Haunted?

20. Meeting Dae Shin

Past (6 months before the fight)

"Do you remember the first day we met, Kookie?" Taehyung asked as the two of them slowly walked down the street, towards Dae Shin's house. 

"I don't, but Eomma told me about it" Jungkook said, grinning at the memory of what his mother told him. 

Taehyung snorted loudly. 

"I remember it soo clearly, you know? I saw a kid of my own size suddenly run into the compound with nothing but undies. But I didn't come out because Eomma said she wouldn't give me ice cream if I came out of the house without her calling me out. You were soo cute back then, ollelle. I still feel like pulling the cheeks out of your face when I think of those days" Taehyung said, grinning at their house where they first met. 

"I really don't remember it at all. But do you remember how you ran to our house and hid inside my father's table's small shelf because you didn't want to go to school?" Jungkook asked. "I do!! How do you remember that?" Taehyung asked. 

"Because a four-year-old brain kept thinking for weeks about how a human could fit into a shelf. And I started doing the same thing whenever Eomma started nagging me for something" Jungkook said, shifting his heart-eyes from their house to Taehyung's face. 

"Wow, I am glad I could inspire someone" Taehyung said, turning to the side to meet Jungkook's gaze with equally huge heart-eyes. Jungkook threw his head back at that and began to laugh heartily. 

"Okay, let's go and freshen up in Shinie hyung's house and then the three of us can go to the park or just catch up" Taehyung said. "Let's go, let's go!" Jungkook said, walking towards Dae Shin's house with a huge bounce in his steps. 

"Should I or should I not be jealous that you are being soo excited to meet someone else?" Taehyung asked, faking a frown and a pout. 

"You shouldn't. Because I know that you are just as excited" Jungkook grinned, sticking his tongue out at him. "Right" Taehyung chuckled. "I am" he said. 

Jungkook couldn't contain himself when they finally entered Dae Shin's compound. He ran to the door and began to bang on the door without bothering with the doorbell. 

"WHO THE HE-.....Kookie? Tae?.....Wow!" Dae Shin exclaimed the second he saw who was banging on his door. 

"Shinie hyung!" Jungkook exclaimed and jumped up, crashing onto him for a huge hug. Dae Shin stumbled back, but caught himself with difficulty. 

To make things difficult, Taehyung crashed onto the two of them with equal force, finally making Dae Shin lose balance and fall on the floor with Jungkook and Taehyung on top of him. 

"Get off, you brats! Are you trying to kill me?" Dae Shin asked. Jungkook and Taehyung laughed out loud and got off him. "Hyung, we are gonna stay here for the night" Jungkook said without hesitation and walked off to the guest bedroom.

He was one of his close friends, after all. The one he grew up with, the one he looked up to and the one for who he had a ridiculously huge soft spot for. 

"Wonderful!" Dae Shin exclaimed, looking at Taehyung. "Go and freshen up. We can catch up" he said. Taehyung grinned widely and nodded before walking off to the room that Jungkook was in. 

"You stopped coming to Busan after your parents moved away. I didn't see you for almost four years now!" Dae Shin said after the three of them settled in the living room. 

"Ahh, I know right. You changed a lot too, hyung. Kookie told me that you changed a lot ,but I didn't know you were going to look this handsome" Taehyung said, gesturing to his face. 

"Look who's talking. You look like a complete meal. I would have gobbled you up if not for Kookie" Dae Shin said, scanning Taehyung's body from top to bottom. 

"Hyuunnnggg" Taehyung whined and hid his face into his hands. "You hit a jackpot, Kookie" Dae Shin said, reaching out for the bowl of chips in between them. "I know, right?!" Jungkook exclaimed. "Shut up, you two" Taehyung's voice came, muffled by the hands covering his face. 

"So, when are you gonna ditch Kookie and come to me, Tae?" Dae Shin asked after a few minutes. Jungkook laughed out loud. 

"That won't happen, hyung. Because I'll kill him the second he ditches me" Jungkook said, popping a candy into his mouth, while Taehyung threw a pillow at Dae Shin. 

"Okay, okay. So how's Seoul life?" Dae Shin asked and the two of them launched into a detailed report of how their life in Seoul was and how Dae Shin must leave Busan and try coming to Seoul at least a few times. 

"How long are you guys staying here?" Dae Shin asked. "Until tomorrow in the evening" Taehyung said. "Nice. Give me your house address. I'll try coming to your house someday" Dae Shin said. His phone lit up with a notification two seconds later. 

"The address" Jungkook said, pointing to Dae Shin's phone. Dae Shin chuckled at Jungkook's eagerness to give him their address. 

"So how's Jin?" Dae Shin asked after the three of them decided to stay up all night and catch up on everything. Jungkook and Taehyung's face fell the second he mentioned Seokjin. "What's wrong?" Dae Shin asked. 

"Don't feel bad, hyung. He didn't call you because he didn't want to hurt you. I am sorry, hyung" Jungkook said. Dae Shin stared at him blankly before tilting his head slightly to the side in confusion. 

He opened his mouth and closed it immediately and frowned. "How about you try telling me from the beginning instead of telling me the tail end of whatever you are trying to say?" he asked. 

Taehyung chuckled and immediately covered it with a cough, considering the situation. "Jin hyung...." Jungkook said, looking at Taehyung for help. Taehyung took a deep breath. "He got married today" he said. 

"What?!" Dae Shin asked, voice coming out in a whisper. Jungkook immediately burst into tears, unable to take in the sudden tension around them. "I am so sorry, hyung. I should have told you before. I am sorry for not forcing him to call you" he cried. 

Dae Shin chuckled and patted Jungkook's shoulder. 

"Same as always, huh? Why are you even crying right now? I am not offended or anything. Yeah, I do feel bad that even after everything, he didn't even tell me that he was getting married, but I don't mind it. Don't cry, Kookie. It's really okay" he said. 

"Okay" Jungkook sniffled and wiped his tears, moving closer to Taehyung, who was staring at him endearingly. 

'The fact that he bursts into tears at the smallest of things just means that he has the biggest of hearts' he thought as he pulled Jungkook closer to him and rubbed his shoulder lovingly. 

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The last past chapter, guys :))