Jin munched on the freshly made sandwich gratefully. Despite everything, his boss, Sung Min, was always good to him. He worked at a small restaurant, one of the last ones left. It was a pretty popular spot, especially with NO supporters and employees who could afford to pay for such a thing. So while walking on eggshells around the patrons, Jin still managed to hear a great deal of information. It also helped that he was the only server Sung Min could afford. He'd asked her once why she employed him, and she just shrugged her shoulders. 

"You've got a good heart Jin, and you're hard working. I'd rather you than some street rat who steals half my food." 

Now that the lunch rush was over, Jin sat in the kitchen with the chef, Joon, eating some of the "leftovers" the chef had made. As Joon handed Jin the fresh sandwich, he had a small cunning smile on his lips and said, "I guess I was anticipating more people today." 

Sung Min came in to the kitchen and rested her hip against the counter. "Are you alright Jin? You seemed distracted today." 

Jin stared at his sandwich, unsure of what to say. Sung Min and Joon didn't know he was the leader of BTS, a decision he made to keep them safe. But they knew about Jungkook, sometimes Sung Min would let Jin bring him by when the restaurant wasn't busy. Jin set the sandwich back on the plate, suddenly not hungry. 

"Jungkook...he was taken yesterday," he said quietly. 

Sung Min stiffened and Joon stopped in mid-bite, eyes wide. Then Jin's boss moved knelt down in front of him and rested a hand against his cheek affectionately. Besides BTS and Jungkook, Sung Min and Joon were the closest thing to family Jin had. Jin hadn't realized he was crying until Sung Min wiped the tears off his cheek. Her face was soft, caring, and it only made Jin cry more. Joon got up and left the kitchen. A moment later, Jin heard a lock click shut, meaning the chef closed the store. 

"I'm so sorry," Sung Min said, wrapping her arms around Jin tightly.

 "Ajumma, what am I going to do?" he asked, crying into her shoulder. "I was responsible for him. I let him get taken." 

Sung Min smoothed his hair silently, and he wondered if she was even going to answer. When she spoke, her voice was quiet and reassuring. "It is not your fault, Jin. It's no one's fault. Jungkook is strong, he's a survivor, and you and your rebellion will get him back." Jin tensed, but Sung Min held tight. With such a high profile of patrons coming in and out of the restaurant, NO had the business bugged, much like any other place.

She whispered into his ear, "I know you've been listening to NO's conversations, Jin, I'm not blind. I've pieced two and two together. Don't worry, we won't say anything. You bring that boy back home, where he belongs." 

Finally, she pulled away and rubbed his arm affectionately. Jin rubbed the tears away. "Thank-you ajumma." 

"Come, let's clean up the restaurant." 

****

Jin stood in front of his apartment building, wondering if he should go in or not. Abandoning his home would look suspicious, but going in hurt too much. Straightening, Jin reached out and opened the door. He stepped into the empty hall. Not many people lived in the apartment, all squatters. Everyone kept to themselves, and everyone was quiet, but Jin knew if they were crossed the wrong way, there would be hell to pay. If anyone who stepped into the apartment who wasn't a tenant, would quickly learn not to wander back in. 

When Jin first moved into the apartment building, he hadn't met Jungkook. The tenants let him in, being young and orphaned, and they looked out for him ever since. When he brought Jungkook home, they did the same. It was the same thing as Sung Min: he had no idea why these people let him and Jungkook live here when they refused everyone else. Maybe it was their age, maybe it was pity. Either way, it was comforting, knowing that they were safe in the walls of the apartment. 

A man stood in the doorway of an apartment, picking at his nails with a knife, only a couple years older than Jin. He glanced up at Jin and nodded in recognition. Unofficial security. Jin flashed him a fleeting smile before taking the stairs two at a time until he came to the top floor. His was the only vacant apartment on the floor, and he moved easily to the door. He gripped the doorknob, with hesitation, before throwing it open. 

Part of him expected Jungkook to be sitting there, on his bed, on the laptop. For a moment, Jin saw his dongsaeng, grinning, eating some crackers. Then the image was gone, all that was left was an empty, dark apartment. Jin glanced around the apartment, his chest tight. Without giving Jungkook's bed a second glance, he crossed over to his and crouched down. He reached under and pulled out a small box. Everything he owned that had any value, he kept in the box. Slowly, he pulled it open and stared at the contents. A t-shirt his brother had given him. Some money that he kept stashed away. He stuffed that into his wallet. A few other knick-knacks he's collected over the years. 

And, at the very bottom of the box, was a picture. A picture of his family. It was dusty, and faded with age, but he could still see their smiling faces and he traced his thumb over the picture with a sad smile. He folded the picture and put it in his wallet, closed up the box, stuffed it back under the bed, then moved to the small closet. He grabbed some clothes, packed them into the backpack, and threw it over his shoulders. With one last look around the apartment, he left, closing the door firmly behind him. 

Downstairs, he glanced back at the security guard and handed him some money. "If NO comes looking for me, tell them I'm gone." 

The man raised his eyebrows, stared at the money in his hand, then tucked it in his back pocket. He nodded and crossed his arms again, resuming his position. Jin stepped out of the apartment, feeling apprehensive. He had no idea if he was ever going to go back ot the apartment. He had no idea what tomorrow was going to bring, if they were going to survive. But none of that mattered. All that mattered was bringing Jungkook home.

****

A/N: Another up! I told myself I wasn't going to post for this story this weekend (have to focus on my novel) but I couldn't let it sit for long! As always, enjoy and comment ^^