrowed disapprovingly. "And since Jungkook's already in a contract with you, I doubt any sensible demon would just let him snatch away another soul from them."
"Yeah, but don't we just need your permission to be summoned? It's not like Jungkook's trying to get into another contract."
"Try telling that to the greedy assholes lounging around at the bar." Yoongi averted his eyes from Hoseok's, gaze wandering the hardwood floor desparingly. "Besides, it's not like I'm in a particularly high position. The fact of the matter is that Jungkook's my only subordinate, and it's only been a few years since he's started working out in the field. If I try to submit an order to let Jungkook take another summoning, I'm probably going to get burned at the stake by angry, starving demons who've been waiting for a summoning since last year."
"What a cruel hierarchy," Taehyung muttered as disgust etched wrinkles into his forehead.
Hoseok felt his body deflate as hopelessness sank in. "So, is there no way...?"
Yoongi kept his silence, but he fixed Jungkook with a meaningful look. "Should I tell him, or are you finally gonna talk?" he asked with a bored drawl.
Hoseok startled at Yoongi's vague implication of another option, and he eagerly whirled around toward Jungkook. "What?" he barked. "What else are you not telling me?"
Jungkook trained his gaze to the floor, but Hoseok could see the frantic wavering in their hold. The demon's body trembled, and Hoseok felt immediately on edge for what was to be suggested.
"Jungkook," he said cautiously as he slowly approached Jungkook's quivering figure. He settled a hesitant hand atop Jungkook's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze when Jungkook gave him a wide-eyed glance.
"Kook," Hoseok said, his voice soft and tender. "I don't know what's got you so scared, but if it can help Taehyung-ah get back to the surface, then don't hesitate to tell me."
Jungkook stood there for a few moments more, body taut with palpable tension, before releasing a shaky sigh and meeting Hoseok's imploring gaze. "Hoseokie..." he said with uncertainty heavy in his tone, like a lost child unable to find his words. "I... There's..."
Jungkook suddenly took a deep breath and averted his gaze from Hoseok as he blurted, "I can make you a demon."
Ice froze over Hoseok's body, silencing the pounding of blood in his head with silent fury. He was vaguely aware of Taehyung reacting, making a fuss behind him, but his complaints were deafened by the lead that had encased Hoseok's head. Because he knew what decision he had to make.
But...he was terrified.
Jungkook, at the ripe age of fifteen, had gone through the exact situation Hoseok was experiencing—although, Hoseok doubted he had much choice in the matter. Jungkook, so full of love and desperation, was driven to give up his humanity.
So, why couldn't Hoseok make that final decision? Why couldn't he sacrifice himself for the sake of another? In a situation where someone's life was laid in the palms of his hands, what held him back from protecting that sacred life?
Gazing at Jungkook brought him that vague answer: He didn't want to lose what little he had left.
As shitty as his life was, as draining as the contract was, Hoseok was glad he had met Jungkook. To have met Jimin. To have been introduced to Taehyung. Hell, he was even happy back when he only had Seokjin and Namjoon by his side. He didn't want to have to give up each and every one of their friendships and the memories they shared. Seeing how long it took Jungkook to regain even the slightest hints of his past life petrified Hoseok.
Hoseok slowly turned toward Taehyung. He could feel that his face was drawn long and mournful with confliction, and Taehyung gave him a pinched look of desperation. It was probably meant to deter him from making a rash decision, but all Hoseok could see was the sweat line in his brow from the earlier fever and the blue tint of his lips.
Taehyung's life was fading fast, and Hoseok was delaying his rescue.
Hoseok turned toward Jungkook with steeled nerves and stiff shoulders. "Do it," he said, voice edging toward timidity with his last breath. Because despite the bravo he was trying to put into his attitude, he was still trembling from head to toe with unwavering fear.
Jungkook's eyes were sorrowful, so deep and rich with vivid human emotions that Hoseok could feel his own burn with reluctant tears. "Hoseokie..." Jungkook said, so soft, so gentle. "Are you sure? We can always look for another solution," he said, turning toward Yoongi with wide, wide eyes, "right?"
Hoseok and Jungkook knew the answer to the demon's question already, but Yoongi's carefully blank expression managed to disperse any hope Hoseok had left.
"Before you leave, however, I must ask for some information. You know, as payment for the drink," Yoongi said after silence had swallowed the room's occupants' words.
