What We Used To Be and Will Be

Chapter 7

Something was wrong, but it was all too late.

"Here, hide it in my room. We don't want to trigger Jungkookie when he's back, do we?" Their eldest hyung directed the three rappers to move the three boxes into his room.

"Ugh! These stuffs are so heavy. I don't recall buying so many stuffs for him." Yoongi heaved as he struggled to move the box in his hand, and his was the smallest out of the three.

Hoseok rolled his eyes, "Like I have said before, who's the one that almost bought out the entire store out when we got to know that our Jungkookie is a Little?"

"Yah, stop talking and keep moving. You guys are blocking my way and I'm carrying the heaviest box!" Namjoon snapped.

Meanwhile in the living room, the two 95-liners put their heads together and scrutinised the note left by Jungkook.

"Do you think he really doesn't want to be a Little anymore?" Taehyung asked.

"Beats me. But I hope not. He is too cute, and I would hate it if he decides to give up on his headspace." Jimin shrugged his shoulders. "I know he has been jealous of how you guys swooned over me when I am Little, so I don't blame him for that. Maybe I should stop slipping? I mean, I don't mind since I am a switch but Jungkookie is a full-on Little. You and I both know that he's always have issues handling his jealousy."

Taehyung tilt his head and stroke his chin, "Whatever it takes, we have to assure him that he is still loved by us. And you! Don't even think that way of yourself. We will figure things out."

When their hyungs joined them in the living room, the two maknaes were still whispering to each other.

"So, what's the thing now?" Namjoon said as he slouched onto the couch.

Jin scoffed, "What thing can there be? Our Jungkookie has left and we are the main culprits!"

Lifting the note in his hand, Taehyung explained, "Well, Jiminie and I have analysed the situation and concluded that our Jungkookie has left us and we are the main culprits."

"Isn't that what I have just said?" Jin rolled his eyes.

"All this time while we were slogging to move the boxes, and this is the helpful information that both of you have gathered?" Yoongi snorted.

The 95-liners stuck their tongues out at their hyungs.

"Knock it off, guys!" As a frown appeared on his forehead, Namjoon tried to be optimistic, "Let's not jump to conclusion so quickly. It is very normal to go back to hometown for a house visit during our breaks. That's what all of us do all the time too."

Hoseok scoffed as he heard Namjoon's words and threw his words out after reading the note, "Are you even listening to yourself? This note wrote specifically, loud and clear, that he doesn't want to be a Little anymore. We pushed him away!"

"This is all my fault. I should not have said that he is not a Little." Jin said with his head hung low.

"No, hyung. All of us are at fault. We were being too harsh on him." Namjoon tried to console his eldest hyung.

"What are we going to do now? He left. Not only has he left his Little stuff, he left us too." Taehyung spoke with a hint of desperation and regret in his tone.

"Guys, I am so sorry", everyone turned their heads when they heard what Jimin had whispered.

Not grasping what he had just heard, Yoongi ask "What are you apologising for? You did nothing wrong."

"No, hyung. I am the cause of everything. The day when you guys came back and saw Jungkook shouting and hitting me, it was because I had taken those gifts that we bought for him and played with it without his permission."

"I don't understand. You always play with his things and he has never kicked such a big fuss over it", Taehyung asked.

"Those aren't just ordinary things, Taehyung-ah. Those are the ones that we bought for him when we first found out that he was a Little. Don't you guys remember? Jungkookie wouldn't let go of those things, not even in his sleep. It took us so much effort to convince him. He even ended up buying a glass cabinet just to store and display them. Little me just had to open and play around with it. Jungkookie caught me in the act and that was why he blew up. A-And I even kicked him."

All the members looked at Jimin in shock.

With his eyes watering, Jimin muttered "I am so sorry, hyungs. This is all my fault. If I had not taken those things, if I had not fallen into deeper headspace, if only I could speak up and explained the situation, none of this wou—"

"That's enough of self-blaming. What's done cannot be undone. What we really need to do now is to get Jungkook back." Jin spoke in a stern tone.

"But how do we get him back? He's in Busan right now!" Taehyung exasperated. He felt the worst among the members because he had always been best friend with the youngest and yet, he did not protect him at all.

Hoseok agreed, "Yeah, how are we supposed to get him back? We can't possible barge into his hometown. It'll draw a lot of attention to us and I am sure that will not be what Jungkook want at this point of time."

After a pause, Namjoon spoke up, "Let's just wait. He will come back eventually and meanwhile, let's just think of how we can salvage the situation."

"Yeah, I just double checked with Sejin-hyung. Jungkook will be back three days later. Let's make use of this time to think of what we can do." Yoongi looked up from his mobile phone.

Upon hearing what Namjoon and Yoongi had said, Jimin asked timidly, "Will everything really be okay? Can we really salvage the situation?"

No one had an answer to that question.

*******

As the days passed, the members got more worried and fidgety. Jungkook did not contact them at all. He did not respond to their chats, individual or group. He did not answer their calls. He did not login to his social media accounts nor updated anything. It was as if Jungkook had disappeared from their lives.
Finally comes the day where Jungkook was supposed to come back.

The members gathered in the living room nervously, pretending to watch the television program but in reality, they were all straining their ears to hear the chime of the passcode to enter their apartment.

When they eventually heard the familiar tune of successful entry, everyone tensed.

Turning their heads around, they were shooting hopeful looks, waiting to see their maknae after so many days of being apart.

"Hey Kook, you are back. How was your trip?" Namjoon grimaced at his own tone, clearly strained out of awkwardness.

"Yeah, why didn't you tell us that you were going away? We could have—"

Jin cut his words short as he faced the maknae, heartbroken at the sight that greeted him.

The rest of the members dared not make a noise, for they were too shocked and heartbroken beyond words as well.

Jungkook was back. Standing right in front of them. But something was off. They knew that things were not okay. Not when Jungkook was looking back at them, eyes void of all emotions.

Empty.

Nothing.