LOST STARS

Chapter 15.

Jimin and Taehyung had been living together unexpectedly for the past couple of days. Jimin was completely confused when Taehyung arrived at his door. First, he became concerned about why he had come there with Jungkook, and when he realised Jungkook was not with Taehyung, he wanted to know what happened.

After taking it all in, he asked the dreaded question. "What now, Aehyun?" Taehyung's sharp breath or scream echoed throughout the room and neighbourhood. The images of the hospital, his father, and the doctor instructing him to get 7,000 won kept running through his mind. The jail wasn't an option. Not now at least. As Jimin made him hot soup and carded his fingers through Taehyung's hair, his body gave up, succumbing to fatigue. Sleep almost ambushed him. He doesn't recall consciously dozing off.

Morning crept through the windows, sunrays hitting and jolting Taehyung. He awoke with a sense of desperation. Something has to give today. Something has to give today. He washed his face with cold water to give himself the appearance of freshness. Taehyung had a faint plan but an iron will. This HAD to be it. He walked to his house, where he had some unsold items from the light festival.

There was a black toy gun that resembled a 0.22 pistol. This was essentially a kid's toy. He cleaned it and filled it with a roll of crackers that made a gunshot sound. He walked out with trembling hands, dressed in his father's old clothes, trying to look completely unremarkable, and wearing a new monkey cap to shield his face.
The streets were only beginning to fill up with people. His steps were purposeful, and his gaze was fixed on a specific target. The local bank of the town was ahead. He sat on the bench opposite, determinedly waiting for it to open.

Taehyung's palms sweated as he put the toy gun in his pants. The pant pockets are too deep because they are old-fashioned. He entered the bank while mentally rehearsing something. The hydraulic elbow at the top of the door allowed the door to slowly close behind him.
His heart hammered as he approached the counter. The cashier, an old, tired soul, was just getting his registers, slip pads, and keys organized for the day ahead. He smiled at Taehyung, possibly due to an occupational habit. Taehyung's breathing quickened, and in his panic, he tangled the gun in his pocket.

He painted an odd picture, borderline looking like a pervert, as he tried to get the gun from those deep pockets and he fondled more. As though that nightmare wasn't enough, he glanced across to see someone leaving the branch manager's cabin. The one and only Kim Seokjin. He thought, "You gotta be kidding me," as he peered up at the sky. He tried to look away and act casual but panicked even more. Trying to steal a bank impression, he calculated was far worse than fondling his pockets impression. Muttering some abuse under his breath, Seokjin rolled his eyes and left.

But how and why was Seokjin in the bank that early? Some light will come from a quick peek into last night. Should we try?

The reason Kang and Eunkung called the police last night was that they discovered a handwritten note on the dining table. It claimed that Jungkook was abducted and that someone was demanding 100,000 won by tomorrow morning, failing which they would lose all of their property in Jeon Trust. This was blatant proof that someone knowledgeable about property ownership was involved.

Panicked, Kang called the police, and last night, the whole crew stormed into Jungkook's room. Later on, with few leads, Seokjin said, "Let's do one thing, Mr. Kang. We should take what we can tomorrow and head to the location the kidnapper instructed you to visit. Telling them you have the money should only be done after they have your son with them. A few members of my team and I will trail a few yards behind and catch up with them just as the exchange happens."

"What if, however, they take the money and you are unable to stop them?" Sounding quite nervous, Kang asked.
"You will at least have your son back. Surely that matters?" Before Seokjin understood what he was saying, he added, "And don't worry, we assure you we will not let them go," knowing instantly that it was not the right thing to say.

Since their house did not have that kind of money, they went to the bank that morning. Kang invited Seokjin to accompany him because the bank would not distribute that money without any conditions following the trust deed. And Seokjin was doing just that there with Kang, taking 100,000 won out of the bank.

We can now go to the present since we are up to date.

Behind Seokjin, as he left, were Kang and a few other police officers. all of them headed towards their respective (different) cars.
Taehyung could now, at last, pull the toy gun from his pocket and point it at the cashier inside the bank. Raising his arms, the poor, naive man looked at Taehyung.
He continued to draw inquisitive looks from the cashier. Returning the glance with another inquiring glance at the cashier, Taehyung proved to be the least prepared robber ever.

Taehyung wanted to laugh and give the man who was "held at gunpoint" a high five for his situational joke. Maintaining his composure, he gave the cashier the paper. Just two words are there, and it said 7,000 won. The cashier glanced at Taehyung after reading the note, and this time he pointed the gun more resolutely. Panicked and nodding, the cashier reached for the cash drawer and, wisely, pressed the emergency button or SOS bell.

Only through police jeep intercoms on the outside could it be heard; the bank itself was not affected. Giving Taehyung the 7,000 won, the cashier left. He took his time, trying to put things off till help arrived.

The alarm went off just as Seokjin was going to settle into his Jeep. As per the 100,000 won ransom note they had, they had to be somewhere, and Kang kept urging him to hurry up. But Seokjin had to check that out, so he headed back straight for the bank. Ignoring Kang, he walked in and saw something quite unexpected. The robber, who was stuffing his pockets with cash, was the man who appeared to be a pervert. He stood there and watched the masked man place a bundle of cash in his pocket as another fell out and into a loop, horrified at the naivety. It took Seokjin thirty seconds to watch it through. He shook his head and moved to tap the robber on the shoulder.

Taehyung panicked and bolted as soon as he saw Seokjin there, mere inches away, but not before Seokjin removed the monkey cap from his face. The chase between cat and mouse now resembled choreography more. Sometimes Seokjin didn't seem to be that interested in catching him. But Seokjin was unable to ignore it this time because it was serious. Red-handed, he spotted him during a bank heist. Now Taehyung had gone too far.

Taehyung tumbled all over the place after rushing over the chairs and through the door. Then Seokjin trailed. Kang was standing outside waiting for a good ten minutes. Seokjin dragged Kang inside the Jeep and urged him to take things seriously the moment he approached him during the pursuit. We have to go, detective. "The youngster is scared and alone," he said. And Seokjin had to let it go, at least temporarily, despite his desire not to. 'Aehyun and I will handle things later. He went too far this time,' Seokjin thought as he sat in the jeep and followed Kang's car.

Standing far away, Taehyung was tucked up behind the minivan. Sadly, Taehyung reasoned, this one moved just as Seokjin and Kang's did. Running behind the minivan and climbing the ladder to the rooftop, he had no cover in sight. There was a little window on the inside of the van, right as he reached the last step. Curiosity driving him, Taehyung peered and was surprised. Unconscious, Jungkook was lying on the van floor. He was going to get no response right away, but he had a lot of questions. To get out of this place first and maybe figure out what's going on, he scaled the rooftop and laid flat.

Ten minutes later, the van stopped, and Taehyung realized they were at the base of one of the hills, exquisitely planted with tea plants. After a few seconds, he climbed up rather briskly and peered down into the van to see who was driving. Nobody was there. Maybe the person walked out while Taehyung was debating what to do. Looking about him, he noticed that Kang was also there, far away, holding a briefcase and conversing with someone. So Taehyung reasoned, this was the person or people who had kidnapped Jungkook yesterday. It was clear to him right away what had to be done. Skillfully descending, he grabbed the wheel and sped off. Though he couldn't see how many people were rushing behind the van, he was positive Kang and Seokjin were hiding in the bushes.
He was familiar with his destination and drove quickly. There was a little forest area close to the lake. While there was a shortcut across the hill that would take them to his house, it would take some time from where they were. Days were much shorter in late autumn, and by the time Taehyung parked, dusk had arrived. Only waiting was an option for Jungkook while he remained unconscious.