slapping yall w that false sense of security only to hit chu w dat ddu-du-d...ill stop now

[april]

Jin and Seulgi's conversation continued to haunt him for the remainder of the weekend. Not only was he disturbed by the information she had shared with him, but every time he saw Namjoon's face, he wondered what the boy would do when he found out.

He wasn't expecting it to turn into a whole debacle and spiral out of control so quickly.

-

Jin honestly thought Seulgi would prolong the talk with Namjoon or never have it at all, but he was pleasantly surprised when she asked him to help her explain the next weekend they saw each other.

It was a very awkward conversation, and Jin really had no idea what Namjoon's response would be.

He knew his boyfriend was a very considerate person who always tried to see the good in everyone, which is why it came as a little bit of a shock to him when Namjoon flat-out told Seulgi he didn't trust her and didn't feel comfortable with Young-Jae being around her.

From there, it was a conversation that seemed to get more heated by the minute.

You could tell that Namjoon felt uncomfortable about his decision, but wouldn't take it back. She kept something from them that was a threat to her safety, and he was already having a hard time trusting her to begin with.

Seulgi knew this but was also upset that Namjoon seemed to be trying to keep Young-Jae away. She hadn't become a different person after their conversation, she still wanted to be around her son. All she ever did was keep a part of her life out of the picture because she thought was ashamed.

After almost an hour of debating, and Jin trying to mediate, they finally settled on a decision.

Which was basically going back to square one.

Seulgi could come over to the house to hang out with Young-Jae, but only if one or two people were there. Namjoon preferred if it was him at home, but he was a little more lenient knowing that Sung-ho didn't know where they lived and he was still trying to give her the benefit of the doubt.

She was obviously upset, but chose to accept it, as all she really wanted was to be able to see Young-Jae

-

Another week went by, and Seulgi had practically shown up every day. It bothered Namjoon, but he chose to stay silent about it. She was finished with her work here, so she had a lot of free time.

She would often come over when Sana or his mother had picked the boy up from daycare, so Namjoon was constantly texting about updates during the last two periods of school.

Once the bell rang, Namjoon was out. He couldn't stand the thought of leaving Young-Jae alone with her for too long, even though he knew his mother and cousin were also there.

Sometimes the boys wanted to hang out after school, but when no one could find Namjoon, they turned to Jin who would have to explain the boy's paranoia. It was getting to the point where he'd often forget Taehyung at school, and Jeongguk would have to drive him home later.

All of this should've been the biggest obstacle if it weren't for the fact that on top of it all, Namjoon and Jin were trying to move their stuff into the new apartment.

A month before graduation, senior exams coming up, a paranoid Namjoon, and to top it all off, his trial at BigHit was hitting the one-month mark, and he would soon have to go through a series of tests to see if he would qualify to move on to the next set of trials that would determine if he was going to get paid and have a real producing job.

Yeah. No stress at all.

-

The following Saturday, Seulgi showed up once again.

Knocking on the door softly, Jin was the one to open the door, as Namjoon and Young-Jae were upstairs in their room, putting the three year old's clothes in boxes.

They were planning to move all their stuff into their new apartment tomorrow, the other four boys coming over to help.

"Hey!" Jin started, before noticing the forlorn expression on Seulgi's face. His eyes softened, and he stepped aside to let her in. "What's wrong?"

She merely shook her head, sighing. "I just had a really frustrating conversation with Sung-ho."

Jin frowned, as they sat on the couch. He hated hearing the guy's name. It left a sour taste in his mouth, just thinking about the conversations he had with the girl.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

She sighed, before shaking her head.

"I just...want to get my mind off things."

Jin gave her a small smile, before standing up to alert the father and son of her presence.

It had only been an hour, but Jin could tell that Seulgi was just not in a happy mindset. She was still laughing and playing with Young-Jae, but he could tell her attitude was just a facade.

He and Namjoon were taping and writing on boxes in the dining room so they could keep an eye on the two in the living room.

Finally, he sighed, standing up and stretching.

"I have an idea," he said, as Namjoon looked up from the floor and the box sitting on his lap.

Jin looked over at the two in the living room.

"Who wants to bake something!" he said.

Young-Jae stood up excitedly, jumping up and down. "Ooh! Ooh! Me! Me!"

Jin smiled, looking over at Namjoon.

"Let's change things up a little bit. Get out of the house, get some groceries, and have some fun in the kitchen."

Namjoon looked down at the box in his lap before starting to stand up.

"Okay, let me-"

Jin placed a hand on the other boy's shoulder.

"And you're staying home," he said, as Namjoon stared up at him.

"But-" he stopped, seeing Jin raising his eyebrows at him.

"You trust me, right?"

Without a doubt, Namjoon nodded his head.

"'Kay, well we're going to the grocery store. You finish what you're doing, and we'll come back and bake something."

Namjoon frowned.

Jin sighed, crouching down in front of his boyfriend. "Finish these boxes and then go lay down or something. You're stressed, and when you're stressed, everyone else in this house is stressed,"

Jin laughed a little, as Namjoon looked down at his hands.

