In Seven Days

Prologue

"Hello?" Jin hissed to his phone, flashing eyes not leaving Taehyung who he managed to trap between the wall.

There was a sharp intake of breath on the other line and Jin could vaguely hear the sounds of people talking in the background.

Other than that, nothing.

"Aish," he muttered, taking the time to glare at his phone for a moment before he slid it back to his pocket.

"You still haven't changed your number?" Taehyung asked, whether he was actually concerned or he was just trying to distract the elder, he wasn't sure. "Hyung that might be sasaeng. Shouldn't you—"

Taehyung's crumpled face straightened with realization. His mouth hung open slightly and Jin saw him stop surreptitiously moving away from him.

"You're waiting for noona's call."

It wasn't a question,

Jin clenched his jaw. "Don't change the topic," he muttered, tilting his head sidewards, "Where is she?"

"Who?" Taehyung's eyes went side to side before they went back to Jin's scowl.

"You know damn well who I'm talking about." Jin inched closer, glaring eye to eye at a stoic Taehyung between his arms.

"Hyung I'm telling you," Taehyung stuttered, palms up in defeat, almost touching Jin's chest, "I don't know where noona is."

Jin inched his face forward. "You don't know or you wont tell me?"

Taehyung whined and opened his mouth when he suddenly felt something lightly hit him from the back.

"Get a room," Jungkook deadpanned, throwing popcorn at the two of them as he passed them on his way to plop himself on their dorm's sofa.

Jin only rolled his eyes but stepped an inch away anyway.

"Tell me," he pressed on.

"I really can't tell you!"

"So you do know!"

"Hyung!"

Taehyung squirmed under the heavy heavy weight of Jin's glare. It wasn't always that Jin was this angry and Taehyung didn't particularly like being at the end of it.

"Hyung, Whee is going to kill me if I tell you," he said, palms pressed together as if to ask for mercy.

"She's going to have to dig you 6 feet out of the ground first after I'm done with you. Location. Now."

Taehyung gulped and looked at him with hesitating eyes.

The loud screeching of metal against metal shook Jin out of his thoughts. He hadn't even realized he had been spacing out until a strong gush of wind flew across his face, interrupting his train of thought.

He shook his head. It wouldn't be good to space out in a train station.

He fished his phone from his pocket and reread the text Taehyung sent him.

Sungyeolhan. Population: 4, 612. Located 200 kilometers west of the city.

There wasn't much information about it online but from what he could read from old blog posts, the town felt like a pocket of heaven on earth.

The town had a seemingly endless sea of trees, had plenty of rivers and mountains, plains that stretched out as far as the eyes could see, and an annual sakura festival that's going to be held at the end of the week. Despite this, not many people visit the place because of its distance from the city.

Though people used technology, internet and cellphone service was scarce; contributing to the town's further disinterest with the entertainment industry. If that one blogpost from 2005 who claimed that they met Lee Min Ho while trekking was telling the truth, the townspeople don't care much about celebrities and insignificant current events.

No wonder Byulyi chose this town to live in—that is if she was truly living there—this was the perfect place to retire from the idol life.

A man dressed in a black suit with a matching conductor's hat approached him.

"Sir, the train is leaving in five minutes," he said.

Jin adjusted his mask before nodding at the conductor politely. He stepped inside and, strangely enough, he was the only passenger. He chose a seat that was not too far from the exit and settled down after placing his luggage beside him.

Not like there was anyone that was going to sit next to him.

A melodic feminine spoke through the speaker, announcing the destination. A little later, the vehicle hummed slightly and on it went past the city.

Jin rested the back of his head in his seat and closed his eyes.

In 8 hours, he would arrive in the small inconspicuous town of Sungyeolhan.

In 8 hours, he would get the closure he so desperately had been looking for for the past year.

In 8 hours, he would finally meet Byulyi.