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Seokjin’s eyes fluttered open as he winced, a sharp thumping at the back of his skull sending shock waves of pain down his spine and through his entire body. He could barely see, but it felt as if he were moving- his eyes caught sight of a blurry tinted window, straining to make out the shapes of buildings going past. He was in a vehicle; the realization sending a sharp pang of panic across his chest. He tried to move his hands, but his wrists were tied too tightly behind his back.
He vaguely remembered how he ended up here, still struggling against the throbbing pain from his head.
He had been on the way back home from university, sipping his favorite bubble tea from the cafe a few blocks from his apartment. He usually never stopped by because it was always crowded, but surprisingly that day there had only been a small line. He took another sip and almost moaned in delight as the sharp taste of passion fruit danced over his tastebuds.
That day had been a fairly relaxed day, he hadn’t had any tests, just review of some things he already knew from both classes.
A sharp squeal of tires had startled him, the dark van barely making the turn into a narrow alleyway a few yards ahead of him. He knew he shouldn’t have been so curious, should’ve kept walking, but when he crossed in front of the entryway, he had quickly glanced over to see who had been driving so recklessly.
He hadn’t been prepared for the sight- three men trying to force the fourth into the vehicle. A conflict of emotions quickly took over; he shouldn’t get involved, he should just call the authorities. But they wouldn’t have gotten there fast enough to stop it. He didn’t know if he could take on three guys but as he saw one of them send a hard punch to the other’s side and his struggling decrease, he didn’t think as he dashed into the alley, throwing his tea at the man who closest to him.
“Hey, let him go!” He had yelled, but about half way in they had already deposited half of the man’s body into the van, leaving two of them to turn around sharply, clearly startled.
The look in their eyes had told him he had made a grave mistake- His hand had reached to grab his cell phone from his pocket as he turned to run, but two strong arms had come around his waist, the taller man effortlessly picking him up and slinging him back toward the van, another had grabbed his arm harshly, shaking the phone from his grip. He kicked his legs but only met air- The last thing he had remembered was the surprised look from the stranger in the van, before he had felt a stinging pain from a blow to his head and his vision had gone dark.
Now, he struggled to sit up from the seat, trying to string his thoughts together. The rough metal dug into the skin of his wrist and he tried not to make a sound, but a hand came out and caught his chest, a strong fist bunching his shirt. One of the men from earlier hovered over him, a sinister look in his eyes.
“The boss isn’t going to be happy you decided to tag along.”
As much as Seokjin wanted to reply he hadn’t exactly come of his own free will, his thoughts were too jumbled to actually form a complete sentence. He shivered in disgust as the man’s other hand came up to caress his face, his thumb tracing over Seokjin’s bottom lip. He tried to turn his head away but the grip tightened on his chin, the man’s nails cutting his chin.
“I have a feeling you’ll be worth keeping though. But for now, I can’t risk you being awake when we arrive.” His cold voice made Seokjin tense, and he tried to squirm out of his grasp, only to be met with a microfiber cloth being shoved against his nose and mouth. A second man was hovering over him now, smirked down at him as he tried to not to breathe the harsh chemical that was being forcefully held against his face.
It was the last thing he saw before his eyelids fluttered closed, met with complete darkness.
The ringing in his ears was what he noticed when he awoke again. He groaned and tried to move, his body aching like it had been ran over multiple times during rush hour traffic. His shoulders were stiff from having his wrists bound so tightly behind him. He whimpered but struggled against the bonds, even though he knew it was probably useless.
“Stop moving, I’ll get you out in a moment.” A light voice said to the side of him, catching his attention. His eyes shifted open as he looked toward where the sound had come from, blinking rapidly as he tried to adjust to the dim room.
It was the man that was the original target of the kidnapping. He looked younger than Seokjin, was well built, his bicep muscles tense from his arms being retrained. He was propped against the wall with his legs crossed out in front of, a calm expression on his face.
