Further and further the floors to the hallway stretched. Jungkook raced only wearing his black socks and the clothes Jimin dressed him in when he was asleep. The boy was breathless as he raced down and tried to comprehend what was happening. The helpless lamp believed he misunderstood Jimin in his mind, but little did he know, he was right. It was Jimin that haunted his dreams every night and it was Jimin who made him feel unsafe. Only now, Jungkook began to realize it so soon.
The boy was somehow grateful that he was able to read the room so early before he got in too deep. However, he rather hoped he never found out about Jimin's existence only so he wouldn't fear going to sleep every now and then. Jungkook was drowning within a wave of fear; he was stuck at sea for so long, he craved the sense of being saved or any contact from a hero who could save him. Alas, there he remained, drowning for an eternity as if no one could hear his endless pleas to be saved from his fears.
Jungkook reached the end of the hall; continuously pressing the button on the elevator to travel down. "Come on...COME ON!" Jungkook begged as the elevator traveled up and was finally able to open to the petrified boy. Once the doors pulled open, Jungkook jumped in and continued to press the button to the lobby repeatedly. Within seconds, he looked up to see Jimin step out of the room.
Black leather gloved hands fixed onto the doorway of the room slowly and out crept the masked man.
"There is no escape, Jungkook..." Jimin chuckled and finally began to walk down the hall, still maintaining a still posture while chicken soup still drenched his black coat reaching to his calves. "You run and run... but there will never be an escape!"
Jungkook pressed his weak body against the walls of the elevator and watched as Jimin stopped walking and turned around. Making the boy question where Jimin was off to once the doors to the elevator closed. Again, the slowed music played over the elevator as Jungkook couldn't think of anything positive to soothe his anxiety. He was out of breath as he tried his best not to think of Jimin.
"I... I'm going home..." Jungkook thought and held himself, embracing the soothing feeling of the soft shirt he wore over his sensitive skin. Eventually, the elevator chimed on the lobby. Instantly, the boy dashed out of the elevator and raced to the nearest exit where Seokjin stood; yet again, daydreaming and staring out to the exit.
The weather outside was warm and calm; no rain in sight and not a clash of thunder could be heard from a mile away! Adrenaline pumped through Jungkook's blood the moment his skin longed to be kissed by the gentle breeze on the outside, on the other hand, doubts suddenly began to rise against him when he heard footsteps falling in sync with him from behind.
"SEOKJIN, RUN!" Jungkook cried and almost instantly, he hit the ground onto the middle of the lobby where the exit was just a few jogs ahead.
"Where do you think you're going?" Called out the soothing and eerie voice of the hotel owner. Jungkook squirmed over the ground and looked back to see Jimin standing behind him. "What did you think, that I was going to let you go that easily?" As the calming tone of Jimin's voice came, it wasn't enough to keep Jungkook's shouting and anxiety down.
"N-NO PLEASE!" Jungkook shouted and struggled to get up, seeing now that his body gave in due to how exhausted he was so suddenly. However, this wasn't enough to make him stop trying to escape.
Just when Jungkook managed to get up once more, he felt a pull on his ankle and before he knew it, he was back on the ground, kicking and fussing to escape Jimin's tight grip.
"Stop trying, you'll only make it worse."
"N-NO LET ME GO! PLEASE... PLEASE!" Jungkook screamed as he turned his body on his side and continued to kick Jimin's hands away, but the man only held Jungkook back with one hand. Surprisingly, his grip was strong enough against the boy and this left Jungkook even more afraid than before.
"Stop begging..." Jimin growled. Pulling the boy's leg and crouching before him. Watching Jungkook kick and squirm around until... he instantly caught Jimin off guard and kicked him on the beak of his plague doctor mask.
Jimin quickly turned his face away and cupped it with his free hand while the other gripped tightly onto Jungkook's ankle. The mask was kicked off from his face from the sudden force Jungkook gathered in order to fight Jimin off. Yet, he only managed to kick the man's mask off and not cause the man to stumble at all. Jungkook heard Seokjin gasp from the front desk as he realized what he just did. His gaze locked onto Jimin and froze at the sight of his ethereal appearance.
Jimin's pale skin shone like white pearls in contrast to his black silk hair, his lips were plump and carried a rosy red hue that became vibrant at the center and as his eyes, they beamed a dark crimson color as well. Similar to the bright glowing red Jungkook has seen only in his nightmares. Jungkook froze at the sight of the charming devil himself and gulped, fearing what Jimin planned to do next.
"I-I'm sorry!" Jungkook apologized instantly and watched the handsome devil's eyebrows tune downwards against his vibrant glare.
"Enough," Jimin hissed and tugged the boy's leg with force, causing Jungkook's back to meet with the cold marble ground once more. Jimin stood and began to drag Jungkook by his ankle as the boy continued to kick and struggle. However, nothing was happening, he was still losing progress while the exit stretched further and further away. His freedom slipped through his fingers as he shouted and cried; reaching out to the exit while Jimin kept dragging him to the elevator.