Hoseok looked toward Yoongi, wariness bleeding into his lingering remorse. "Like what?" he approached after a moment's consideration.
Yoongi's lips quirked upward as he settled back into his desk chair. "You never told me what brought you down here; I'm guessing it has something to do with the ex-angel over here." He jerked his thumb toward Taehyung, and Taehyung sat up straight against the headboard at the sudden call to attention.
Hoseok looked to Taehyung for a sign of permission; it wasn't his story to tell, after all.
Taehyung sighed and slumped back down onto the pillows. He drew an arm over his eyes, and Yoongi watched him with mild interest, following his sluggish movements with a careful, calculating gaze.
"My friend was turned into a demon," Taehyung uttered.
Yoongi blinked in apparent surprise before parting his lips to release a faint sound of understanding. "And you came down here to look for them?"
Taehyung nodded in confirmation. "I had planned on making him perform that ritual that would make him human again after I hung out with him long enough, but..." He lifted his arm from his face and made a pointed glance down his entire body. "I don't think that's possible anymore in my condition."
Yoongi made a curious sound, between a hum and a grunt. "I'm guessing Jungkook told you about that ritual?" He turned his gaze onto Jungkook, and Hoseok could see the instantaneous ridge that lined Jungkook's shoulders. "You're pretty reckless for a newbie, Jungkook," Yoongi said with a toothy grin.
Jungkook seemed to relax at the lack of a lecture or punishment, but his figure still held tension in the nooks and crannies, alertness far from fading. "If I had known he used to be an angel, I would have never made him part of the deal in the first place," he said with a grimace.
"This is why I always tell you to be careful, dumbass," Yoongi sighed, eyes landing on Hoseok's taut figure. "And you just decided to follow after the bait, huh?"
Hoseok bristled, lips curling into a distasteful frown, and he clenched his fist to control his flare of indignation. "It's not like I could shut him out. Especially since he asked for my help specifically," Hoseok said, eyes flickering toward Taehyung for a brief moment. Taehyung offered him a gentle smile, and Hoseok felt the band of tension that had twisted around his heart loosen a smidge.
"Humans sure are generous," Yoongi said airily. His eyes trailed toward Taehyung, yet again, lingering for a few moments longer before he said, "Although, I do understand the appeal. You're quite the beautiful soul."
Though he had seen it once before, Hoseok still found himself bewildered by the wild flush that darkly colored Taehyung's cheeks' skin.
"Thank you..." Taehyung said. He seemed lost for further words as his mouth gaped open, and his eyes gazed into Yoongi's as though he was seeing the demon for the first time. "You, too," he managed with a familiar, charming smile.
Hoseok knew that Taehyung was a people-person, a natural charmer to anyone and everyone. But Taehyung's eyes held an unfamiliar affection in their molten heat, and his smile curled into something tender, untouched by suave mannerisms.
Hoseok knew what the difference was. He knew the cause of those minute details, but he couldn't fathom why or how.
Because Taehyung had known Yoongi for only a handful of minutes, and he was already looking at the demon like he was the love of his life.
Now, Hoseok wouldn't say he felt jealous. Because he knew that his feelings of attractions were too shallow to be emotionally affected by Taehyung's decision. Because he couldn't honestly say that he had ever looked beyond the role Taehyung played in his and Jungkook's deal: a threat. A temptation to be avoided at all costs, yet alluring all the same.
But, Hoseok had learned to see past the hidden menace of Taehyung and had considered him...a dear friend.
And Hoseok didn't feel safe letting his dear friend fall in love with a demon with an unknown past.
"Was that all you wanted to ask?" Hoseok said with a biting edge.
Yoongi looked toward him with a flat expression, vague annoyance hidden in his forehead's slight creases. His gaze wandered over toward Jungkook as he said, "You heard the client, Jungkook. Make the man a demon."
"Wait, Hoseokie," Taehyung pleaded, seemingly having come out of his love-struck trance. "You don't have to do this; we can always wait until a client becomes available."
"I can't take that risk!" Hoseok cried, whirling around toward Taehyung. "You've only been here for a couple of hours, and look at you! You're already bedridden! How much longer will it be until you just end up dying?!"
Hoseok stood there, panting and red in the face, and reflected on his outburst as he gazed upon the surprised expressions that stared back at him.