Something about this wasn’t adding up; the ringing in Seokjin’s ears seemed to raise in volume. “H-how come you’re not frantic that we were taken against our will?”
The man tried to shrug his shoulders, only to remember a moment later that the position of his arms prohibited the action. “I figure this is just a test. Happens from time to time. I just have to escape.” He held a bored expression on his face, small frown tugging at his lips as his eyes roamed over Seokjin’s body. “Well, we have to escape. You’ve just made my situation harder.”
Rage filled Seokjin then- he tried to save this guy and this is what he gets for it? He was just being a decent human being for goodness sake, what was he supposed to do after watching someone be forcefully shoved into a van against their will? The ringing intensified but all he could do was groan low in his throat and rapidly blink his eyes as his vision blurred just a bit.
“Hey, hey, stay awake all right? Shit, you might have a concussion; the people they hired this time were way too harsh, you’re just an innocent bystander.” The man cursed and spit something onto the floor. He then maneuvered so that his bound hands moved under him, wincing as a sharp pop echoed through the room from his strained joint. He swept his arms under his legs; with his arms in front of him now, he reached for the object that had been hidden in his mouth. He twisted his wrists, using the thin pin to pick at his handcuffs.
Seokjin watched with mild confusion, his movements barely registering in his brain. Who exactly was this guy? “Hey, talk to me while I work on this-” Mumbled the man, furiously working the pin. Seokjin really didn’t feel like talking at that particular moment but tried to breathe as deeply as he could before replying.
“What’s your name?” The man snorted before answering. “Jungkook. Jeon Jungkook.”
“I-I’m Kim Seokjin.” There was suddenly a loud clanking noise as one of the handcuffs released Jungkook’s wrist, scraping against the ground. The sound barely registered to him but he still stared in awe as the man worked the other cuff, the click coming just seconds later as the contraption opened.
Jungkook was beside him in an instant, unlocking his own cuffs. “When these come off, I’m going to try sitting you up.” Another scratch of metal against the floor, and then the man’s hands gently grasped his biceps. Seokjin whimpered as the blood began to circulate regularly through his arms, the tingling so intense, it felt like thousands of small needles pricking his arms and his shoulders.
“Here, look up at me.” Jungkook slowly pushed him back, propping his upper half against the cold wall. “Follow my finger alright?” He held up his index finger in front of Seokjin’s face, moving it up, to the left, to the right- He followed it as best as he could. After a few moments, the brunette sat back, sighing. “Well, I don’t think you have a concussion, we just need to get out of here as quickly as possible so you can be checked out by a real doctor. Stay here while I look around the room.”
Jungkook was up and trying to find a light source, and all Seokjin could manage to do was watch. “What did you mean, this happens all the time? You get kidnapped a lot?”
The brunette sighed, finally finding a bag that looked promising. He rummaged through it for a moment before responding. “It’s going to be almost impossible hiding it from you, but what I’m going to tell you has to stay a secret, or you’ll be taken out, if you get what I’m saying.” He paused, as if to collect his thoughts. He kept shifting through the things in the bag. “I’m a secret agent. Headquarters is probably testing my skills, hence the abduction. It’s pretty predictable by now, they even left my bag out.” Jungkook took a few things from it and put them in his pockets; Seokjin could blearily make out what looked like a pen, but he couldn’t recognize anything else.
He was still trying to wrap his head around what Jungkook just explained. Weren’t secret agents just in the movies? He blinked when he heard a chuckle, and a flush spread across his cheeks as Jungkook turned around, an amused look on his face. He must’ve said that part out loud-
“Secret agents and spies are very real, I assure you. I haven’t been on a mission in a good while, but it all depends on who’s available, what’s needed, et cetera. I am the youngest one in my company. I’ve been with them for as long as I can remember.” Jungkook trailed off. “I really can’t afford to explain more than that, we need to get going. Can you stand?”
