It was a lot harder than expected keeping up with Namjoon as he was going higher on the mountain, so it was good that it was Jungkook following after him. At one point, Namjoon stopped and turned to him.

N: “Do you have something to say?”

J: “Not really.”

N: “Then why did you come after me?”

J: “Even if I don’t know what to say, I can at least listen to you vent.”

N: “There’s nothing to vent about.” Namjoon started, sitting on the ground then placing his back on it and crossing his arms under his head. “It’s me who snapped like an idiot after doing something I already know bothers Jin.”

J: “Talking to Mr. Cha for a long time?”

N: “Yeah.”

J: “Maybe I’m missing something, but I don’t understand what’s wrong with that.”

N: “Nothing’s wrong with it. Except that it’s the one thing that bothers Jin on multiple occasions and that I keep doing on multiple occasions despite knowing that.”

J: “But, especially since it’s the only thing bothering him, can’t he look past it? Why should you stop doing something you enjoy, comes natural to you and is not really a bad thing?”

N: “You’d be right if these were the only elements in the equation. But the thing is that Jin already looked past and put up with a whole lot of other things. He was used to having a comfortable life in the city ever since he was born. Then he started traveling with me and, besides this hut, a lot of other places we went to didn’t have easy living conditions. He got used to a lack of resources and conveniences, he learned how to deal with spontaneity and surprises, got over his fear of various animals and situations and constantly adapted to a lot of things. And all of this just to be by my side. So the least I could do was put in effort to not do things that bother him. But, it seems, I can’t even do that properly…”

J: “But you are doing that and much more. Everywhere you went, you’d create or get the things he needed to be more comfortable, you’d never insist with anything, always had patience to explain and guide and so on. Jin appreciates a lot of the things you did and still do. And I wouldn’t know this if I hadn’t heard it from him. Every time we talked and he’d about some of the conditions or situations you were experiencing, it was always followed by a “But Joon did this and made it better” set of statements. You should hear how he talks about you – he’s really proud you’re his lover. And you should hear how he es about the poor conditions or the weird situations and read between the lines. Because to me it sounds like, despite dealing with some difficulties, he’s having the time of his life.”

N: “I’m glad you ended up saying a lot, because that was really nice to hear.”

J: “On that note, I still think it’s right for you to continue talking to however many people you want for however long you want.”

N: “No. I should still try to tone it down.”

J: “Why?”

N: “Whose side are you on, anyway?”

J: “No one’s. I’d like to help both of you, but I don’t know how, so I’m just saying how I see things.”

N: “Well, the way I see it, I should apologize to Jin and try to do better in the future.”

Jungkook looked confused and even irritated, so Namjoon asked him what was wrong.

J: “I still don’t understand why you have to give up on a part of yourself just for things with Jin to work.”

N: “So if you were me and Jin was Taehyung, would you just abandon ship?”

J: “…”

N: “Here’s the thing – Choices dealing with giving up and gaining something are constantly made by each and every person in each and every one of their relationships, romantic or otherwise, and also in all their situations. If there’s a great imbalance between what you give up and what you gain or, if it’s between two people, a great imbalance between whet you’re giving and gaining and, respectively, what the other person is giving up and gaining, then problems are sure to arise. Jin gives up and gains a lot within this relationship. I find it natural, logical and recommended to do the same… In other words, I have no intention of being a selfish little brat that goes – “I’m gonna do whatever I want and I don’t care about what you want. You just follow me, put up with all of it, or take a hike.” – or something like that.”

Jungkook looked angry, but couldn’t articulate any thought coherently, so he just sat down next to Namjoon and lit himself a cigarette. After a while, Namjoon lifted his body and asked Jungkook:

N: “The concept of compromise is not really something you’re a fan of, is it?”

J: “Are you implying I’m one of those selfish little brats you mentioned earlier?”

N: “Not really. You hate being pushed around, controlled or limited by other people, so you don’t accept someone having that kind of behavior towards you. But it’s also true that you don’t demand anything or take away anything from people and, very often, you’re really considerate. So there isn’t really an imbalance there. But…”

J: “But?”

N: “But I suspect there’s now something you wanna gain. And you subconsciously know that, in order to gain it, you’ll have to give up something and I think that’s why you’re a bit troubled right now.”

J: “What will I need to give up?”

N: “I don’t know. But I think the novelty of this situation for you is making it seem grander than it actually is when, in reality, it might turn out to not be a big deal at all.”

Jungkook fell silent after that, so Namjoon just got up to gather the prettiest flowers in the area and then told him they should head back.

