reef knot

seven

December 19, 2016, 6 p.m.

"I HIRED YOU FOR A REASON!" Mr. Park hollers, before proceeding to grab Yoongi by the collar. "HOW COULD YOU ALLOW THAT TO HAPPEN TO MY DAUGHTER?!"

The mint-haired boy stays still in his employer's grip, expecting the old man to break his nose - but he doesn't.

Heaving a sigh of frustration, Mr. Park lets go of the boy's collar. Running a hand through his hair, he turns to face the full-length window and starts to stare at the snow-covered pavement beneath the building.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Park," Yoongi says. The apology in his tone is sincere - he may not have liked Park Jiyoung very much, but it wasn't in his intentions to get her kidnapped either.

"It wasn't exactly Yoongi's fault, Dad," Jimin attempts to stand up for the mint-haired boy, but that only worsens the situation.

"GET OUT, BOTH OF YOU!" he yells, and the two boys immediately shuffle out of the small study room. Jimin gently closes the wooden door behind them, and they can't help but heave a sigh of relief once they're both out of the old man's sight.

Stealing a glance at Yoongi's guilt-ridden face, Jimin can't help but to give him a consoling pat on the shoulder. "We can go look for Jiyoung together," he suggests, but Yoongi shakes his head in reply.

"I can handle it," he forces a small reassuring smile at him, knowing that Jimin probably doesn't have time for that, given his tight schedule.

The blonde-haired boy nods. "Don't be too hard on yourself, alright?"

Yoongi lets out a faint grunt, before excusing himself and heading down the stairs. He leaves the house through the back door, and after making sure that no one is watching him, the mint-haired boy darts behind a large oak tree at the other end of the lawn.

Once he's safely hidden, Yoongi whips out his phone and starts to scroll through his contact list, looking for that one person whom he hasn't dialed for the past year.

The call connects on the fourth ring.

"Min Yoongi!" the receiver cheerily exclaims in greeting.

"Kim Taehyung," Yoongi tries to force some friendliness into his tone - and surprisingly succeeds.

"It's been too long."

***

The strangely addictive aroma of ground coffee beans fills the air inside the corner cafe, where Taehyung asked to meet. Given the cozy atmosphere of the small restaurant (perfect for early winter), Yoongi is surprised that the outlet is practically empty except for a barista and two waiters.

"I'm assuming you didn't call just to catch up with me," Taehyung grins at his childhood friend while taking a sip of his caramel macchiato.

Yoongi glances around the cafe, making sure that no one is eavesdropping on their conversation, before leaning forward and getting straight to the point.

"They kidnapped her," he tells him.

Taehyung almost chokes on his drink. "Hoseok and Namjoon kidnapped who?" the brown-haired boy catches on immediately, all cheeriness instantly replaced with curiosity and seriousness.

Silently, Yoongi thanks his friend. Kim Taehyung may be playful at times, but he's serious when he needs to be.

"The target's daughter," Yoongi says.

Taehyung rolls his eyes. "Y'all are still doing the undercover spy thing?" he shakes his head in disbelief. "Do y'all actually think you're in a movie?" the boy snorts. "If you want to be Lee Minho, you'll have to at least have decent hair."