Seokjin waited for Jungkook to come to his side before attempting anything. He slowly stood up, a steady hand resting on the small of his back, the other holding his forearm. He leaned back against the hard wall and blinked his eyes, trying to collect his bearings. He had to focus, they needed to escape. He swallowed, momentarily stopping the queasy feeling in his gut. After a few deep breaths, he pushed himself forward.
“I’m alright now-” He managed to mumble, and Jungkook nodded. “We have to be a stealthy as possible. I will try to go as slow as I can, so I need you to stick as close to me as possible and try to keep up. I have my flashlight keychain, but that’s the only extra light we can use if we need it. Don’t make a sound. I’ll get us both out of here, I promise.”
They moved toward the door, Jungkook in the lead- They were both surprised as the door handle clicked softly and opened, Jungkook moving to peak his head out. He continued out the door, Seokjin close behind him. Both of their senses were on the highest alert, and the only thing Seokjin could hear was his heartbeat beating rapidly in his ears.
There was a shout that rang out, followed by a series of loud thumps. It had come from one of the rooms in front of them.
“S-should we turn around?” Seokjin whispered, wide eyes trying to focus on any movement ahead.
“No, we have to go this way. The room that we were kept in was at the end of a hallway, there’s nowhere else to go. Just stay behind me.” Jungkook replied back softly, leading them further down the hall. One of the rooms they passed had its door cracked, and the blonde couldn’t keep himself from peaking inside.
Seokjin’s eyes swept over the three bodies on the floor, inhaling quickly as a chill ran through his tense frame. A hand quickly clamped over his mouth, stifling his scream-
Jungkook was now pressed against his back, face hovering close to his shoulder. “Shh, you’ll blow our location. It’s alright, they’re not dead.” Seokjin’s chest heaved, trying to focus on one of the men, barely able to see his chest rise and fall in the dim light.
“W-who do you think did this?” He whispered once Jungkook removed his hand, but the brunette was at a loss himself. He could tell the wounds were precisely landed, in order to knock them out quickly but efficiently. He suddenly saw movement from his peripheral but it was too late- the sound of a pistol being cocked echoed the room. Jungkook could feel Seokjin tense against his chest.
“Jungkook-” A familiar voice called, confusing him for a moment. He slowly turned to where the voice had come from and relaxed when he saw the stranger.
“Jihun, what are you doing here?”
“I’m here to help you- I don’t really have time to explain everything right now, but I’ve been working undercover on this mission for a while.” Jihun stepped out of his hiding spot, revealing more of his face to the pair. Seokjin’s body started to shake- it was the man that he had woken up to in the van. He still remembered the crazed look in his eyes as had stared down at the blonde as drugs had been held to his nose. Jungkook noticed but didn’t say anything, only moving a hand to rest on Seokjin’s lower back.
It didn’t really help.
“I’ve earned the trust of Siwoo, the one who organized to kidnap you. I didn’t know about that part of the plan in enough time to warn anyone, but after we took you, I contacted headquarters. They said to abandon the mission for now; they need you back more than anything. You’re too crucial to lose. Siwoo can be dealt with later.” He talked quickly and low.
“Makes sense- I saw you before but I just thought this was just a training exercise.”
“I assure you, it’s not- we need to move fast in order to escape undetected.” He turned to walk to the door, and Jungkook made to follow, but Seokjin was still tense against him. Jungkook stepped beside him, taking in the sight of his wide eyes and heaving chest. “Seokjin, come on, we have to move-” “No.” The blonde replied, shaking his head, gaze still on Jihun. “I’m not going anywhere with him.”
Jungkook was confused, but he needed to act fast. “Jihun, could you give us a moment?” Jihun just nodded and stepped out of the room. “Be quick.”
Jungkook held both of Seokjin’s shoulders, trying to steady him. “What’s wrong?”
“H-He’s the one I saw in the van-” The taller man whispered, clearly distressed. “He had this wild look in his eyes, like he enjoyed drugging me. Jungkook, I can’t go with him. I don’t trust him at all.”