Seokjin was throwing something into the trashcan from outside when he saw Namjoon and Jungkook coming towards the hut, so he went up to Namjoon with quite some nervousness.

N: “Hey, Jin…”

S: “Joon…”

N: “I’m sorry about earlier this morning.”

S: “I’m sorry too.” Seokjin said after he suddenly enveloped Namjoon in a tight hug.

Namjoon hugged back and they stayed like that for a while till they pulled apart and Namjoon gave Seokjin the flowers he had gathered for him. Seeing the bouquet, Seokjin started laughing, then cupped Namjoon’s face and kissed him lovingly. As that was going on, Taehyung pulled up in the car and tried parking it, failed, tried again and successfully parked on his second attempt.

N: “Where did Taehyung go?”

S: “I asked him to get me some ingredients from town ‘cause… Guess what I’m gonna make for lunch!”

Namjoon realized with surprise what the answer might be, but he didn’t have time to articulate it before Taehyung reached them and, as he was handing the bag to Seokjin, said:

T: “I’m glad I’m seeing this kinda scene after getting back. By the way, it took me forever to find ginger.”

S: “Thank you.”

N: “Are you okay? You look as white as a sheet. Did something happen along the way?”

T: “Not worth getting into that right now. I’ll be over there for a bit, watching the cows.”

Namjoon and Seokjin shared a glance and decided it was best to let Taehyung calm down from whatever happened, so they just went inside the hut where Seokjin continued cooking while exchanging kisses and hugs with Namjoon. Jungkook went and sat next to Taehyung after a little while, and said:

J: “I’m apparently not such a great listener… but if you wanna talk about it…”

T: “Ah…” Taehyung let out while burying his face in his palms. “A tree trunk fell in front of me from higher up on the mountain as I was coming back. I panicked and my foot hit only the edge of the break the first time I stepped on it. I regrouped in time and nothing happened, the car didn’t get damaged either, but still… If I had started driving 10 seconds later, that trunk would have fallen right over the car and me… How many near-death experiences in a single holiday does it take to drive a person insane?”

Jungkook didn’t say anything and Taehyung found that odd, so he turned to him and saw him troubled.

T: “Jungkook? Are you alright?”

J: “Huh? Ah, yeah… Uhm… What would you say to me right now if our situations were reversed?”

T: “I don’t know, but I really don’t wanna imagine you in mortal danger right now. In this state, that thought might render me unconscious or really make me go insane.”

J: “Does it bother you a lot when I’m faced with danger?”

T: “Of course. I don’t want you to get hurt or have something worse happen to you.”

J: “I see…” Jungkook let out before he got up and added: “I’m gonna take a walk to sort out some thoughts. See you at lunch or a bit later.”

T: “Uhm… okay.”

It was pretty clear now that what Jungkook would have to give up on, or at least tone down, was his reckless behavior. This meant missing out on many opportunities to enjoy life, so Jungkook’s instinctive thought was “No way in hell!” in regards to accepting such a deal.

But then he remembered that Taehyung almost just died and could’ve suddenly disappeared like that without any warning sign through a stupid accident. The thought was painful and frightening and, now, Taehyung’s worry and his wish to not see Jungkook get hurt sounded more legit than Jungkook ever thought was possible. If Taehyung had to regularly experience such painful and frightening thoughts, they were going to drive him insane or, at least, make him miserable. Jungkook didn’t want that, so he thought it was best to not get any further involved with Taehyung if he wasn’t willing to tone down his recklessness.

Finally Jungkook had more clarity but, when he stopped being lost in his thoughts, he looked around and realized he was lost for real.

When lunch was done, Seokjin called Jungkook to tell him to come back, but his phone was off. They ate and then Namjoon and Taehyung continued working on the space for the wood while Seokjin caught up with the work he had skipped during the morning, but everyone had a growing feeling that something wasn’t right, so Namjoon turned up the music that could be heard from the speakers outside the hut, just in case Jungkook wasn’t sure about his way back.

Then, 3 hours before sunset, Namjoon and Taehyung stopped working on the space for the wood and went out to look for Jungkook. Namjoon told Taehyung to search in a smaller area relatively close to the hut and told him how to not get lost and find his way back. They arranged to meet back at the hut before nightfall, whether or not they found Jungkook, and to call each other in case of anything.

3 hours later, Taehyung came back to the hut but Jungkook hadn’t returned and Namjoon was still out searching for him. Darkness was falling and Jungkook had been missing by that point for around 7 hours.

