Jimin returned with a high pitched scream. "Kookieeeeee!!! How did it go, are you still alive?"

Jungkook rose from the couch, mumbling "why do you have to be always that loud?" before he propperly greeted his hyung. His friend casted him a worried look and after some seconds had passed, came to the conclusion: "So I take it that it didn´t went that well."

In anger, Jungkook began to stomp around. Then, suddenly he threw his hands in the air. "I DON´T GET IT! Him... he didn´t... ARGH!!!"

It was an effort for Jimin to calm down his hot-headed maknae. After quite a while they finally settled down on the couch and he convinced the artist to tell him everything from the beginning. The promised dinner was long forgotten at this point.

"Uh, well... you see..." Jungkook struggled a little "As expected it didn´t go well first as I don´t know that V the slightest. I wasted hours nevertheless trying to draw him. That to be said, I´d like to paint him on a huge canvas instead of just scribbling around with my pencils~" Jimin giggled a bit and Jungkook rolled his eyes. "Yeah, go on and make fun of your suffering dongsaeng."

Immediately, Jimin apologized and signaled the other to continue. Satisfied for now, Jungkook went on. "So, I tried to draw him and grew more frustrated with every passing minute. V took a look on my ugly drawings and asked what´s my problem. I explained him how I work." he sighed at the memory. "And then, he began to act strange."

Jimin kept silent this time but it was obvious that he didn´t understand the last part. Jungkook noticed the questions trying to escape the olders mouth. The artist took deep breaths to ensure that he wouldn´t burst out in anger again before he continued. "See, he somehow disliked of talking about himself very very much. Although we talked for hours I have a feeling as if he didn´t say something important but babbled about everything and nothing." It seemed the breathing hadn´t been helpful.

"I still don´t know anything of him at all!" Every word of the last sentence has been louder than the previous and as he finished talking, Jungkook noticed  in surprise that he was standing again. But he couldn´t keep still for long with the confusion and some other feelings he couldn´t grasp lingering in his body. Not knowing what to do with his energy the artist started to pace around once more, oblivious of his hyung still sitting on the couch and watching his every move. His thoughts darted here and there while he walked in strange patterns. Jungkook wasn´t satisfied with the day´s result. No, he certainly wasn´t. How come V talked so long but didn´t say the things that matter? Why did he keep silent about the essential? The realization that it was his task to act struck him hard enough to make him stumble. He blinked. Then, with new found determination and not a slightest doubt, he declared: "I gotta change that!" Content with himself he stood there, arms crossed infront of his chest and already smiling in confidence.

"Okay, but what´s your plan?"

Jungkook whirled around an eyed his best friend as if he had pooped out of a hole and asked him where he had hidden the little alien babies he adopted yesterday. Or something like this.

"My what?!" he blurted.

Jimin smirked at him. "You need a plan, Kookie. Or do you really think you can go to that guy and say 'hey, tell me something interesting about you  right now, you were just talking around the bush last time' and then he will nod and say 'you´re right, I kept quiet about my private live at our last encounter but everything is different now' and then he will lay bare his whole life to you? Do you think it works like that?"

The time Jimin finished Jungkook was as red as a tomato. How did his hyung know he indeed imagined it like that? "I would´ve said it a bit differently...", he muttered.

The older hugged him tightly and smiled at him. "Awww, Kookie, you´re so cute", he cooed "but sometimes it is helpful to think things through before acting, don´t you aggree?" The younger nodded hesitantly. "Good", Jimin assured him. "So, what´s going to be your first step?"

Jungkook took his time thinking hard. As time went by, Jimin began to cook and payed attention not to disturb his friend being in deep thoughts. As Jungkook approached him to announce his decision, he was already done.

"First, I have to get to know his reasons for keeping silent."

Jimin nodded in affirmance, casted a sweet eyesmile at him and gave him a loaded plate.

"That sounds much better. Here, as promised. Dig in."

---------------------------------------

The next day, Jungkook took only a few minutes to draw V. He had important business today. After merely half an hour, he decided it was a good opportunity to launch his attack.

"I´m born in this town and know most of the people here. But you, I´ve seen the day before yesterday for the first time. So I take it that you just recently moved here." Not a question. A fact he knew was right. "And I was wondering... have you been shown around properly? There are some hidden places not many people know about. If you want to, I could show you around." He subtly made puppy eyes while waiting for a response. The tension grew stronger with every breath he took. After what felt to him like an eternity, V aggreed with a hard judging gaze. They both left with a feeling of uneasiness between them.

Jungkook tried his best to be a good guide as he showed V around the insider tipps and his favourite places. The roof of an abandoned old building with perfect view to the lake closeby. A small café in the forest next to the town. Two beautiful twin waterfalls. The bar mixing the best local drinks. A little park where always somebody makes music. If he was sure to be alone, Jungkook would come here and sing. But of course, he did not mention that. Like this, the day passed by and V indeed seemed to be interested. As they approached their last destination for today, the artist kept his mouth firmly shut to not reveal his plan. They walked in silence up the hill and to the top where three huge trees were growing and between them a statue was standing.

There was an old saying only known by the town-people: "Only pure hearts are able to fly."

Meaning a local legend. Everytime somebody climbed the hill the statue wouldn´t stand in the middle of the triangle formed by the trees. One had to try to move the statue to the spot marking the middle. If he or she was guilty of any sin or crime, the statue wouldn´t move. If unguilty and pure-hearted, it would. And the moment the statue showing an ascending bird locked into place, its wings would spread thanks to some clever mechanism.

Jungkook had decided to test V like that. He didn´t know the reasons for his secrecy. It was possible that V was a criminal hiding from the police. And he was not keen of working with a potential thug or drug dealer  or kidnapper or murderer or whatever. He watched carefully as V went to the statue and read the inscription.

"Take me to the sky..." he rubbed off some dirt to reveal the rest of it. "Take me to the sky, spread my wings, wings are made to fly." He paused before asking  his personal guide "What does that mean?"

Said guide just shrugged. "Don´t know", he lied. "But more importantly" he continued and pointed at the marked spot in the middle "it seems some jerks have moved the statue again. Think you can push it back to its rightful place, hyung?"

V didn´t question his lack of offered help. Jungkook had made sure to let slip once in a while comments suggesting his back and arms were hurting a lot and even had winced and flinched a bit. Because if two peope pushed the statue back, the whole thing was pointless. After some stretching, the older pressed against the stone bird. Without success. Does that mean... he is guilty? Jungkook clenched his fists. "Try it again", he ordered. V gave him an annoyed glance before he did as told. Groaning, he pressed against the statue with his whole body and slowly, it began to move. Spurred on, he gathered all his strength and moved the statue back to its place. And jumped back in surprise, screaming, as the stone wings moved upwards with a loud screech. He cursed, panting hard, before he whirled around to Jungkook who made a show of looking as shocked as him.

"What the hell was that?!"

"I-I have no idea..."

Jungkook looked back at the stone bird who seemed to rise to the sky every moment. Slowly, the tension and doubts left and he began to relax.

So V had himself proven to be innocent. What makes him more likely to be... a victim maybe?

One thing for sure, his research didn´t stop here, Jungkook decided. He would reveal the secrets of the mysterious man next to him and not stop before he knew everything.