“Seokjin, it’s okay, he was probably just acting his part so they wouldn’t be suspicious of him. Jihun has been with headquarters for longer than I have, and that’s quite a while since they basically adopted me. We can trust him.”
Seokjin wasn’t convinced in the slightest, but he tried to regain control of his breathing. “Let’s just go.” He managed to say, and Jungkook nodded, taking his hand. He led them to the doorway, and they crept down the hall after Jihun.
Seokjin was starting to get tired- He had tried being as observant as he could, but the fatigue was weighing on him heavily. Jungkook had said he more than likely didn’t have a concussion, but he knew he needed more time to recover than he had received. He just wanted to escape, go home, take a hot shower, and lay in bed, forgetting this nightmare ever happened.
Jihun stopped in front of a door, prying it open. From the inside, Seokjin could see a large desk and a luxurious looking chair, the walls lined with several floor to ceiling wooden shelves filled with thousands of books. It looked more like an office or study than part of an exit route-
Jihun chuckled, and turned quickly, pistol aiming straight at Seokjin’s head.
“Jihun, what-”
“Good job catching them and bringing them here.”
The duo were ushered into the room as the plush chair swiveled around to reveal the newest face, an older man with slightly graying hair and dark eyes. He had a nasty looking scar that sat high on his left cheek; Seokjin didn’t even want to know how he had gotten it-
“My name is Kim Siwoo; it’s nice to finally make your acquaintance in person, Jungkook.” He said, voice deep and raspy- “I’ve been wanting to set this plan in motion for quite some time, I’ve heard so much about you. You’ll be an excellent addition to my team.”
“What are you talking about?” Jungkook stepped forward, but stopped when Seokjin let out a startled whimper as Jihun pressed the gun against the side of his head.
“I might as well tell you, since you’ll have no choice anyway. Twenty years ago, I was betrayed by the current leader of your precious headquarters, Minho. It’s how I got this scar on my face. I wanted revenge on him- I quit the force and gathered all the information I could, gradually building up my own empire. I learned of a young prodigy that Minho himself was training, and I knew that’s how I would strike, by taking something that was precious to him. I’m sure he thinks of you as an adopted son, what a touching story.” Siwoo smiled maliciously, eyes turning to Seokjin standing slightly behind the younger. “I had no idea I would get so lucky with a two for one deal, though. And so pretty too-”
Jihun spoke for the first time since they had arrived. “He tried to interfere with the abduction- I knew he would make a nice souvenir for you.”
“It seems you were in the wrong place at the wrong time, boy.” Siwoo barked out a loud laugh, throwing his head back like he had heard the funniest thing in the entire world. Seokjin’s heartbeat was thundering in his chest, his ears ringing.
When he had woken up that morning, he didn’t think anything would be different- he would go to class, stop by for his bubble tea before he prepared to study the entire afternoon; he never could’ve conjured the idea that he would be kidnapped trying to save a secret agent from being abducted by a crazy, revenge driven lunatic.
He couldn’t let this pan out- This situation was dangerous. The pressure from the gun had let up, but he was still aware of the presence of it right next to his head.
“I wasn’t, I had planned to meet up with Jungkook.” He took a shallow breath, praying that the endless acting lessons wouldn’t fail him now. He had to get out of this, and at the moment, this was the only way. “I’m Jungkook’s partner, Seokjin.”
“That’s a lie, I’ve never seen you before.” Jihun exclaimed, lowering the pistol just a bit. It was an outrageous claim, but going with what little the brunette had told him, it was his only chance. If he could distract them, maybe Jungkook could do something.
“It’s not, Minho wanted to try once more at making a power duo-” Seokjin had no idea if he was making sense or not, but he held the serious look on his face, squaring his shoulders. “I haven’t exactly been on any missions yet with him, but I communicated with him in real time, and also studied his previous cases. I’m working towards becoming a hacker.”