"SEOKJIN, HELP!" Jungkook cried and looked up to see the attendant only staring off to the exit and allowing a tear to fall from his precious gaze once they weighed in. "PLEASE, I'M NOT WHAT YOU WANT, PLEASE TAKE ANYTHING, I DON'T CARE, JUST LET ME GO!"
His endless screams weren't heard from anyone in the endless sea of fear he drowned in. Once they reached the elevator, Jimin quickly picked the boy up and held him by his waist from the back with just one arm. Jimin operated the elevator with his free hand and stood completely still as Jungkook was jumping and kicking forward to be released, yet, he was too weak to even try to slide through Jimin's tight grasps.
"Stop it already! It's over now..." Jimin whispered softly against Jungkook's ear as they stepped into the elevator. "You were able to leave me before, but now, things are different. I won't ever let you go as long as I stand here. That's a promise."
"Please... please you have the wrong person! What are you talking about?!" Jungkook shouted and kept his eyes locked onto the exit far ahead. "I'm not what you want! Let me go please! I DON'T WANNA DIE HERE!"
Jimin ignored the boy's shouts as he pressed the button to the sixth floor once again. There was no escape for the little lamb now, he was trapped within the strong claws of the fearsome wolf whether he liked it or not. Jungkook kicked and continued to scream until the doors of the elevator closed. Only then was he finally alone with Jimin; a man he knew nothing about, but now understood his true intentions.
At the same time, Namjoon paced around in Jungkook's room anxiously. He held his phone in his hands, fixing his round glasses over his gaze and let out another exhale. Listening to Jungkook's phone switch over to his pre-recorded voicemail for the hundredth time already.
"Hi, this is Jeon Jungkook, I can't come to the phone right now... but please leave a message after the tone and I'll get back to you soon!-"
"Ah, where are you Jungkook?!" Namjoon shouted and hung up the call once more. "Where are you? Ugh, I wish I could take back what I said! This child is so sensitive and I always have to be careful with my words, I just wasn't careful this time... now he's lost out there!" Namjoon panicked and covered his face before dropping onto Jungkook's bare bed. "I can't sleep at all... not when he packed his things and left the night we argued... I haven't heard from him in five days!"
Namjoon continued to fuss and call everyone who would have known where Jungkook was, but to no avail. Jungkook wasn't around the circle of people Namjoon knew. The boy was a very lonely lamb, he had no one but Namjoon in his life so it was difficult for Namjoon to find the boy with the help of others.
"Jungkook... I hope you're safe!" Namjoon spoke softly before he finally raised his phone up to his face and began to mark a number. "Please don't tell me you're back at your parents' place..."
The older man then began to mark the number and the contact of Jungkook's brother showed up on his phone. Instantly, he called the number and awaited an answer. Waiting for the other line to pick up felt as if it took a decade to wait for an answer! But eventually, Namjoon heard a response.
"Namjoon, it's been a while!" spoke a deep and gentle voice from the other side of the phone.
"Yeah it has been... ah, Jung-Hyun... I just have a quick question I needed to ask and I'll be out of your hair," Namjoon answered and ran his hand up his forehead to comb his brown silk hair back.
"What is it?"
"Has Jungkook... ever returned home..? I haven't seen him around here and I'm getting worried..."
"No, he hasn't. Is he alright? Oh that boy is always causing a ruckus, isn't he? He will turn up eventually. That's how he is. He disappears for a while and turns up drunk in a club somewhere. Don't worry about him, he's not a little boy anymore, Namjoon."
"I know he isn't! I just worry about him. I got into an argument with him and he stormed out of the house in the rain... he doesn't pick up his phone and I want to make sure that he's okay!"
"Don't waste your time. He's fine. I'm sure of it. That's the way that he is, he runs from his problems like he doesn't care and disappears until he remembers he has to return. Don't stress over my brother, Namjoon. 'He's a lost soul looking for a purpose, we just need to give him some space'. That's what my father always said about him."
"But, it isn't right! He lives with me now and I want to know where he is. Before, he could disappear under your parents' watch, but he doesn't live with them anymore. He lives with me and I care about him. I don't feel at ease wondering where he sleeps at night," Namjoon retorted and let out an exhale after. "Ah, but thank you... I'll call him if I find him. Please keep an eye out for him and whatever you do, please don't let his parents know. I don't want them to include themselves and hold this against him when he returns. I don't think he will be able to take more harsh words from them. He's been damaged enough."
"I understand, call me if you find him, take care."
"I will, thank you." Namjoon answered and after, he hung up the call. By now, the silence of the house filled his ears and left him feeling even more alone. His hand glided along the creases of the bed that was left empty for the past few nights. Namjoon only sighed now and continued to wonder, where could Jungkook be?