He knew the boy was right.

"Okay fine."

"Good," Jin beamed, he pressed his lips to Namjoon's. "Love you!"

"Love you too," Namjoon mumbled, as Jin hopped up to go get the car keys.

-

The three of them walked into the grocery store, Young-Jae watching a show on Jin's phone as Seulgi carried him in her arms.

"So, I'm thinking fruit cake? Vanilla sponge and maybe berries?" Jin said in thought, as he grabbed a basket.

Seulgi nodded, "I mean, whatever sounds good to you. I'm just there to eat it," she tried to make a joke, letting out a small laugh.

Jin smiled at her effort, as he nodded his head.

"Okay, well there's a few groceries that Namjoon said he needed, and then we'll get the stuff for the cake."

The three walked around the store, every once in a while, Young-Jae would look up and point at something he wanted, but Jin had to tell him 'no'. The three year old would pout for a second before going back to watching his show.

While shopping, Jin tried to make small talk, but Seulgi only seemed to be half listening, her mind elsewhere.

"Okay," he said, sighing as he looked down at the things in his basket. "I think we can start looking for things to get for the cake."

Seulgi put Young-Jae down, as he ran up to a box of gummies with a Paw Patrol theme.

While the two adults were looking at the ingredient list on Seulgi's phone, the boy sneakily stuck the gummies in the basket, before pretending like nothing happened and continued to watch his show on Jin's phone.

"So, I'll go look at what fruit looks good, and get the whipped cream, and maybe you can go find the dry ingredients? Like flour and confectioners sugar?"

The girl nodded, as Jin typed down the exact ingredients on her phone and handed it to her.

Seulgi patted Young-Jae's back, as they went down the aisles looking for the baking ingredients.

-

Seulgi was upset.

And it upset her more, that she knew everyone could tell she was upset.

But she didn't know what to do.

Honestly, she just wanted to cry or scream. On the verge of a mental breakdown, the conversation with Sung-ho replayed over and over again in her mind.

"I was looking at your bank statements. Nowhere does it say you paid for a lawyer."

Seulgi's heart practically dropped into her stomach.

"T-that's because-"

"I hope you're not telling me I've been giving you money these past two months, for you to hire a lawyer and there's no court case. What's the money for Kang Seulgi?"

Seulgi sighed, trying to forget what happened earlier. She quickly pulled a bag of sugar from the aisle.

"Can we get this, eomma?" she turned around to see Young-Jae holding up a box of cookies.

"Sorry Young-Jae, maybe next time. Let's go look for the other baking stuff," she smiled sadly at the boy, making a mental note to buy some later to keep at her house when he came over.

Her heart sank a little more.

Oh right.

The three year old nodded with a pout, putting the item on the shelf, and turning his attention back to Jin's phone.

"I-i...I just haven't found the right lawyer."

"What do you mean?! You told me two months ago that you were in the middle of a custody battle, and you didn't have the money for a lawyer! Seulgi, I never question your purchases, but I swear if you're lying-"

"I-i'm not! I did hire a lawyer! I did...but...t-the lawyer I hired didn't seem qualified, so I've been trying to find another one, a-and...I-"

A harsh sigh came from the other line, and Seulgi stopped talking.

"I've given you time and money! I've been patient, and I haven't questioned you, because you always do what you're told. But I'm done with this bullshit! You know I have good connections, you should've let me help from the beginning. I'm hiring a friend of mine, and you're coming back next week. You have work to do. End of discussion."

"But-"

"I said I'm done, Seulgi," Sung-ho ground out. The girl squeezed her eyes shut, trying not to let the tears escape. "Don't forget that I fucking own you. You rose to the top because I gave you everything, but if you try this shit with me again, I'll take it all away from you. Just as quickly."

And with that, he ended the call, leaving Seulgi a crying mess on the floor.

"Young-Jae, what kind of-" Seulgi turned around to ask the little boy which flour she should get, but instead, she was met with a deep sense of fear and panic.

She dropped the bag, barely even flinching when it exploded on impact, a dust of white smoke rising from the floor.

He wasn't there.

That snapped her quickly out of her thoughts, as she shoved all of the ingredients she had grabbed back on the shelf, and started walking between the aisles, calling out his name.

Each time she passed another aisle, the more the panic in her arose.

"Young-Jae?" she called out, "This isn't funny. Where are you?" she said, as she briskly walked past each row.

Every time she called his name, it came out shakier and shakier. Her eyes darted quickly between the shelves, barely even noticing the other people looking up at her as she passed.

"Young-Jae!" she was breathing heavily, as she made it to the end of the store, still no sign of the boy.

She retraced her steps, walking in the opposite direction.

It's okay. He probably just went to look for Jin. He's still here.

She assured herself, as she rushed back in the direction she came.

Continuing to call out his name, she was bleary-eyed, ignoring the odd looks she was getting from other customers as she realized she was getting closer and closer to the fruit stands, with no three year old in sight.