Siwoo regarded him with a calculated gaze and Seokjin had to force himself to breathe normally, the back of his neck starting to heat up from the unwanted attention. He was being studied like an animal in a zoo, and his nerves were on end, slowly losing confidence in being able to trick this veteran agent. He didn’t dare look away from the older man.
“A hacker huh?” Siwoo sat back in his chair, a calloused hand coming up to rub at his chin. It had been the only thing that Seokjin had thought of at that moment; he prayed he hadn’t blown it. But Siwoo looked as it he were really pondering the idea. “How long have you been working with headquarters?”
“A year and a half.” It was a random guess, but lucky. Siwoo nodded.
“Minho always was one to test the boundaries. Having a partner for Jungkook would make him virtually untouchable if he had an accomplice. If what you’re saying is true, I may have more leverage than I anticipated.” He beckoned Seokjin closer, but the blonde stayed frozen in his spot, making the older man frown. “Over here boy.”
The tip of a pistol nudged him forward. Siwoo turned his attention to Jihun. “Go stand guard outside. I don’t need any more surprises.” Jihun seemed conflicted, but bowed quickly and retreated back out the door, the sound of it closing echoing loudly against Seokjin’s ears. He briefly snuck a peak at Jungkook.
The young agent was glancing around the room, probably looking for an escape route or anything that would help their current situation. It seemed Siwoo had taken a temporary interest in the blonde after this new drop of information.
“Prove it.” He barely heard Siwoo say, a faint flush starting at his ears from being put on the spot. Of course he wouldn’t fall for it just like that. “I’m sorry, what?” He had to buy more time.
“I said, come prove it.” He gestured to his computer that sat slightly off center of the desk, “I have passwords and firewalls guarding my files. Come hack them, hacker.”
“I’m still learning, I don’t think-”
“Maybe Jungkook would be better off by himself.” Siwoo said, clearly agitated. “You’ve been training for a year and a half, you said. You must have picked up something. I already know Jungkook’s talents. I have never heard of you before, so you have to prove you’re worth keeping.” His gaze traveled down Seokjin’s body. “Or I could have you prove it another way.”
“T-That won’t be necessary.” Seokjin moved forward, coming around the desk. His eyes widened as he glanced over the screen, trying to make sense of any one thing but drawing a blank. He had no idea how computers worked.
“Come, sit down.” He gestured to his lap, ignoring the scandalized look Seokjin tried to hide but couldn’t. “Jungkook, don’t even think of trying anything. Jihun and my other guards are a simple call away. You will be joining me whether you like it or not.”
Siwoo turned his attention back to Seokjin, a frown beginning to set on his face. “Don’t keep me waiting, I am not a patient man-” The blonde took a deep breath, before settling himself on the edge of the older man’s knees; he tried to protest the hand that crept along his thigh but was met with a growl, so he resigned himself to stare at the computer in front of him.
“You only have five minutes, then you’re done for-” Seokjin whimpered, feeling helpless- he knew zero about computers, but he hadn’t been able to think of anything else quicker to say. Now he was stuck. He had doomed himself.
Siwoo’s attention was on him, so he kept his head still but looked over at Jungkook, eyes pleading. Jungkook stared back, before mouthing something-
‘Down’
He inhaled sharply before ducking, letting gravity take hold of his body as he sank to the floor. Siwoo tried to grab for him, but hissed in pain before collapsing over Seokjin. He quickly scrambling to push him off, looked back at the older man lying on the ground, seemingly unconscious. He saw a dark dart looking object sticking out of the back of his shoulder.
