You wake up with a light, bubbly feeling. Taehyung's hug last night was so healing, you worry you just might get addicted to it!

You check your phone, and are surprised to see a text message from Seokjin.

Your eyes widen, and you immediately dial Seokjin's number. He picks up midway through the first ring, as if he was just waiting for your call the entire time.

"Finally!" he exclaims, "I've been waiting for two hours!"

"What are you talking about? My phone says your message was from 15 minutes ago."

A pause.

"It felt like two hours to me," Seokjin insists, "Isn't that what matters? Anyway, I need your help!"

"With what?" you ask, worried, "What happened?"

"So last week, I sent out an application to a hotel out there in the city... I just received a response... They want me to come in for a job interview!"

"Isn't that... good news?" you ask, confused.

"Yes, but... the interview is this Saturday! It's really short notice."

You pinch the bridge of your nose. You should've known Seokjin's emergency isn't actually an emergency.

"So basically, you're asking if you can stay over at my place this weekend?" you deadpan.

"Yes! I knew you'd get me!" Seokjin sounds excited, but also a teensy bit smug.

"As long as you don't mind crashing on the couch? My apartment's pretty small, there's only one bedroom..."

"I don't mind even if I have to sleep on the floor," Seokjin says, dismissing your concerns, "I just need a place to stay."

"Well if you're okay with it, then you're very welcome to my home."

"You're the best, [Y/N]-ah!" Seokjin cheers, "I'll be arriving Friday night, okay?"

"Yup, see you! Take care on your way here!"

"Thanks, brat! I owe you one." You can almost imagine Seokjin's cheeky wink. "See yah!"

Seokjin ends the call and you shake your head.

'Seriously, calling me "brat" right after asking for a favor.' You get up from bed. 'I guess I should tell Taehyung we're having a guest---'

Your breath catches in your throat as a realization hits you: You still haven't told Seokjin about Taehyung!

You look down at your phone, wondering if you should call Seokjin to tell him... but decide to just worry about his reaction when he gets there.

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You call out to Taehyung, who's busy preparing breakfast in the kitchen.

"Taehyungie, we're having a guest this weekend."

Taehyung whips around, eyes wide.

"Waaa, really? A guest! Who is it?" he asks, obviously excited.

"Do you remember my childhood friend that I told you about?"

"You mean Seokjin-hyung?"

'Of course Taehyung's already calling him hyung...'

You nod.

"I'm finally going to meet your best friend!" Taehyung claps his hands to his cheeks, "Wow! I'm so excited!" Then, he gasps. "Do you want me to make something special for him? Haaa... We need to make preparations!"

You chuckle at Taehyung's enthusiasm.

"Yeah, about that," you say, "I was thinking... Maybe we should do groceries tonight?" You scratch your cheek, "And maybe finally buy a table we can actually eat on?"

"Sounds like a great idea!" Taehyung chirps, giving you a thumbs up.

"Meet me after work then?" you ask, "You have our building address, right?"

"Yup! I have everything about you memorized, [Y/N]ie."

'Not literally everything, I hope...'

"I'll leave some extra money for the fare before I leave," you tell Taehyung. He nods and lays a cheek on his hand dreamily.

"I'm excited for our shopping date."

'D-date???'

"Y-yeah," you stammer, "me too!"

"Ah!" Taehyung exclaims, turning back towards the kitchen, "the hotteok is ready!" He turns back to you with a sparkle in his eye, "Let's eat!"

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It's a pretty busy day at work, so you barely notice the hours passing by. When you get down to the lobby, Taehyung is already there waiting. He gives you a big, enthusiastic wave the moment he spots you. You shyly wave back.

You sweep a gaze around the lobby and, as expected, you see coworkers staring at Taehyung, whispering amongst each other with wide eyes and flushed cheeks.

"Hi!" Taehyung greets when you get to him, "How was y---"

"Let's go!" you cut him off, grabbing his hand and quickly pulling him out the exit. For some reason, you don't like having all those admiring eyes on Taehyung.

You decide to tuck this feeling away for later examination. For now, you have a mission to accomplish.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Wow, we finished so quickly!" Taehyung remarks as the two of you step out of the supermarket.

You grabbed a few of Seokjin's favorite food items, as well as a low, folding table to serve as your dining table. You figured that with a low table, you can just sit on the floor, eliminating the need to buy chairs.

"I'm sorry for making you carry a table all this way," you say, watching Taehyung lug around a whole-ass table on top of the groceries he's already carrying for you.

He shakes his head, smiling.

"It's actually pretty light, so don't worry."

You had both worked up an appetite shopping, so you're heading to the food stalls set up along Main Street... when a voice suddenly calls out from behind you.

"Hyung! Taehyung-hyung! Kim Taehyung-hyung!"

Taehyung automatically turns his head at the sound of his name being called. You turn around as well, and see a tall, doe-eyed boy beaming at Taehyung.

"Hyung, it's really you! Wow!" the boy exclaims, eyes wide and sparkly. "What were the chances we'd bump into each other here in Neo-Seoul, of all places?"

"I'm sorry, but..." Taehyung tells the boy, looking confused, "...are you sure you have the right person?"

"Of course, hyung!" the boy responds with utmost conviction, "I'd recognize those eyes anywhere! And your moles... they're all where they're supposed to be!"

"Uhh..." Taehyung says blankly.

"Ah, you probably don't recognize me, right? I was only a kid then, after all..." the boy continues, undeterred, "It's me, your Jungkookie!" He grins, looking like an overjoyed bunny. "My face changed a bit, and I grew a lot! I'm as tall as you now, see?"

You look down at the boy's platform boots.

'Maybe just almost as tall?'

You and Taehyung exchange a look.

