The address Jimin had sent him ended up being an upscale hotel. Jungkook was glad he had remembered to Google it before leaving the academy, giving them time to change and thus ensuring there was at least a tiny possibility they would be allowed to enter. There was no way either of them would get past the threshold looking like they usually did. Jungkook had to dig up something from the back of his closet, and despite the age of the black pants and the shirt he’d decided on, they were at least expensive and decently elegant. Yoongi, on the other hand, had gotten his hands on a surprisingly well fitted suit.

The demon was in his backpack, in the form of a butterfly. Jungkook had of course tried to dissuade him from coming along, but - as expected – it was to no avail. At least there was no arguing when Jungkook had told him to shape-shift and not change back until they returned to the academy. He should have been relieved at that, but - as with every other time the demon seemed too cooperative - he suspected some kind of trick, and had been consequently on edge the entire way to the hotel. Yoongi had noticed and elected to show it by throwing an occasional disapproving glance in his direction.

It took them almost an hour to find the hotel, and by the time they finally made their way through the revolving door and into the building, they were already late. Jungkook scanned the foyer with his eyes, noting the reception to his left and an area with a number of comfortable looking sofas and coffee tables to his right. The room wasn’t exactly crowded, but there were a few people here and there, most of them thankfully not paying any attention to them. He and Yoongi positioned themselves next to the nearest wall, Jungkook doing his best to hide his growing discomfort. There was something about the atmosphere of the building that made him feel strangely nervous and out of place. 

“What now?” asked Yoongi, sounding completely uninterested in the answer. Jungkook glanced at him, his obvious indifference making him even more uncomfortable.

“We wait.” he murmured, trying to sound confident in his decision. A dubious look Yoongi sent in his direction told him his attempt wasn’t particularly successful.

Jungkook’s hands were slightly shaking as he pulled out his phone, his fingers hovering above Jimin’s name in the contacts list. Was calling him a smarter decision than uselessly waiting around? A glance towards the reception told him the answer was most likely a yes, considering the receptionist was looking at them with something akin to suspicion. He responded to accidentally catching her eyes by hastily averting his gaze, and was just about to press call when someone finally walked towards them, stopping a polite distance away with a kind smile on his face. Apart from the way he was dressed, nothing about him screamed bodyguard or agent (who knew which of the two Jimin had with him). He was of average height - which meant perhaps a centimeter shorter than Jungkook - and wore an inappropriately cheerful expression. He definitely didn’t seem to be dangerous, but Yoongi still promptly positioned himself between the newcomer and Jungkook.

If the stranger had found Yoongi’s behavior unusual, he didn’t show it. Or to be more exact; he completely ignored him, giving Jungkook his undivided attention. “Eunjae?” he wondered.

“Yes.” said Jungkook.

“Hi.” said the stranger, giving a small wave which unnerved Yoongi enough that he found it necessary to push Jungkook back. It was a light push, but an unexpected one, which was why Jungkook almost lost his balance. Yoongi responded to his panicked flailing by sending an unimpressed look in his direction, while the stranger didn’t react at all. “I work for Mr. Kim. You can call me Hoseok.” the stranger said, after Jungkook was once again steady on his feet.  “Please follow me.”

He led them towards the elevators, politely waiting until they were both inside before joining them. He didn’t press any of the buttons, instead pulling a small card out of his pocket and holding it against the scanner. There was a small beep and the elevator door closed.

Jungkook moved to the back and slowly leaned against the wall, happy that he could rest his head. He’d had a few hours of sleep after his conversation with the demon, but he still felt exhausted, not to mention his head was killing him. He glanced at Hoseok, who caught his eyes and gave him a small smile. Jungkook forced himself to return the gesture, before looking at Yoongi. “Is he a demon?” he asked quietly enough that Hoseok wouldn’t be able to hear him if - by any chance - he was actually a human.

“How can you tell?” asked Yoongi. The fact he answered the question with a question was proof enough that Jungkook was right.

“Your reaction.” he whispered. For as long as he knew him, Yoongi was practical and tended to avoid unnecessary actions. Jungkook heavily doubted he would have attempted to move himself between Jungkook and a potentially dangerous human. There was no point considering how much slower and weaker humans were in comparison to demons - Yoongi could have their neck snapped before they managed to move a finger. The theory that Hoseok was a demon was only further confirmed by the incident with the wave. It certainly revealed a whole new side of Yoongi - Jungkook had never seen him quite so jumpy.