“It’s poison-” Jungkook said, kneeling down to help him up. “It’s harmless- we rarely have to kill. He’ll be out for about fifteen minutes once his body gets used to it.” He was distracted by something from the older man’s desk. “Huh, what a careless fool.” The brunette reached for the object, and Seokjin could see that it looked like a nickle. He picked it up and pressed it, the pressure making the object snap. The two pieces came apart and Seokjin gasped- It was a micro SD. “These are common and easy to spot once you’ve seen enough of them. This probably has his entire blueprints hidden on it- he was careless to even use one. This alone proves that he would never be able to take on headquarters. It’s so predictable.” He pocketed it, ignoring Seokjin’s look of awe.
Before he could ask more, Jungkook was pulling him to one of the far corners of the room. “Good job distracting him, it gave me the chance I needed to stake out the room. There’s a vent that we can use to leave the room undetected.” Seokjin felt flattered for a moment, that he had been useful. Although he never in a million years would’ve thought that he would be using his acting classes for something like this-
They had been lucky that Jihun hadn’t entered to check on them, but they both knew they didn’t have much time. Jungkook looked around, but didn’t see anything they could use to reach the ceiling without making too much noise.
“Lend me your shoulders, I need to unscrew the bolts holding the vent.”
They adjusted a moment, Jungkook sitting on Seokjin’s shoulders and reaching up to unsecure the vent, barely able to reach the metal makeshift escape entrance. He was using the pin again- Seokjin still wanted to know how he had hid the original in his mouth without stabbing himself, but he forced himself to stay quiet for the time being.
Jungkook worked quickly and soon the latch was hanging open above them. Seokjin bent to let Jungkook down. “We have about seven minutes, give or take. Hurry up-” Jungkook clasped his hands together and slouched his back, making a boost for Seokjin’s foot.
“Wait, you want me to go first?”
“You have to, I have to do a couple things before we leave, to make sure nothing can get in our way.”
Seokjin stepped on Jungkook’s palms, holding his shoulders. When Jungkook propelled him up, the blonde grabbed hold of the sides of the vent. He tugged a few times before reaching inside further, trying to find leverage to pull himself up. He tried to hold back a surprised noise as Jungkook boosted him further, his entire weight being held by Jungkook’s hands that had moved to his butt. His grip faltered but he locked his fingers as best as he could and pulled while Jungkook pushed, and soon his entire body was finally inside the vent.
He barely was able to maneuver around so he could look down at what Jungkook was doing- He saw him over by the door, spreading a glue-like substance between the space near the door knob. It was rapidly changing from blue to white, as it was hardening.
He then went over to Siwoo’s desk, taking a small, red metallic bunny out of his pocket. He twisted the head around until it clicked, and placed it right beside his computer.
The brunette backed up quickly, and rushed toward to opening that Seokjin was watching him from. He sprinted and jumped, the tips of his fingers catching the edge of the vent.
“Let me help you, dummy.” Seokjin mumbled, grabbing hold of Jungkook’s biceps and pulling. Jungkook just huffed, the blonde assumed it was muffled laughter. Once he was also fully inside the vent, he explained what he had been doing.
“The bunny I planted is a small explosive. It’ll go off in about five minutes- it should ruin his computer and create a nice distraction for us. Go-” He stopped once he saw the look of dread on Seokjin’s face. “What’s wrong?”
“I-I’m slightly claustrophobic.” Jungkook ran a hand over Seokjin’s calf, squeezing gently. “Just breathe, we won’t be in here for long alright? Follow me-” Jungkook turned and crawled over the opening, waiting for Seokjin to join him. Seokjin took one last look down into the room, his eyes sweeping over the older man asleep on the ground-
And crossed behind Jungkook.
The minutes felt like hours to Seokjin. They had heard a loud crack and had felt the vent shake from the mini explosive going off in their previous location but they hadn’t come across an exit vent yet. He had no idea how far they had gotten, but Jungkook has assured him that all they needed to do was get out of the building. He had a GPS tracking device attached to his bag, and he had been on his way to headquarters when he had been abducted- there was no way that Minho was not on his way to their location, if he wasn’t there already, waiting and planning.
