PERSONA ✓

22.

"Kook, you got anything yet?" Namjoon asked.

Jungkook sighed, running a hand through his cherry hair. He took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes, yawning. "Nothin' yet, hyung. Whoever was controlling Hoseok did a damn good job of covering their tracks."

Namjoon grabbed Jungkook's arms and pulled him out of his chair.

"Hyung, what—"

"Stretch your legs, you've been sitting in that chair for hours on end."

"But hyung..."

"No buts," Namjoon said. Jungkook giggled, and Namjoon rolled his eyes. "Don't be immature."

Jungkook controlled his laughing and became serious again. "Seriously, hyung, if I could just find a way to trace whoever created that mind-controlling ring..."

"Maybe you're not meant to figure it out today," Namjoon said gently. "Kook, I know you've been doubting your skills since the Buzzer failed, but trust me, you'll figure it out."

Jungkook made to nod, but was interrupted when his computer screens flashed red, the signal that there was a crime happening in Seoul.

"There's a shooter at the mall," said Jungkook, typing away. "Got a big gun, the mall's being put into lock-down... Hoseok's already there."

"Hoseok is there?" Namjoon transformed and opened the window, climbing out. "You're connected to his comms, right?"

"I took his comms out for repair, hyung, I can't help him..."

Namjoon exhaled harshly and switched on his ear pieces so that Jungkook could communicate with him before he flew off, heading to the mall.

-

Hoseok just wanted a normal day.

He'd finished his chores early and wanted to get out of the house. With no school that day, he had to find an excuse to not be holed up in that suffocating house.

So, like any normal teen — which Hoseok certainly wasn't — he headed to the mall.

It wasn't that he liked the mall. In fact, he'd rather stay away from large crowds of people. So Hoseok's plan was to maybe wander the mall for a bit, perhaps grab some food, and then walk around the neighborhood aimlessly.

He was waiting in line for a coffee, tapping his foot. The lady at the counter had spilled some coffee over the counter and was cleaning it up. The shop seemed to be short on staff, because business was going slow, and annoyed customers were getting late as they stood in line.

Then a loud alarm sounded. Hoseok flinched and covered his ears, eyes wide, and whipped his head around. Outside the shop was a man with a large gun. He seemed to be making his way around all the shops, probably loading his pockets with money.

And there's no mall security today, Hoseok thought, recalling how he didn't see any security outside the building.

Everyone in the shop lowered down onto their knees, ducking away in attempts to keep themselves safe. Hoseok dashed around the counter where no one could see him, and transformed into his Shadow outfit.

It was daunting, considering that Namjoon wasn't with him, and he didn't even have comms. Though Namjoon had probably been notified by now, Hoseok still had to de-escalate the situation in time for Persona to show up.

Hoseok flew out from behind the counter, mask up and hood on. The mall-goers didn't seem to notice him yet, as they all had their eyes on the shooter.

Hoseok flew out of the coffee shop and landed behind the shooter, kicking his legs out from beneath him. The shooter fell, but his hold on his gun didn't waver and he fired a shot. The bullet shattered a glass display nearby, and Hoseok was aware of the screams that had come from the people in the building. He heard murmurs of surprise, probably because Shadow hadn't been spotted in a while.