The elevator opened into a spacious foyer of what was most likely a presidential apartment. It was guarded by a man and a woman, each standing on their own side of the room. They looked a lot more like bodyguards than Hoseok, but even so, Jungkook knew that wasn’t really what they were. The moment they saw him, they stood up straighter and slightly bowed their heads. The woman pulled her phone out of her pocket and said something into it, and a moment later a door to her left opened, revealing Jimin.

He looked almost as tired as Jungkook was, which was perfectly understandable considering he must have been dealing with at least some of the fallout following Kangmin’s escape. He still greeted Jungkook with a bright smile - one that Jungkook immediately returned - and waved them into the room. Hoseok joined as well, gently closing the door behind them and positioning himself next to it. He winked when he caught Jungkook’s eyes, and Jungkook promptly averted his gaze, busying himself with taking a quick look at his surroundings. They were clearly in an office - there was a big wooden desk next to the wall, and two armchairs turned against each other in front of it.

“Just two agents?” he asked as he turned back towards Jimin, who wasted no time in squeezing him into a bone crushing hug. He was strong for someone so small, but it was probably safer not to mention that. 

“As if.” answered Jimin as he finally let go of him. Jungkook subtly tried to catch his breath. “The rest of them are supervising the hotel entrances.”

“How many do you have?”

Jimin shook his head. “You know dad.” he said. “He went completely overboard.”

At least ten then, Jungkook concluded. “Yeah.” he murmured, not particularly happy about the direction the conversation was going in. Mentions of their father were usually followed by Jimin pressuring him to come back home – to say Jungkook wasn’t in the mood for that particular discussion would be an understatement. He couldn’t avoid it for the whole evening - Jimin was going to bring it up sooner or later - but he could at least made sure it would be later, so he promptly changed the topic; “How did he get out?”

“Right to the point, I see.” remarked Jimin. He sounded slightly annoyed, but there was a smile on his lips, implying he had known Jungkook wasn’t going to be in the mood for small talk and had already prepared himself for it. “At least sit down. You look like you haven’t sleept in days.” he said, motioning towards the armchairs. “Not that I blame you.”

Jungkook raised his brow at him as he collapsed into the nearest chair. “Look who’s talking.” he murmured, leaning back and momentarily closing his eyes. He was glad for the opportunity to rest his head - despite all of the painkillers he’d taken in the last few hours, his head was still trying to brutally murder him. It felt a little like someone was continually throwing rocks at the back of his head.

Jimin sat down on the other armchair and crossed his legs, his hands resting in his lap. “We don’t really know how he got out.” he said after a few moments of silence. Jungkook was surprised by neither the hint of frustration in his voice nor by the meaning of his words - miraculous escapes seemed to be exactly Kangmin’s style. “It should be impossible. He was quite literally surrounded by demons and secret agents, but - somehow - he still managed to disappear without a trace. The whole mansion was searched from top to bottom at least five times, but they found nothing. Not even a single trace of magic, or a sign of break in. Nothing.”

Jungkook knew that there was no way he could figure out how Kangmin had managed to escape when the whole of National Security couldn’t, but it didn’t stop him from thinking about it. He had only been in the mansion Kangmin had been locked in once, and his memory was - at best - fuzzy. Still, he mentally walked through the building, trying to recall as many details as possible. Unfortunately, the only thing he could be sure about at the end of that little exercise was that Kangmin definitely had help from the inside.

“He must have had help. I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t only have spies in the NS, but in the government as well.” continued Jimin as if he’d read Jungkook’s mind. “Point is - we can’t trust anyone right now.”

Jungkook messaged his temples. He didn’t have to be told that - after all, mistrustful was Jungkook’s natural state. “Do you think you could give me the security details?” he asked, despite not holding much hope. Jimin had already expressed his intention to stick to the protocol once today - there was a possibility that the rebellious older brother Jungkook had known his whole life was truly and completely gone. Jungkook couldn’t blame him if that was the case; there was a lot of responsibility resting on his shoulders.

Jimin ran his hand through his hair, an uncharacteristic frown finding a way on his face and betraying his internal battle over the request. It didn’t take more than a few minutes of thinking before he decided, turning towards Hoseok. “Could you take care of it?” he asked in the same way one would request something from an assistant, not a demon. Jungkook couldn’t help but be impressed by his level of control. Hoseok actually reacted by giving a short nod and leaving the room, gently closing the door behind him. If Jungkook was to ask his demon the same question in the same tone, all he would get in response would be a highly amused expression and a few mocking words. It was clear Jimin had improved his magician skills a lot from the last time Jungkook had seen him.

