drown for you | jjk

26.1

You stand at the cliff that overlooks the sea, the cliff that has become so familiar to you. How much time has passed, you can't believe, but you don't care to work it out in your head to double-check.

The brisk winds bring the scent of the salty sea to your nose, and you inhale it. The dark water holds so many memories. It contains so many feelings. They've always been very conflicting, your feelings for the sea. It scares you, your heart thumping louder at the thought of being all alone on the open sea or beneath the waves where no light reaches. But it has also been a great source of joy, especially during your childhood. You're beyond fascinated by it and the animals that live there. Not to mention, Jeongguk came from

---

"Hello?" you say as you answer the phone without looking at the ID. You're in a hurry to catch the train and thus press the phone between your shoulder and ear so that you can fumble with the keys to lock the door to your apartment.

"Hey, it's me... I know you're probably still mad," Hoseok's voice sounds. You sigh as you resist the bubbling urge to hang up. "And that it's been like... six months, but I need you to come and see me. It's Jeongguk—"

Not securely held in the first place, your phone goes crashing to the floor.

Jeongguk?

You crouch down, only to see that the phone that has served you through so much has finally succumbed, and a huge crack runs across the bottom of the screen. Cursing, you put it back up to your ear.

"I'm sorry, what?" you question, heart beating faster than it's done in the last... six months? Has it been so long already?

"Yeah, he's here, just, uh, get here? As soon as you can, please. I'll text you the address?" While he speaks to you, it feels as if he's somewhere else, at least mentally.

"What's going on? You found Jeongguk?" you rush the words out, keys hanging from the keyhole, forgotten as you stand unmoving.

"I... gotta go, uh—"

He hangs up on you. Desperately, you try to call him back multiple times, but the crack on your phone's screen exits the call before it's even begun. How fucking typical. You don't think Hoseok knows that you moved two months ago, so it's mostly luck that the address popping up in a text only is about an hour, maybe an hour and a half, away from you. And that's if you don't end up in traffic.

Still, you lock the door properly and send a quick text to an understanding Jin, clearing your plans for the day without revealing even what little you know.

The entire ride to the unknown address you spend deep in thought, almost running a red light. Your life has been so depressingly dull with Jeongguk no longer in it that you occasionally catch yourself smiling. Are you really going to see him again? They must've found him, right? Or did he find them somehow?

The questions overflow, and your heart beats hopefully. You know that you probably shouldn't hope too much; after all, Hoseok seemed a little... stressed? On edge?

Your stomach turns. Maybe Jeongguk is injured?

Or what if he's not with Hoseok at all? What if he's been recaptured by someone else? Maybe even taken by the authorities, somehow managing to involve Hoseok? You take a deep breath. At least Hoseok contacted you; the rest you'll just have to deal with when you arrive.

One thing you do know is that you want to see him. Jeongguk. Otherwise, your heart wouldn't be acting out this way, and you wouldn't be speeding toward an unknown address. You know that you should be upset with him for leaving you like that, but you know why he did it, and if anything, it only makes you sad.