Author's Note: This chapter was way longer than I expected, phew! Hope you guys get the picture I'm trying to portrait here. Send me commentes if you have any! Enjoy!

Edit: I made some small changes in the last part of the chapter.... Some details that would fit better with the character...

*: “You’ve worked hard”. A literal translation of a common phrase used by Korean workers when leaving their workplaces. They greet their co-workers this way to show politeness and appreciation.

A Long Day

8:12 pm, January 20th

          “OK, cut! You’ve worked hard today*!”

          “Thank you, thank you, you’ve worked hard today!” The BTS boys greeted each individual staff that they encountered as they left the film set and entered their waiting room.

          “Ah, it’s finally over! I thought that would never end!” J-Hope exclaimed as he dabbed at the sweat on his forehead and his neck.

          “Same, and I am totally famished! Manager hyung, can we grab something to eat on our way home?” Jungkook threw in his comment as he quickly shed his jacket and fanned himself with his shirt in an attempt to cool down.

          The other members hummed in agreement as they quickly changed out of the sponsored outfits from their photoshoot. It was a long and tiring day. The photoshoot that was supposed to end at 5pm had been extended for 3 hours, to no one’s surprise.

          “Yah, where’s my phone? Hyung, did you see my phone anywhere?” Jimin was digging through the pockets of his clothes and lifting random items off the tables as he searched for his electronic companion.

          “Pabo! Did you lose your phone again? What is this, the 3^rd time this month?” V laughed and teased his friend as he worked on his left shoe. He looked up from his shoelaces and lifted an eyebrow at the frustrated boy, “Are you sure you didn’t just forget where you put it?”

          “It’s not me! I tell you, my phone keeps disappearing on me!” Jimin shot V an unamused glance but paused his search. His eyes swept the room but once again failed to locate his device.

          ‘I thought I put it with my clothes,’ he pondered as he scratched the back of his neck with his right hand, ‘or did I?’ His eyes slid over to V for a second and tilted his head as he tried to confirm his memory.

          “Didn’t you find it in your backpack last time? Check there.” Jin looked over his shoulder and suggested.

          “I left my backpack in the car though.”

          “Then let’s head home for now. If you still can’t find it, I’m sure the cleaning ahjumma will find it here.” Jin offered as he patted Jimin’s shoulder.

          “Sure I guess,” Jimin accepted and turned towards their manager with a sheepish smile, “can you pick it up for me if that happens? I’m real sorry, hyung.”

          “Alright, alright. Now let’s get going, what do you guys want for dinner tonight?”

9:48 pm, January 20^th

          Being the capital of South Korea, the late-night activities were at its peak in the city of Seoul. Yellow street lamps illuminated the countless roads, and colorful signs decorated the tall buildings. Together with the moving cars, they formed a pulsating sea of lights.

         A big black van was running smoothly on the high way, heading towards Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam District. Inside, the BTS members were savoring the opportunity to rest their tired forms before their practice session. The car was quiet since most of the boys were attempting to take a quick nap.

         Unlike his hyungs, V, being one of the energetic 95z boys, was not feeling as tired. He was bobbing his head and mouthing the lyrics to the song that poured from his headphones. His eyes took in the late-night city view as his mind wondered aimlessly about his day.

          The photoshoot was long, but he though the pictures turned out pretty nice. Of course, he meant everyone, not just himself. Tonight’s dinner was a success. Even though the members decided to have Bibimbap, (however, that was after a heated discussion) he stilled managed to convince the manager hyung to get him a burger. Man, he would never get tired of it!

          Oops, he realized with a startle, Jimin’s phone was totally forgotten after their debate about the dinner menu. He turned around with the intention of making fun of his friend, but Jimin’s name died on his lips when he spotted the boy sound asleep. Oh well, he mused as he turned back, that could wait until they’ve arrived at their practice room.

          At this, his thoughts shifted to the upcoming events for BTS. Their world tour was soon approaching, and they still had many performances that needed to be modified and polished. After all, ARMYs all around the world were anxiously waiting to see them, so they couldn’t disappoint them.

          ARMY, the name always brought a smile to his lips. Even now, he still couldn’t believe how fortunate he and the members were for having such a strong fan base. He could never thank the fans enough for all the love and support that they gave, so he was determined to show ARMY his best during their concerts. It was the least he could do.

10:23 pm, January 20^th

            “Hey, wake up boys, we’re here.” The manager tried to gently wake up the boys.

            “Already? That was f-YAWN-ast.” Jungkook rubbed his eyes as he tried to shake off his sleepiness. Around him, members shuffled as they gathered their bags and headed off the van. He quickly stood to follow them.

            “Hold on,” V grabbed onto Jimin’s arm before he could exit the car, “did you check for your phone, silly?”

            V was highly amused as he watched his friend’s face change from confusion, to enlightenment, and finally to embarrassment.

            “Oh, right! I totally forgot about that! Thanks, bro.” Jimin started to rummage through his bag before he paused and looked over at V’s waiting form.

            “It’s okay, you can head up first. I’ll text you when I find it.”

            “Alright, we’ll see you in the practice room.” V adjusted the bag strap on his shoulder before hopping off the van.

            “See ya.”

10:54 pm, January 20^th

          In the brightly lit practice room, the BTS boys had changed into their comfortable clothes and were stretching before tonight’s practice session. Although, it seemed that not all of them took the warm-up exercise seriously.

          Jungkook, the Golden Maknae, could be spotted in the center of the room loosening up his muscles. Suga, on the other hand, was laying comfortably on the hard-wood floor, fulfilling his desire of moving as little as possible.

          V stood by the audio system in the corner, scrolling through the playlist on his phone for a good warm-up song. He was debating between a song by Zico and a song by Dean when a few text notifications popped up.

