Chapter Text
Jungkook manages to calm his impatient finger, which is about to make a mistake in operation, and taps again on the name at the top of the call history. The ringtone that has been ringing in his head like a tinnitus for a long time comes from his phone again.
While Jungkook watches hyungs who are hurriedly coming and going in front of him, his attention is focused on the ringtone that keeps on ringing. He waits for Jimin to answer the phone, shaking his knee.
Jimin vanished this morning.
The first one to notice was Hoseok who shared a room with Jimin. Early in the morning, Hoseok came to visit Jungkook in the walk-in closet that had been turned into the youngest's room, but he just tilted his head and left without saying anything.
However, about an hour later, Hobi returned with a pale face.
Jungkook hurriedly chased after the older, who walked out of the closet saying, "Jimin is gone." When Jungkook went to the living room, he found Taehyung touching his cell phone with an anxious look on his face and Namjoon calling somewhere with a wrinkled brow. Jin and Yoongi, who had hurried back to the room from the outside, shook their heads and said that they looked for Jimin but couldn't find him around the dormitory.
About two hours later, Jimin still has not been heard from.
All scheduled work was postponed. Their managers told them to stay at the dormitory and were back to the company. Taehyung contacted Jimin's mutual friends, but no one knew where he was. Namjoon called Jimin's parents in Busan, but they too had not heard from him.
Jungkook, who has been watching Hoseok hugging Tae who is crying like a child separated from his parents, pulls the phone away from his ear to put his finger on the red button to call again. At that moment, he hear a small sound different from the ringtone. He put the phone back to his ear and hyungs' eyes turn to him.
"...Hello?"
"Jimini hyung! Where are you!"
As soon as Jungkook utters Jimin's name, Taehyung sitting across from Jungkook leans over the dining table between them. As Tae reaches for the phone, the youngest involuntarily looks at Yoongi next to him, and the older nudges Taehyung to sit where he has been.
"Well... a beach."
"A beach? What beach? Are you alone right now?"
Over the Jimin's voice, which is a bit strained due to the cold, there is the sound of the wind blowing strongly. Remembering the cold of the seaside in winter, Jungkook feels his shoulders contract slightly.
Jimin doesn't sound to want to say where he is, and just let out a few small voices like "um" and "ah". When the maknae asks him again where he is, he finally gives the name of a beach not far from Seoul.
"We're coming to pick you up now, and you must stay where you are. OK?"
"I'll go home by myself. You don't have to do that."
"No. Promise me you won't move."
"I'll be fine."
Hyung is still with you, Kook.
At Jimin's words, the tears that has somehow managed to stay in Jungkook's eyes finally overflowed. Tears rolls down his cheeks in large drops.
I know that.
I know that, but I am worried.
I know that, but I am anxious.
Jungkook wanted to scream out in anger and frustration, but he swallows his words and sniffs his nose.
"It's obvious. So promise me."
"Kook..."
"Promise me. We'll come get you."
"Sorry. I'll come back later."
Jimin's voice was drowned out by the wind. Then the sound of the waves became louder, interrupting Jungkook's call.
Jungkook understands instantly that Jimin's cell phone was swallowed by the water. Even though he shouts his hyung's name out loud, all he could hear from the phone was the sound of the call being terminated.