Mortified, Hoseok quickly turned toward Jungkook. "Do it," he hissed, adamant on avoiding any final confrontation with Taehyung.
Jungkook's surprise melted away to the same sorrow that made him look so human, so soft, so gentle. "Hoseokie, I don't—"
"Do it!"
Jungkook seemed to startle at Hoseok's shout, but he eventually conceded with an offering of his hand. Hoseok took it, and he felt Jungkook's warm, solid palms encase his own with a gentle squeeze. Jungkook turned toward Yoongi with a grim look.
"You wouldn't happen to already be in a deal, hyung?" Jungkook asked, and Hoseok was starting to realize that Jungkook was even more reluctant to do this than him.
"I've been in one for the past seven thousand years, Jungkook," Yoongi said, his voice escaping as a sigh, like a disappointed, weary mother. "You know this already."
"Seven thousand years..." Hoseok whispered in slight awe, momentarily forgetting his own fear. "I thought you couldn't remember anything from that time; how can you remember a deal that old?"
"I think you should be worried if the deal's actually real, Hoseokie," Taehyung said. He looked at Yoongi with a scrutinizing stare. "You're not just saying that just to force Hoseokie to become a demon, right? That's the truth?"
Yoongi held his hands up in mock surrender. "Demons can deceive and manipulate the truth, but they can't outright lie; I'm telling the truth, Taehyung."
Despite the honest gleam in Yoongi's eyes, Taehyung still seemed suspicious. "Can you prove it? Do you have the contract written out somewhere? Can you show me your client?"
Hoseok was beginning to feel increasingly unnerved by Taehyung's ferocious investigation of Yoongi, and he could see the same disarmed expression plastered across both of the demons' faces.
"Taehyung," Jungkook interjected. "A demon's contract is felt within their body; it's a part of them, momentarily taking up the space where their soul once was." Jungkook placed his hand along his neck, a fierce look flaring up within his gaze. "I can feel Hoseok's contract beating in tune to his heartbeat, steady and strong."
Jungkook turned toward Yoongi. "You can still feel your client's heartbeat, right, hyung?"
Yoongi nodded and rubbed his hand along his chest, subconsciously. "Although it waxes and wanes, it's not once left my chest since the day the contract was made seven thousand years ago." He brought his gaze up to meet the room's other occupants. "I've been waiting for him to show up again so that I can cancel the contract or something. It's the reason I had Jungkook start working for me; he gets himself into at least two contracts a year and hands off the leftover soul to me, so that I don't end up getting lynched while I wait."
Hoseok released a faint sound of awe. "That's...amazing. I didn't take you for the kind of person who would be patient enough for something like that."
"That still doesn't explain who or what his client is," Taehyung said before Yoongi's bashful smile could take proper shape. "His client is obviously not human, and last time I checked, demons could only make deals with humans." His gaze narrowed at Yoongi's uncertain figure. "Care to explain who this client of yours is?"
Yoongi released a contemplative hum, eyes elusive and wandering. "Well, he was human when I made a deal with him. I can't say for sure if he still is now, but he's somewhere in the world. Whether it be in Heaven, the Underworld, or on the mortal plane, he's there, existing, and I have an obligation to see this deal through to the end."
His gaze finally landed on Taehyung's. "Does that answer suffice?"
Taehyung seemed flustered by the situation, and he offered Yoongi an apology, meekly bowing his head.
"Wait," Hoseok said. "You're telling me a demon's deal is still intact even after the client dies?"
"Who said anything about anyone dying?" Yoongi asked.
"Well, that would be the only logical explanation, right? Your client died and was reincarnated."
"No, no," Jungkook interjected. "Hoseokie, if the client dies, then the deal would automatically drag them down into the Underworld, either for their soul to be consumed or for them to become a demon." He looked to Yoongi expectantly. "Do you think he was saved by an angel before you managed to corrupt him?"
Yoongi shrugged. "Fuck if I know. Our contract didn't require twenty-four-hour surveillance, so if he had a guardian angel, then he might've been saved from immediate danger by a simple reincarnation."
"What, God can't get rid of a demon's deal from a past life?" Hoseok said.
Yoongi released a bark of laughter. "Ha! He wishes. You can't get rid of something that's embedded into a human's soul so easily."
Hoseok turned toward Jungkook. "Why don't you ever tell me these things?"