He was crawling with one hand, the other grasping the hem of Jungkook’s shirt as the man crawled in front of him. The brunette stopped as they came upon a vent exit that looked like it was stationed above a kitchen type area. They waited silently a few moments but it seemed deserted- Jungkook maneuvered around and kicked sharply, the metal vent swinging open. He slowly moved out, and hung himself before dropping down.
He turned and reached up for Seokjin. “Just jump-”
The blonde didn’t even think, just followed his instruction. Jungkook caught him just above the waist and held him close to his body, for a little longer than necessary.
They were both startled as one of the doors began to open on the opposite side of the room. “Hold on!” Jungkook said in a rush as he dug in his pocket, pulling out what looked like a purple marble. But Seokjin knew by now that it was anything but.
Jungkook tossed the small round ball and as it bounced off the door, it exploded, created a mist of green. The brunette turned and dashed, Seokjin holding on tightly, still being carried by the secret agent. The blonde’s eyes widened as he made out the form of Jihun staring at them through the smoke.
“Oh my God, it’s Jihun-” Seokjin pressed further against Jungkook, hiding his head in the crook of his neck in his fear, legs tensing as he locked his ankles tighter around Jungkook’s hips. Jungkook cursed but continued to run down the corridor. It was a little hard while carrying Seokjin, but they didn’t have the time to stop. Jihun was a trained agent, he knew everything that Jungkook had in his pocket and probably had something to counter it. He also knew what Jungkook planned to do.
He ducked inside the first room that he could see that had a window. He slammed the door closed, putting Seokjin down in order to smear more of the glue-like substance from earlier near the handle. Seokjin bolted for the window, cutting his hand as he tried to open it. He just bit his lip to hold in his scream as he looked out, relief washing over him. They were only on the second story of the building, it wasn’t too far of a drop.
“Come on, we need to go-” Jungkook’s voice was beside him, and there was suddenly a kick on the door. Jihun would know that the glue hadn’t hardened yet. Seokjin felt himself being pushed and all he could do was brace himself for the impact. He heard the thud of Jungkook landing beside him and his name, but then everything went dark.
It had been a few weeks since he had been abducted. Headquarters treated his injuries and had offered him a large sum of money to keep quiet about all that had happened, he had also been given a card by Minho himself with basic contact details if anything arose in the future. It sat on Seokjin’s coffee table, untouched.
He had seen on the news briefly that Siwoo had been caught, on a case of embezzling money from his own company but the blonde knew it ran deeper than that, remembering the small coin device that Jungkook had stolen from his desk.
Even after knowing that Siwoo was no longer free, Seokjin was more or less a nervous wreck. He barely slept- every small sound startled him, bringing him back to his time being held captive with Jungkook. He wanted to forget about everything and he often wished it had never happened.
But, it was strange- shortly after thinking that, he would get an odd feeling in his chest. It felt like something was missing.
He was quickly making his way home from class, eyes drawn to the ground as to not pay much attention to anything happening around him. It was what started this whole mess in the first place, his curiosity. He hadn’t managed to bring himself to buy a bubble tea since then either. It was a bit hard adjusting back to normal.
He stepped into his apartment, relief barely washing over him. These days the only place he felt safe was there. He took off his shoes and dropped off his bag, making his way further into the living room. He stopped short, as a small blue object caught his attention sitting innocently on the table in front of the couch.
A metallic looking bunny.
It took him only a split second to scramble to the side, diving up and over the back of the couch. He groaned as he landed harshly and moved to curl his body, hiding his head between his arms to create some kind of barrier between him and the small bomb-
A soft chuckle startled him. “It’s not one of those, I promise. I’m sorry I scared you.”
He quickly looked up, relief running through his entire body. “Jungkook-” He started, reaching out his arms. The brunette knelt down, easily wrapping Seokjin in his tight embrace, the older man holding onto him just as firm.
They hadn’t gotten a chance to talk since they had been rescued, Seokjin had woken up shortly after help had arrived and they had both been ushered in different directions. Seokjin had asked, but Minho had told him to not worry about it, that Jungkook would be taken care of.