No. No. This cannot be happening. This cannot be happening.

"Young-Jae!" she called out again, as she realized she was nearing the last aisle.

And all hope was lost when he wasn't there.

She frantically turned in circles, suddenly aware of how everything seemed to be moving by her all too quickly.

She looked over, watching as Jin happily looked through the fruit, completely unaware.

She couldn't do it, she couldn't look at the complete disappointment in his face as she told him that she had just lost her son in the grocery store.

Her own son.

She quickly scrambled up to him, tears in her eyes, as she shook his arm.

"Y-youn-he he-" she could barely get out a word, as she started to cry, Jin's panicked face completely blurred in her eyesight.

He dropped the basket on the ground. Grabbing her by the shoulders and forcing her to look at him in the eyes.

"Seulgi, what's wrong?" he looked behind her before his eyes widened, "W-where's Young-Jae?" he said, in alarm.

She was a blubbering mess, as she tried to get the words out, the other customers now looking at them in concern.

"He's not-he was there, and he can't- I don't-" a harsh shake, made her stop.

"Seulgi!" Jin exclaimed. "Where's Young-Jae?" he demanded, his voice, clearly panicked.

"He was with me, and-and then I turned around to get the flour, and he wasn't there," she rushed out, a sob leaving her lips.

Jin's eyes widened, and he frantically looked around.

"Well he couldn't have gotten far, let's look through the aisles again-"

"I already did! He wasn't in them!" she cried out, as Jin left the basket on the floor and pulled her along.

"He's still in here. He has to be," he muttered, as they sped through the store once again.

But it only proved futile when they couldn't find him in the next few minutes, and had started to ask customers if they had seen the little boy, all shaking their head.

When it hit the ten-minute mark, Jin knew he was going to have to call Namjoon and ask the store for some help.

Seulgi went off to ask the store if they could pull up the security footage or say something on the loudspeaker, and Jin reached into his pocket to pull out his phone...

When he remembered Young-Jae had been watching his show on it.

He rushed to the front to ask Seulgi to borrow her phone, so he could track it.

Thinking that all hope wasn't lost, he smiled as the location popped up half a mile away for a second before it blinked off.

And all he could do was stare at the now darkened map where a blue dot had once pointed out the boy's location but was no more.

What happened?

He tried again and again, but it wouldn't update. He let out a noise of frustration, as he tried not to lose his mind.

He looked down at the phone in dread, before it really hit him what was going on.

Young-Jae was missing.

He was out there, on the streets, maybe even with someone.

And Jin had left him with Seulgi.

He looked up at the girl who was being consoled by the store manager, as they wrote down a quick message to put over the loudspeaker. Another person was sitting at the computer, going through the front of the store's security footage.

Jin looked back down at the phone in his hand, before realizing what he was going to have to do.

He would have to call Namjoon and tell him that he'd lost his son in the grocery store, after, asking him to trust him.

Jin could feel the tears pricking at the corners of his eyes.

He felt so guilty.

With a shaky sigh, he typed Namjoon's phone number and put the device to his ear.

-

"Namjoon, please sit down, you're going to wear a hole in the carpet," his mother sighed, as they sat around the dinner table, the food getting cold from being uneaten.

It wasn't dinner, but it was almost evening, and the three hadn't come back yet.

The minute he let them leave the house, he had a sinking feeling in his stomach that something was going to go horribly wrong.

Although Jin had simply smiled and told him to go rest, he could only do the exact opposite.

He'd texted the boy several times, but the messages didn't seem to be going through, so he resorted to calling.

They went straight to voicemail.

Taehyung had even come home from doing Youtube things and they still weren't back yet.

Now, he was worriedly pacing back and forth in the living room, while his parents and Taehyung watched in dismay as the guy stressed himself out.

Suddenly, his phone rang, and he practically jumped over the couch to reach it.

He picked it up quickly, not even caring that it was Seulgi.

"Where are you guys? Are you coming back yet? It's really late, I think-"

"N-namjoon."

He didn't know why, but there was this sinking feeling in his chest, that could only be described as panic.

"Jin?" he said, with mild confusion. "Why are you calling from Seulgi's phone?"

There was a moment of silence, as Namjoon waited for Jin to speak before he realized the boy was trying to hold back his tears.

"Jin? Are you okay? Why are you crying?" he asked in a panicky voice.

That got his family's attention, and they were all now looking over at the father, as he tried to decipher what Jin was trying to say.

"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry! I-"

"What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

"No, I-"

"Why are you crying then?"

"It's not me, I-"

"Are you guys okay? What happened? Did something happen? You guys are at the grocery store still, right? D-"

"It's Young-Jae," Jin blurted out. "He's missing," Jin managed to say before he started crying again.

And Namjoon's world came crashing down.

oop

not @ me eating a whole box of mac & cheese when ik damn well i have a gluten allergy and am slightly lactose intolerant.

also not @ me trying to act casual and ignore the fact that yall r probably shitting ur pants rn