“Let me know if you figure anything out.” said Jimin as he turned back towards Jungkook, the frown still firmly on his face. Jungkook nodded – despite doubting he would be able to find anything new, he still intended to try. Knowing how Kangmin managed to escape would give them a better idea on what they were dealing with, and God knows they needed it.

Jimin looked out of the window, seemingly deep in thought. He was still frowning and appeared to be purposefully avoiding Jungkook’s eyes, which was how Jungkook knew exactly what was about to come out of his mouth. “You need to come home.” said Jimin, his voice quiet.

Jungkook - who had been expecting the demand from the moment they agreed on the meeting - had of course prepared a detailed answer; “No.”

Jimin let out a sigh, not looking even a little bit surprised. There was no reason for him to be, since they had been having the same argument for years. Despite Jungkook winning every single time, Jimin showed absolutely no signs of giving up. Even now, there was a look of determination in his eyes as he looked at Jungkook, leaning slightly forward; “I’m serious Ju… Eunjae. Kangmin tried to kill you - you're not safe.”

“He didn’t try to kill me.” said Jungkook. He hadn’t previously intended to share this with Jimin, mostly because he suspected the conversation would lead directly to Yoongi's involvement. Yoongi might have agreed to lie, but he did it rather reluctantly and Jungkook really didn’t want to push his luck. It didn’t seem like he had much choice though – he needed to get Jimin to stop insisting on Jungkook returning home, and this was the only thing he could think of at the moment.

Jimin blinked, looking a bit confused by this piece of information. “You said you were attacked by a higher demon?” he asked, sounding a little unsure.

Jungkook nodded. “Yes, but it didn’t try to kill me, just capture me.”

“How can you be sure?”

Jungkook suppressed a sigh as his suspicion that this particular conversation would somehow lead to Yoongi’s (un)involvement in the demon attack was confirmed. Not saying anything, he carefully turned around in his chair and pointed at Yoongi who was standing directly behind him. Jungkook hoped he wasn’t going to cause any problems. Thankfully, Yoongi stayed completely quiet, not reacting in any way, shape or form.

Jimin looked over Jungkook’s shoulder, his eyes slightly narrowed. He was obviously evaluating Yoongi - or rather; trying to evaluate him. Jungkook might not be able to see the demon’s face, but he was at least 99% sure it was void of all emotion. After a few seconds of staring at Yoongi, Jimin finally redirected his gaze back towards Jungkook. “And you believe him?” he asked.

“He has no reason to lie.” said Jungkook. Jimin knew him well enough to be aware of how suspicious Jungkook was of anyone, let alone demons, which made convincing him he actually believed Yoongi pretty difficult. He hoped Jimin was going to take this as a confirmation that Jungkook had some kind of proof that Yoongi was telling the truth, and not as a confirmation that Jungkook was outright lying.

Jimin gave him a doubtful look, but - to Jungkook’s relief - decided not to comment. “Whether the demon tried to kill you or not – it doesn’t change anything. You’re in danger. You have to come home.” he said, making sure to look directly in Jungkook’s eyes as he talked. It was obvious he was pleading with him, and despite how difficult it was to say no, Jungkook had no intentions of giving in. Rolling down a mountain inside a barrel full of spikes sounded more pleasant than going home.

“And then what? Spend the rest of my life locked in a room?” he asked with more than just a hint of sarcasm in his voice. They both knew that was currently the only option for him if he actually went home, considering they couldn’t trust anyone.

Jimin gave him a pained look. “We'll get Kangmin.” he said. He was trying to sound reassuring, but didn’t quite pull it off - not that Jungkook would have believed him even if he’d had. The only reason they caught Kangmin the first time was luck, and Jungkook seriously doubted they would have it again.

“When?” he asked, doing his best to keep the frustration out of his voice. “You don’t even know how he managed to escape. You definitely don’t know how many people he has working for him. Maybe you'll get him eventually, but by then half of my life will already be over.”

Jimin grimaced - it was obvious the words hurt him, and Jungkook tried his best to ignore his heart squeezing at the sight. He hated fighting with his brother, but he couldn’t give up until Jimin agreed to let him stay at the academy, even if it did make him feel like the biggest . “I see you have a lot of faith in us.” said Jimin, his voice bitter.

Jungkook sighed. “No.” he said quietly “I’ve just met Kangmin.”

For a moment or two, they stared at each other in silence. Jimin was the first one to give up - he leaned his head against the headrest and looked towards the ceiling. “There is no way I can get you to agree to come home, is there?” he wondered, sounding resigned.

Jungkook shook his head despite suspecting the question was completely rhetorical, and then - once he realized Jimin probably couldn’t see him - replied; “No.”

