Bargain (Not Met) (JungHope)

Interlude - Recall

Kim Taehyung and Min Yoongi, during a past life for one and in memories blurred beyond their years for the other, were in love.

Seven thousand years ago, South Korea didn't exist. It was one whole country, and the Goryeo dynasty was on the verge of collapse.

That was all Hoseok could remember from history class. It was such a distant time, and the culture and people were so unbelievably different from the here and now.

Hoseok looked at Yoongi, modern-looking-and-going Min Yoongi, and was finally realizing just how old the demon was.

Taehyung's friend—Min Yoongi—had been reported missing for seven years.

Something wasn't adding up.

"It's the memory curse," Jungkook said breathlessly when Hoseok finally voiced his jumbled thoughts. "The big man upstairs must've not been able to remove it when He first summoned Taehyung, and now Taehyung's past memories and current memories are blurring together. Something that happened seven thousand years ago appears to have happened just shy of a decade ago because somebody fucked with the wrong human's head."

Silence embraced their dumb-founded figures, eyes wide and imploring on each other—Taehyung and Yoongi, that was. Hoseok couldn't bring himself to meet either one of their gazes because the situation was ridiculous. It was too overwhelming with unfounded drama, and Hoseok was not willing to become so emotionally invested.

But he was. He had been ever since he took up Taehyung's offer just a month prior.

God, it had only been a month.

"Who..." Taehyung said, startling Hoseok from his lamenting. "Who did this to you...?"

Hoseok drew his gaze to Yoongi, who looked not the least bit ready to face his long-forgotten past. He felt terrible for the demon; Yoongi already had to deal with Jungkook's past rearing its ugly head back at him, and now a mooning sweetheart was invading his memories once again.

Yoongi's pale complex went pasty white under Taehyung's breathless worry, his molten affection. "I don't—I don't remember..." he mumbled, eyes still glued to Taehyung with apparent wonder. "I think he got purged a couple decades ago because he spent all of his free time at the bar.

"What about you?" Yoongi asked before Taehyung could take the lead of their confrontation. "Do...do you remember anything? From your past life? While you were in Heaven?"

Taehyung shook his head solemnly. "I think I need to spend more time with you to, you know..."

Hoseok snapped to attention when the conversation died back down, Taehyung's and Yoongi's gazes intertwining with one another with aching familiarity.

"The research," Hoseok blurted. He continued when everyone's startled gaze was settled onto him, "The research we were doing before we got here. I'm sure since we're at the source of the curse, we would be able to lift it from you, Taehyung-ah."

Taehyung seemed to perk up at that, eyes gleaming with hope. "You think so...?"

Hoseok nodded, but his answer was loaded with uncertainty: "Hopefully."

Yoongi seemed to snap out of his stupor as he approached Hoseok with a jerked nod of his head toward the door. "C'mon. I'll take you to the library."

"Wait, Yoongi-hyung," Jungkook interjected hurriedly. "Why are you going along with this? You know that Taehyung doesn't have enough time for this, right?"

"Do you want to change your client into a demon or not?" Yoongi snapped. Jungkook faltered, and Yoongi turned toward Hoseok haughtily. "You coming, kid?" he said gruffly.