Empty Space | Jeon Jungkook

Part 19

**

Your days feel empty. You didn't realize that's what they felt before and that having Jungkook around filled whatever void was there. Now you're back to feeling that absence. It's worse with Yeonjun not around to give you a smack on the head like you deserve.

"I know you miss me a lot. So you can still make it to Hana's flight if you book right now," the man whines over the phone.

"I wish I could but I can't take any more days off, you know that," you respond, your eyes scanning the chillers for meat that you'll cook tonight.

Dinner for one, what else is new, you think to yourself.

Yeonjun goes on about how the long-term project his team is working on abroad is doing while you do your weekend errands. That's how long you've been on the phone - it's encompassed your grocery and laundry trips, with some time to spare.

You're momentarily caught in a daze, though, as the presence of a familiar figure in a navy jacket shows up by the Thai hole-in-a-wall that you're getting your lunch from.

You'd seen that same jacket near the meat aisles in the grocery, and outside the laundry shop, too. You feel goosebumps on your arms at the memory of the night of the attack and you hurriedly get your order and start to walk home. You keep Yeonjun on the line but are barely paying attention now, as your eyes dart to your vicinity for that navy jacket.

A few blocks later when you don't see it again, you sigh in relief. It's when you reach the second story of your building that you catch a glimpse of the street and see him again, standing by a lamppost, constantly looking up at you. He sees you staring and starts to leisurely walk away.

You race to your apartment and the fear from that night becomes suffocating that you feel a headache coming. If he's the same man from the attack, why is he following you home? And why in broad daylight? How long has this been happening? This doesn't seem to be about those same disturbances because now you're being followed and—

Your phone rings. You pick up and at the words asking if you would like to accept the call from the Busan Correctional Center that you choke back a panicked scream, drop the phone, and end the call.

Young-il never called and never reached out after that day. As he was being escorted to the police car, he was crying out his apologies but asked you not to forgive him because he didn't deserve it.

Take care of Yeonjun for us. That was the last thing he said to you. What does he want now?

You call the first person you think of - SI Kim, and your frustration and fear grow at the dead end. You call Busan PD and ask for him but he's on paternity leave, and you don't know anybody else there whom you can trust.

So you call Jungkook.

"I think Young-il tried to call. And I think someone's following me," you say shakily.

"Don't go anywhere, I'm coming over."

**