Jungkook shrugged. "You never asked."
"Back to the client situation," Taehyung said flatly. "If you haven't been able to locate your client after all these millenniums, don't you think it'd be better to just recruit some more low-tier demons to search for him?"
"Again," Yoongi stressed, "I'm on the brink of being a low-tier myself, Taehyung. It was hard enough to get Jungkook when he was a mindless shadow, and he was my client. I can't just go around snatching demons' hard-earned souls and expect to come out of it unscathed."
"Well, it doesn't seem like you're providing much effort to the search," Taehyung rebutted. "What did you do before you got Jungkook-ah to start doing your bidding? Wander around and strike up deals with randos in hopes of encountering your long-lost client?"
Yoongi's gaze was like ice, unforgiving, and frigid in its hold. "I don't see why you're working yourself up. It's my business, and last time I checked, your life was on a time-limit."
Hoseok started at the call-back and turned toward Jungkook desperately. "Kook! Hurry up and turn me!"
Jungkook's eyes went wide at Hoseok's demand, posture rigid and unmoving. "Hoseokie—"
"Hoseokie!" Taehyung shouted, startling everyone into a dumbfounded silence. "Hoseokie," Taehyung said wearily. "I appreciate your generous effort to save my life, but I'm not okay with you sacrificing yourself in such an unbecoming way.
"A demon's life isn't meant for you, Hoseokie," Taehyung continued gently. "You're worth so much more than a mere soul. Your future is bright and boundless; opportunities of success and happiness are within your reach if you stop holding yourself back. I've seen your potential, and I believe that you can live a truly prosperous life."
Taehyung turned toward Yoongi, eyes deep and molten with that unfathomable love. "And you, my good sir, are going to have to reach beyond your limited potential. You've centered your entire life around this mysterious client of yours, and yet you give such a meaningless explanation to your obsession. You don't really want to end your contract with him, do you? You want to meet him and explore a deeper bond with him, right? You crave something other than his soul: his affections.
"It's such a quiet thing," Taehyung mused when nobody else could conjure up any words. "Yearning, that is. We don't realize what that nagging feeling in our heart is until it's spelled out in the most obvious of ways. An eye-opening experience, like seeing it reflected back at you because, what do you know, someone else is going through the exact same dilemma."
Stifling silence followed the wake of Taehyung's speech. Hoseok was filled up with emotions so deep, so enigmatic, that they choked the breath from his lungs and left him on a plane of existence so far away from the here and now.
Because Taehyung had confessed his love to his missing friend and Hoseok was starting to get a very bad feeling about who that friend might have been.
"Hey, Taehyung-ah, can you describe what your friend was like? Just real quick," he tacked on when Taehyung sent him a startled look.
"Uh, well," Taehyung said. "You already know that he had a passion for music and that his family didn't really approve of his attempt at making a career off of his music.
"He was kind of a...gruff guy. Blunt and straightforward, but surprisingly, carefully gentle toward the people he loved. He wasn't easily swept up in other people's lives and didn't really step out of his comfort zone without any prompting. That's probably why he didn't even consider leaving our hometown until I told him I wanted to go live in one of those big cities," Taehyung said with a laugh.
"Can you remember what he looked like?" Hoseok asked.
"Oh, yes. He never really aged; he had that baby face that deceived strangers and neighbors alike. He also never really grew, which actually worked in his favor because he was never asked to tend to any of the tall crops that his parents grew. But he had to do a lot of heavy-lifting because his father wanted him to become strong enough to be able to support a family of his own. So he was broad in the shoulders but didn't have much going for his chicken-legs."
"And yet you can't even remember his name?" Jungkook said with a weak chuckle.
"I remember his family name," Taehyung said with a smile. "I remembered his family's house plate in one of my memories: Min."
Hoseok wanted to laugh. Really, truly, he wanted to laugh. Or maybe cry. Perhaps sob.
He couldn't imagine what kind of inner turmoil was going on inside Yoongi, but the demon's pale-stricken face said enough.
Fate had a funny way of working.
"You set me up with an ancient, Kook," Hoseok said because Yoongi's expression had mirrored itself onto Jungkook's face.
"Seven thousand years, was it?" Hoseok said to Yoongi. "Remember anything now, Min Yoongi-ssi?"
A/N - taegi!!!!!