THE HIDDEN ROSE

5.Who Are You? |

"Yoongi, please protect my brother and be safe," Hoseok said, emotions swinging in his eyes.

It's like this every time they went on a mission. If Jungkook was going without him, Hoseok always entrusted his responsibility of protecting him to his most trusted friend, Min Yoongi. He knew Jungkook was capable of protecting himself, but he needed assurance from someone that his dongsaeng would be safe, whether with or without him.

"I promised you once, Hobi. I'll say it again: I will protect Jungkook with my everything," Yoongi said, patting Hoseok's shoulder lightly.

Then they both smiled at each other, a moment of unspoken understanding between them, before heading off to prepare for their mission.

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"Did you get everything, Bear?" Heejin called out, her voice cheerful as she loaded the last of their bags into the trunk.

"Yeah, Noona, but I can't find my glass jar. Did you see it?" Taehyung replied, panic rising in his voice.

Heejin and Taehyung were moving their luggage and other necessary items to their car. They were almost done when Taehyung realized he couldn't find his glass jar. It was precious to him; he had collected all his paper stars in that jar. Without it, he felt like something important was missing.

"Oh! I almost forgot. I placed it in a box. I'll bring it," Heejin said, her mind racing with other thoughts.

"No, no, Noona! I'll get it. Where did you place it?" Taehyung asked, looking at his Noona impatiently. He wanted to leave this place and be in his hyung's embrace, so he was rushing around to gather everything quickly.

"It's on my dressing table, Tae. Go get it, and be quick. We can't be late," Heejin said, her tone firm but kind. She was unaware of how her words almost revealed their dire situation in Seoul. The realization struck her, and she glanced at Taehyung, feeling nervous. But as she saw him run into the house like a cute little puppy, she sighed in relief, smiling at his innocence.

She stopped loading their stuff into the trunk of the car when her phone began to ring. Seeing the caller ID, she answered it with a smile, but her expression shifted when she heard the voice on the other end.

"Ray, another one of our warehouses got burned down, and now A2 is under attack."

"How did A2 get attacked, Hobi? It's one of our safest!" she exclaimed, anger and fear coursing through her. Did we misjudge the timing? They had to act fast; if not, they wouldn't be able to protect the base.

"I know, babe. This must be one of that asshole's doing. I called to say I don't know when we'll come back, as this is a double mission, so don't let Tae call Jungkook until he calls Tae himself."

"Okay, but is Jungkook going alone? Without you? He'll be safe, ri-"

THUD

Heejin turned to see Taehyung staring at her, tears shimmering in his eyes. The box he had been holding fell from his hands, and panic flared within her. Before he could spiral into panic, she quickly cut the call after telling Hoseok to be safe, then rushed to Taehyung, picking up the box.

"Noona, noona! I-is G-ggu hyung alright?"

Oh no. He hadn't heard about the attack. Thank goodness. She quickly assured him that Jungkook was just going on a little mission.

"Of course, baby! What would happen to your Gguk hyung? It's just a little mission," Heejin said with a reassuring smile. But inside, her heart raced with fear.

Taehyung felt like something was off. Their sudden move, Hobi hyung's unusual call, and the mention of an attack made him uneasy. He didn't want to find himself in a situation like years ago; he couldn't bear to lose either his Ggukie, Hobi hyung, or his Noona. What if something happened to his Ggukie, and both of them were trying to hide it from him?