In Jungkook’s arms, the blonde finally felt safe- it seemed like it had been ages since he had fully relaxed.
“I’m sorry for suddenly turning up; I just had to see you again.” He heard, the mumble barely audible as Jungkook had pressed his face against his shoulder. He pulled back slightly. “I hope I’m not intruding.”
“Stop talking and hug me more, you big dummy.” Seokjin tugged him back down, shivering when Jungkook laughed lightly, the air from his exhale traveling across his neck. After a few minutes, he reluctantly eased his grip, leaning back to settle against the back of the couch. He just stared at Jungkook, his eyes tracing over the lines of his face and neck. This was the first time he was able to really look at him, and he wouldn’t pretend he hated what he saw-
Jungkook looked young, but there was also a masculine charm about him- after what they had been through and knowing what he did about Jungkook’s background, he could honestly say that the brunette pulled off the secret agent look quite nicely.
Even now, he was dressed in black dress pants and a crisp, white button-down shirt. Up this close, Seokjin could see an earpiece slightly poking out beneath his collar.
“I hadn’t planned to stop by so soon, but I was finally able to locate your address. I left headquarters in a rush.” He explained, and Seokjin made to stand. He wouldn’t ask, even if he so desperately wanted to question why Jungkook was there all of a sudden. He didn’t want to ruin anything- Jungkook had followed him, and he made to turn to toward the kitchen.
“Do you want-”
“I don’t want anything but you.”
Seokjin felt his ears burn as he turned to look back at Jungkook. “I’m going to be honest, here. I can’t stop thinking about you and that night. Before then, I had pleaded with Minho multiple times that I didn’t want a partner. No one he picked for me fit- I hated them all. I have always worked alone. You and I both had a hand in escaping that night, and I wasn’t annoyed or angered by it.” Seokjin wanted to speak so desperately, but the brunette continued. “You stood up to Siwoo, even tricked him long enough for me to knock him out- other people would’ve probably pissed themselves or said something stupid to get killed. But you knew what you had to do and adapted- that is so hard to accomplish, you have no idea. You have managed to impress both me and Minho.”
Jungkook licked his lips, and took a breath. “I never thought I would say this willingly but- I came here to ask if you wanted to be my partner.”
To say Seokjin was stunned, would be an understatement. He just stared blankly at the slightly shorter male. Jungkook glanced down at the floor, looking somewhat dejected.
“If you need time to think about it, I can go-”
“No!” Seokjin quickly shouted, startling them both. “J-just give me a minute; do you want some coffee or tea?” He barely registered Jungkook’s answer as he went to enter the kitchen.
His head was spinning. Weeks ago, he didn’t even know that this hidden world existed, with spies and missions and gadgets- now he was being asked to join it. His chest suddenly flared, and he almost dropped the pot he had been filling with water. The realization felt like a slap to the face.
The feeling he couldn’t identify- it was longing. He missed working together with Jungkook, the thrill of that night washing over him. Before then he had been a simple college student, majoring in acting. He had no real plans for the future, whatever happened, happened.
Well, all of this had happened. He was scared shitless, sure, but there was something else there, a need for something to cure his boredom.
An escape from routine. But could he do it? He had no idea, no clue as to what went on in Jungkook’s world. He was afraid.
He had finished the tea, and grabbed both cups to bring out to the living room- He stopped suddenly as he saw the brunette sitting on the couch, absentmindedly moving his fingers across the small blue bunny in his palm.
He set the cups on the coffee table and sat down on the plush couch.
Jungkook turned to him, a reassuring smile on his face.
Siwoo’s words echoed in his head, taunting him.
“It seems you were in the wrong place at the wrong time, boy.”
No, he reasoned, as Jungkook’s free hand grasped his, running his thumb over Seokjin’s skin.
He had been in the right place at the right time.