Love Story Short | Jikook/Kookmin

Chapter 17

It's a twenty-minute ferry ride from Monterosso to Vernazza. They will be spending the night here and leave in the morning for the third island. Exhaustion has settled in, coupled with a headache Jungkook suspects comes from the jetlag. He sleeps through most of the ride. It's already dark by the time he opens his eyes, the harbour of Vernazza welcoming them with twinkling lights and a festive spirit.

After the peaceful morning they had exploring and sightseeing, stepping into the bustling town square is like a culture shock. It opens to a piazza by the waterfront littered with a sea of umbrellas featuring restaurants, souvenir shops and gothic buildings, including a church by the main street. There are tourists everywhere. It's hard to walk without being interrupted, let alone finding a table to sit.

It should feel overwhelming but not to Jungkook. Not in that moment. His mind is hazy, body relaxed from his little nap from earlier, taking in the smells and colors. Yoongi has managed to grab his hand at some point and successfully sandwiched half of Jungkook's arm between their bodies.

"Kinda reminds of Seoul, doesn't it?" Yoongi comments animatedly, touching a wicker hat as they walk past a store. He takes a second to check on Jungkook, returning the smile he finds on Jungkook's face. "Hyung can take you drinking later, if you'd like."

It's a rare occurrance, but so nice to receive affection from Yoongi like this.

Jungkook smiles even wider now, snuggling closer and making them both take bigger steps. "Aren't you tired? I thought you'd be curled up on the corner of a street by now." Like a cat.

"I'm proving us both wrong, am I not," Yoongi mocks himself. They both chuckle at that, following the group into an alley.

They hear Namjoon yell from the front to not be intimidated by the stairs and that it'll only take them 5 minutes to the viewpoint.

"With that being said, I will not miss these stairs," Yoongi groans as they stand in front of another upward block leading to what apparently is the most gorgeous lookout of the five villages.

Jungkook taps their conjoined hands in encouragement, earning a side eye from Yoongi. He feels so much adoration for the producer at that moment that he feels his heart grow double the size. "Want me to carry you, hyung?" he offers. The delighted look on Yoongi's face gets a kick out of him and he buckles up, sticking to his word.

Yoongi stops him anyway, grabbing his hand again before starting to climb.

"Don't try being a hero, aimma," he says though he is secretly smiling with all his teeth. "Going to fuck up my rizz."

Jungkook laughs heartily, a bounce in his step as he skips ahead so he can pull Yoongi and at least ease the amount of effort he has to put. It's nice to see his hyung happy like this, enjoying himself for once after being in such a gloomy mood for so long due to a stupid someone. Jungkook will personally punch that Hoseok prick on the face once they finally find him.

Speaking of which.

"While you were romancing with lover boy, I found my clue," Yoongi says.

Jungkook's instinct is to roll his eyes because lover boy, but the second part of the sentence is more interesting to mind. He doesn't even have to ask before Yoongi catches up to him and reveals quietly.

"He is somewhere around here," Yoongi's eyes twinkle against the night. "Namjoon casually mentioned he has family living in the area. He sometimes crashes at this cousin's house during his tours to the islands."

"And you are sure the cousin is Hoseok because...?"

"I remember the bastard telling me his cousin in Italy —which is obviously Namjoon— didn't have any other relatives that live there, when we were..." Yoongi skips a blink absentmindedly, mood souring a bit before he mumbles —not hooking up, not dating, not in love —but "in Korea."