          It was Jimin.

          [Found my phone! It was under the seat... I have no idea how it got there…]

          [I’m at the convenience store, actually. I wanted a drink and forgot that I left my wallet at home…]

          [Come help a friend! I’ll buy you a drink next time! Please?]

          V chuckled quietly at his friend. Why was Jimin being so careless these days? And he thought that he was the more easily distracted one! After pocketing his phone and his wallet, he quickly crossed the room and pulled the door open.

          “I’m heading downstairs real quick, be back in a few!” He informed s.

          “Don’t take too long, we need to go over the formation of our opening!” J-Hope responded with his eyes fixed on the large mirror.

          V gave a quick nod and headed towards the elevator. He had already reached the first floor before he realized that he had foolishly forgot to put on a jacket. Not bothered enough to head back up again, he pushed open the door and instantly reprimanded himself as he felt the chilly January wind bit at his skin.

          With a slight shiver, he shoved his hands into the pockets of his shorts as he hurriedly jogged towards the convenient store that was 5 minutes away. All the while muttering under his breath about the stupidity of himself and of Jimin. Luckily there was no one on the narrow road, or they definitely would have laughed at his ridiculous outfit in this freezing weather.

          He ran the final few steps before entering the 24-hour store with a sigh, relived to be shielded from the cold for now. However, different from his expectations, Jimin did not come up to him with an apologetic smile. In fact, as he walked through the aisles, he did not spot his friend at all.

          Confused, he sent Jimin a message questioning his whereabouts. He really hoped that Jimin did not just leave without telling him, causing him to come to his rescue in a thin shirt and a pair of shorts!

          Soon after, his phone flashed with notifications.

          [So sorry! The manager hyung saw me in the store, so he helped me pay. You didn’t reply and I thought you guys were already practicing!]

          [I’ll make up for you later, I promise!]

          Exasperated at his friend, V rapidly tapped his reply.

          [Park Jimin! Do you know how cold it is outside? Just you wait, I’m going to make you sorry!]

          With a quick greeting to the cashier, V left the store, his mind set on teaching his friend a lesson. In his haste, he had managed to reach the road behind the building in less than a minute. The dark pathway, like all other shortcuts, was lined with a few garbage cans and not kept in its finest state. While picking up his speed, he stumbled into some stones that littered the pathway, sending them towards the closed metal gates of the nearby stores and creating screeches against the ground.

          That’s when he heard the voice.

          “You seem to care a lot about your friend.”

          He jumped. The voice had come from his right, but when he hastily turned towards the sound, he was met with nothing but the dark wall. Confused and slightly unsettled, he jerked his head in all directions trying to locate the source of the voice.

          “How nice of you.”

          This time, the voice was right behind him. He froze as the cool air that accompanied the sentence tickled his ears and made the hair stand on his arms. He was certain that he had never heard this voice before. It was smooth and soft, spoken with a hint of superiority, very different from that of unexpected fans.

          He couldn’t tell if it was the weather, but the temperature seemed to have dropped even lower as the words of the stranger registered in his head. Involuntarily, he shivered, the coldness seemed to have settled in his bones. Oddly, he felt an instinctive urge to run from this voice. The combination of the voice and the situation was starting to creep him out. But what was the person talking about? Was this about Jimin?

          “Too bad he’s not here.”

          He’s not here? What do you mean he’s not here? What have you done with him? V’s eyes widened as he tried to decipher the meaning of the cryptic message. The concern for his friend seemed to have briefly overpowered his uneasiness, as he turned his head backwards and spoke up, ignoring the chill for a slight moment.

          Contrary to his intentions, his own voice sounded weak and cracked as he voiced his question:

          “What do you—”

          He never finished his sentence, as his feet were knocked out from under him in that instant and strong arms enclosed his body. He instantly began struggling, twisting his body and trying to break free from his constraints.

          To his utter horrification, he found himself completely powerless against the attacker, all his struggles seemed to have no effects on the stranger and his muffled screams was no use for attracting any attention. Just then, he felt a sharp metal being plunged into his neck, creating a stinging pain.

          What is happening? Why am I being attacked? Who is this? His brain was struggling to keep up as his world got disoriented. He panicked even further when a numbness started to spread from his neck down, while his head gradually got clouded with drowsiness. What is going on? Am I going to die? What happened to Jimin? Where’s my phone? I’m getting dizzy… I can't feel my legs…I need to call for help… call for… help….what’s the number…?

          His frantic thoughts soon became disrupted as the drug penetrated his system. No… I need to… No… He strained to keep his eyes open, but the darkness was quickly enveloping him, cutting off his sense of the world. With a last few struggles, his body eventually became limp, sprawled helplessly on the cold cement ground.

11:07 pm, January 20^th

            The members looked up as the door to their practice room opened.

            “Sorry guys I had to go through the office to find my phone.” Jimin quickly explained when he was met with the members’ questioning gazes.

            “That’s cool. We’re still waiting for V.” Rap Monster shrugged as he brushed off Jimin’s apology.

            “It’s like 10 past 11 already. Let’s start get this thing started, he can join when he gets here.” Being the dance leader, J-Hope decided not to waste any more time since the concert was almost around the corner.

            The members quickly gathered at the back of the room as the music started. Like every other practice night, they were focused entirely on the movement of their bodies and their synchronization as a team. All issues were forgotten for the moment as they poured their passion into every dance move of every song.

          In contrast to the energy and noise filled room, the roads in the proximity were fairly silent. Occasionally, the grumbling of tires filled the streets as cars passed by. Other than that, not a single soul could be spotted in sight. The cold weather really did not favour late night strolls for either people or animals. Every street simply looked deserted, including the dark and narrow alley that sat hidden behind the building.