"Hey, uhm..." you say, "Jungkook-ssi, right?"

Jungkook turns surprised doe eyes towards you, as if he's only just noticed that there's another person standing there apart from him and Taehyung.

"Hi," you continue, giving him a small, awkward wave, "I'm Taehyung's, uhh... friend. "We're just heading to the food stalls to eat." You wave a hand in the general direction of Main Street. "Would you like to join us? There's a few things you need to know." You glance at Taehyung, then back at Jungkook. "And questions we'd also like to ask you."

Jungkook turns his gaze back to Taehyung, who in turn looks bemused at you suddenly inviting Jungkook. Thankfully, Jungkook nods.

"Sure!" he chirps, "It'll be the perfect opportunity to catch up with Taehyungie-hyung!"

'And hopefully help us learn a bit more about Taehyung's past!'

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jungkook stares at you wide-eyed after you and Taehyung finish with your story.

"So... Taehyungie-hyung doesn't remember anything prior to waking up at the orphanage?" he says slowly, as if still digesting all the information you just fed him. You nod to confirm his understanding. Jungkook turns to Taehyung.

"Hyung, you really... don't remember me at all?" he asks sadly.

"I'm sorry, Jungkook-ah..."

"I see..." Jungkook says, sniffling. You wonder, in a slight panic, if he's about to cry.

'Why do I suddenly have the urge to swaddle him in blankets and protect him from all the bad things in the world???'

"Hyung, I really..." Jungkook begins in a voice charged with emotion, "ch-changed a lot when you arrived in our town, you know? I--- I was so shy and quiet. I had no friends. Then, one spring day, you arrived." He looks up at Taehyung with shiny eyes. "You were so friendly that you managed to draw even a kid like me out of my shell." Then, he smiles, looking so much like a bunny once again, "We got into all sorts of scrapes together. We were partners in crime! Back then, we were inseparable... Those days really were the best!"

"I'm sure they were, Jungkook-ah," Taehyung says gently, "I want so bad to be able to remember them... I want to remember everything..."

"Hyung..."

You look back and forth between the two, your worry growing.

'Great, now they both look like they're about to cry!'

"Uhh, speaking of which..." you interrupt, "Jungkook-ssi, I was actually hoping you'd be able to help us."

Jungkook perks up at this.

"Oh? How can I help? I'll do whatever I can to help Taehyungie-hyung get his memories back!" He puffs up his chest. "Jungkookie at your service!"

'He's adorable!!!'

You stamp down your cute aggression and focus on the matter at hand.

"For starters, can you tell me where you and Taehyung met? Like, where were you living at the time?"

"That's easy," Jungkook eagerly responds, "Mandeok-dong! It's a neighborhood in Buk-gu, Busan."

'Finally, a potential lead...'

"What were Taehyung's parents like?"

Jungkook hesitates for a moment before answering, "Well... as far as I know, it was just hyung and his mother who moved into town..."

"Oh." You steal a glance at Taehyung, who looks both surprised and saddened by this bit of information.

"Hyung..." Jungkook squeaks, "I--- I don't even know if I'm allowed to say this." He chews at his lower lip, looking sideways at you, then back at Taehyung. "You, uhh... you told me it was supposed to be a secret."

"I... did?" Taehyung asks, looking extremely confused.

"What was supposed to be a secret?" you ask Jungkook, intrigued. Jungkook hesitates further.

"I'm sorry..." he tells you, "I really can't..."

You sigh. You can tell that you're not going to be able to squeeze the information out of Jungkook. You don't want to force him to reveal something that was told to him in confidence, something that would constitute a breach of sacred trust were he to tell someone else.

"It's okay, Jungkook," you console him, "I understand." You throw him a grateful smile. "Thank you for everything you shared with us."

You then turn to Taehyung, watching as his eyes slowly widen in realization.

"Jungkook-ah," he gasps, "I think... I think I know what you're talking about."

Taehyung fishes something out of his coat pocket: It's the polaroid with his mother's note, the one he always carries around with him. He hands it to Jungkook, who takes the photo, only looking at it briefly before passing it back to Taehyung. The expression on Jungkook's face is somber, bordering on grave, as he nods at Taehyung, once but firmly.

Once again, you find yourself looking back and forth between the two.

"What... what's happening?" you ask, bewildered.

Taehyung turns to you.

"I know I promised Hobi-hyung not to show this to anyone, but I think... I think it's time you see it for yourself." The edges of Taehyung's mouth quirk up in a small smile. "I trust you."

He hands you the polaroid, and you take it, despite feeling several layers of confused. Since you've already read the message, you immediately flip over to the picture side. You look at it carefully, and you... feel even more befuddled.

The picture you hold in your hand is a perfectly normal one of an apparently happy family.

The first thing you notice is the strong resemblance between father and son. Taehyung has his father's honey skin, his chiseled jaw, amber eyes, thick eyebrows, strong nose... pretty much the only difference between the two is that Taehyung's father has a pair of silky black panther ears sitting atop his silky black hair. In his arms is a tiny Taehyung, cheeks round, amber eyes huge and bright. Beside them, Taehyung's mother smiles gently, her beauty as ethereal as her son's. You see traces of Taehyung in the softness of her gaze, the vaguely rectangular smile, and the long, inky hair falling in thick, luxuriant curls.

You look up at Taehyung, puzzled. You could not fathom why Hobi has asked him to hide such an innocuous photograph. He only looks down at the polaroid, silently urging you to take another look. So you do.

You run your eyes over the picture, trying to see what detail you missed.

Then, all at once, it hits you.

'Oh...'

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A/N: What do you thank [Y/N] saw in the photo? Also, yet another Bangtan Boy is making an appearance in the next episode (I think it's pretty obvious who)! Plus... a night visitor?

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