Love Story Short | Jikook/Kookmin

Chapter 21

[A/N: Y'all, this is some 17k shit and it's worth two chapters long BUT i think it flows well as one so here you go: a GULP of a read. :P Sprinkle some comments here and there so I'm excited to keep writing! Love you guys <3]

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It feels a little bit like the airport crisis, the way Jungkook navigates the paths of Corniglia with Jimin to get to the bottom of the village. The vivid streets are replaced with muted tones of twilight, giving way to a calmness unique to the mountains. The people lingering outside look humbled, their movements slow after a day on the outskirts of the world. And then there is Jimin and Jungkook, racing against the darkness as if it'll trap them in a time loop if they don't make it out of this place fast enough.

Jungkook grabs Jimin's hand tighter as Jimin pulls him down the inclined alley leading straight to the base of the Lardarina where their rides were promised to take off to Cinque Terre. After such a long day of busting their feet running, reaching the main road safely feels like a small victory. Especially when they spot tourists from their group gathered around the tourism agency's cars, Jungkook lets out a throaty sigh of relief so loud it humors Jimin.

"Good job us," Jimin skips ahead with an energy Jungkook doesn't know where he still gets from.

Unlike him, Jungkook is about to drop on spot. He is struggling to keep his legs from shaking as he puts one foot in front of the other, also trying to straighten his eyesight by blinking aggressively. He hopes the gunmen aren't nearby. It's not like they'd do anything with so many familiar faces around, but the piercing gaze of that North Korean guard still haunts Jungkook — his eyes dark as midnight, harsh breaths still echoing on his neck as if the chase weren't over.

This is going to traumatize him in ways that'll keep coming up, he just knows it. He takes a deep breath, cheeks puffing with the force of it. It's whatever. His mental state is a little... colorful right now, sure, but hey, at least he's (somewhat) functional. Plus, he needs at least one assurance that Yoongi is safe and alright before he can check himself into a complete mental breakdown.

Ahead of him, Jimin is asking some of the tourists if they have seen the tour guide. There are a bunch of other foreigner couples and families getting in their cars, and some exiting the Lardarina, exhausted from the climb, as they should be. Jungkook squints at the ticket booth then, noticing the back of a man resembling Namjoon, his arm uncovered by his short-sleeve, revealing blocks of tattoos all the way to his wrist... the most notable among them—a melting chocolate bar.

"Ack!"

That is him!

Jungkook doesn't waste a breath. He so chaotically yanks Jimin away from a group of elderly Korean ladies, far from giving two shits about their bewildered gasps as he rushes them towards Namjoon, who happens to be passing some paperwork to the uniformed guy behind the ticket booth. Once Namjoon takes notice of them, his face morphs into a strong expression, jawline sharp and tight as he stares them down. Whatever it is that's going through his mind does not look like good news.

In the corner of the road by the sea, Namjoon gives them both a good scolding — for disappearing, for breaking from the group, for not giving notice, and even for causing a ruckus on the street based on some locals' reports — but he doesn't seem to be aware of the gravity of the situation, and Jungkook prays that asking him for help is the right decision, because it is not an easy feat.

It turns to be, in fact, downright perilous.

"We need your help, please," Jimin takes it on himself to lead the effort. "Our friend Yoongi is in danger. Those men who wore suits at the tour, Sang Du, and... I don't know the name of the other two, but they are his men, and they are trying to hurt Yoongi hyung. We don't know where he is," Jimin shakes his head, pure emotion showing in his eyes. "But he is in danger and you are the only one who can help us."