“I can’t force you.” said Jimin, his eyes still fixed on to the ceiling.

“No you can’t.” confirmed Jungkook, although that wasn’t entirely true. Jimin had ten agents and a higher demon waiting around - he could give the order to get Jungkook home, and Jungkook couldn’t do much to stop them. He might have two higher demons, but the only one who would maybe do something was Yoongi. V wouldn’t move a finger as long as Jungkook wasn’t in immediate danger of being physically hurt.

However, Jimin would never drag him home against his will - at least not as long as it seemed he was safe at the academy. He didn’t have a reason to think he wasn’t so far - the attack took place in the city, and the thing with the demon destroying a part of the building happened months ago. He was the only one though - Jungkook had all of the reasons to think he was in danger. He still had the occasional nightmare about the pentagram in the attic.

For a moment or two, he toyed with the idea of asking whether anyone from the National Security had been sent to the academy. Jimin probably wouldn’t know immediately, but he could find out without any major difficulties. Having the information would resolve a great deal of Jungkook’s problems – if there was a NS agent at the academy, he could put the whole thing to rest, and if there wasn’t… If there wasn’t, then Kangmin had most likely found a way into the building and Jungkook was in even more danger than he'd originally thought – but at least he would know for sure.

On the other hand, posing the question meant he would have to tell Jimin about the pentagram, which had the potential to make Jimin change his mind about letting him stay. Jimin wasn’t stupid - if there was no agent, he would immediately come to the same conclusion as Jungkook; that Kangmin was behind the pentagram. A single clue that Kangmin managed to get inside the academy would be undoubtedly enough for Jimin to immediately drag Jungkook home.

“At least take Hoseok.” said Jimin after a pause, finally averting his gaze from the ceiling and looking at Jungkook. Jungkook had half expected Jimin was going to force some security measure on him, but he certainly had no idea he would offer him a higher demon.

“No.” said Jungkook, doing his best to not sound overly horrified. The plain thought of having to deal with another demon sent chills down his spine, and he began to feel slightly overwhelmed. Yoongi’s finger dug into his shoulder as his heart sped up, lungs beginning to burn. Two demons were a maximum he could handle - there was absolutely no way introducing Hoseok to the mix (even if he did seem like he would be easier to handle than V) wouldn’t end in a disaster. V had reacted somewhat hostilely to Yoongi - what if he reacted even worse to Hoseok? What if it ended in a fight? They would level the building to the ground.

Jungkook forced himself to take a deep breath and stop being overly pessimistic. No matter how hard he tried to convince himself that the worst case scenarios only rarely came true, his panic persisted.

Jimin sent a worried look in his direction, signifying he was at least somewhat aware of his inner turmoil. He decided not to comment on it, which was probably a sign he thought Jungkook’s anxiety was a product of his healthy fear of demons and decided that was less important than Jungkook’s safety. Jungkook couldn’t exactly blame him for it. “For me.” said Jimin, giving him puppy eyes. “To help me sleep at night.”

Jungkook let out a sigh, well aware that Jimin wasn’t going to give up. Jungkook already got what he wanted, and his guilt told him he had to compromise somewhere, even if the plain thought made him want to run away. He forced himself to look on the bright side - not even Kangmin could control three higher demons, which meant Jungkook had the advantage (of course provided the demons would actually listen to him, which was… unlikely). “Fine.” he said.

Jimin gave him a bright smile, and jumped to his feet. “I’ll go renew the orders to the living room. I hope Hoseok is done with that security detail…”

Jungkook followed his example and stood up, albeit a lot slower. “I’m coming with.” he said, trying to sound as firm as possible, aware it might be hard to convince Jimin. There was no danger in him being there, but Jimin didn’t like having him in the same room while summoning. Jungkook wasn’t entirely sure why, though he suspected it might have something to do with him almost dying that one time due to Jimin’s recklessness. He trusted Jimin to do a good job with the orders (he might not have the talent for summoning, but he did have a lot of experience), it was his anxiety that didn’t. Being there and hearing every word meant that his reassurance that Hoseok wouldn’t hurt him was based on first hand evidence - he needed that to stay calm.

Jimin gave him a doubtful look. “I don’t think…” he started.

Jungkook cut him off before he could finish. “Look…” he said“…it’s not that I don’t trust you, but if I have to have another demon I would like to be able to reassure myself he won’t kill me in my sleep.”

Jimin stared back at him unmoving for a couple of seconds, before he finally gave a nod, a small smile finding its way on his lips. “You’re right.” he said “Come on.”