Taehyung and Seokjin waited outside because they were agitated, even if it had gotten really cold and it was now so dark you couldn’t even see a meter in front of you without the help of some light. A while after 8 p.m., so nearly 9 hours since Jungkook was missing, they saw a light that seemed to be the flashlight function of a phone approaching the hut, but it turned out to be Namjoon.

N: “I’ll head back out to look for him, but my phone’s dying, so I need a proper flashlight, a bottle of water and some better clothes.”

S: “Are you gonna be okay going back out there in this darkness?”

N: “Yeah, I know my way around even if I can’t see much. I’ll take the external battery with me. It’ll charge my phone enough to call you in case of anything. And I’ll find him, so don’t worry. Okay?”

While Namjoon was comforting Seokjin, Taehyung couldn’t help getting even more restless than he already was. He went near the edge, took a deep breath and yelled Jungkook’s name at the top of his lungs. For a while, all he could hear was the echo of his own scream and the music coming from the speakers, but he screamed again, trying to be louder. By the third time he did it, the scream ended in a coughing fit and he felt close to tears. Suddenly Namjoon stopped the music, went over to the edge with wide eyes and also screamed Jungkook’s name as loudly as he could.

J: “Coming!”

It was a faint sound for which you could barely tell the direction it came from, but Taehyung suddenly slid down the edge and started running in a certain direction. Namjoon didn’t know what to do for a second after that happened, but he regrouped quickly and went after him. A few more screams were exchanged, but it still seemed to Namjoon that Taehyung was too sure of which direction to go in judging by how hard it was to tell where sound came from in that kind of area.

When they finally found Jungkook, he had one knee and one hand on the ground, looked absolutely worn out, he was dirty from head to toes, had a few scratches on his face, a ripped jacket and the sole of one of his boots was loose.

T: “Are you okay?”

J: “Water…” Jungkook barely let out with a dry throat, so Namjoon hurriedly gave him the bottle from which he drank until it was empty while Taehyung put his jacket over Jungkook’s back.

N: “Where were you?”

J: “I don’t know… When I realized I was lost, I went up on a tall mountain to look around and see where the hut or the houses were, or at least where the road was, but I couldn’t see anything around me except more mountains and woods. So I tried going to another mountain but then it got dark and I could barely tell left from right… I’m so tired… I only saw what I thought was the light from the hut a little while ago, so I wanted to go towards it, but… I’m so tired…”

Taehyung let out a painful and deep breath, then told Jungkook to get on his back so he could carry him to the hut. Namjoon suggested he’d carry Jungkook at least when they had to go up a steep slope, but Taehyung said it was fine and, indeed, he managed to carry Jungkook back to the hut at a fast pace regardless of the landscape.

Back at the hut, Seokjin was frantic and Mr. Cha was trying to calm him down, but Seokjin couldn’t calm down until he was assured that Jungkook wasn’t seriously injured, he hadn’t hit his head at any point during that day and he hadn’t come in contact with any animal. After they took Jungkook inside, Seokjin said he’d handle the rest and urged Namjoon and Taehyung to go outside, make a campfire and have a few beers with Mr. Cha because they deserved a break after everything they went through.

Jungkook was half-asleep while Seokjin took off his dirty clothes, cleaned the wounds, dressed him up in warm and clean clothes, covered him with heat-packs, then woke him up to drink more water and eat something light before taking some medicine. Because Jungkook was falling asleep with the spoon in his hand and the food in his mouth, Seokjin started feeding him and talking to him constantly to keep him awake till he finished eating. When he was done, Seokjin guided him to the bed, took away the heat-packs because it was dangerous to sleep with them on, covered him with 2 blankets, left some water and food on the table in case he were to suddenly wake up and put the charger into his phone.

Seokjin then went outside to update the others on Jungkook’s situation and hang out with them for a bit but refused drinking beer just in case he’d have to make some kind of emergency drive that night. He kept going inside every 10 minutes to check up on Jungkook, but everything seemed fine, so Seokjin also gradually relaxed. But not as much as Taehyung.

Taehyung had started downing one beer after the other and laughing with Mr. Cha at the stupidest of things. When he mentioned what happened with the tree trunk that day, Namjoon and Seokjin simultaneously chocked on what they were drinking.

That day they had nearly lost 2 people they cared about and they started wondering if it had actually been a bad idea inviting Jungkook and Taehyung on that trip. There were still 3 days left to go of that trip and they wondered what else would happen during those days.

A.N. It's gonna be another photo of mountains, 'cause it fits :)