MY ADDICTION | TAEKOOK

chapter 18

Today is a pretty slow day at the shop. jin isn't supposed to come in until later, so it's jungkook turn to deal with the new hire, jennie. She's not exactly the fastest learner considering she's asked him where to find something about ten times in the past hour and a half even though jin gave her a full run down of the store last week. He's teaching her how to use the register when a familiar face walks through the entrance.

mingyu's walking toward him with that signature smile and dimple of his. It's the first time they've seen each other since their date and jungkook's glad the other's not awkwardly avoiding him because he's actually a really nice guy that he'd enjoy being friends with.

"Oh, hey mingyu," he grins. "What brings you here?"

The other is all smiles as always as he hands him a list of book titles. "Just need to pick up some books for my students."

jungkook quickly reads over the list. "I thought you were a music teacher? What do you need these for?"

"Didn't you hear about that seventh grade teacher that went missing last week? She was from my school. We haven't been able to find a replacement yet, so some of us are taking turns subbing for her classes."

"She went missing?" jungkook asks incredulously. "What do you mean?"

mingyu sighs and leans in a bit closer over the counter, speaking in a hushed tone. "She didn't come in to school last Thursday, didn't even call in sick. They just assumed she forgot to, but then Friday came along and she didn't come in again. They called her like ten times and she never picked up, so one of the teachers stopped by her house to make sure she was okay and no one was home."

Last Thursday? Last week was when taehyung's friends, brothers, or whatever they are came into town.

"The school contacted her family and no one knew where she was. The last person who saw here was the janitor from school, said he saw her Wednesday evening 'cause she was at school working late on something. She's still been missing since."

jungkook feels a lump forming his throat. There's no way taehyung's friends were behind this, right?

"Oh my god." he mutters, horrified.

mingyu sadly nods, "I know, the students loved her too. I thought all this stuff was over, you know? I mean first all those murders around town and now this? It's already a small place as it is. If anymore people go missing we won't have enough people to run this place."

They were just starting to feel safe again. How could this happen? Even if it was a vampire who did it, how would he even talk to taehyung about it? What is he supposed to say to him anyway? 'Tell your friends to stop killing people'?  From the way yoongi spoke to him that night, he has a feeling the vampire won't be too keen to listen to his request. They'll laugh in his face for sure, or something even worse.

"Hey jungkook, you okay? You look like you're about to throw up," mingyu asks as he squeezes the other's shoulder.

jungkook swallows the lump in his throat, forces a small smile on his face as he waves the other off. "Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. I'm just gonna go get these books for you, okay?"

mingyu doesn't look convinced, but he smiles anyway and lets him go into the back room. The other's looking at the display of a new children's book they just got in when he comes back out. When mingyu notices that he's back he's shoots him a warm smile once again. jungkook doesn't think he's ever met someone as happy as him before. He almost wishes they worked out, but then taehyung face flashes across his mind and a pang of guilt hits his chest, which confuses the hell out of him.

"So how have you been?" mingyu asks. "Everything going okay with you and your boyfriend?"

jungkook opens his mouth to say taehyung isn't his boyfriend, but then he figures it's easier to just not say anything. Why did things have to be so complicated?