Hey guys. I really hate to do this but I've decided to go on semi-hiatus. I thought I could tough it out with my workload this semester, but with all the projects and other things I'm doing, writing for this blog has been on the back burner.
I really do love writing for you guys and I'm still going to continue doing so! But until I can balance my life a little better, I'm not going to be focusing on this blog. I will be here and try to post a few things here and there, hence the "semi-"hiatus, but it would more than likely be little drabbles that I find time for. Pied Piper will be on hold until I can get better motivation to keep writing and more time to allow myself to write better chapters.
I hope y'all will still be here when I do come back in full! I would love to see you guys again! Thank you for supporting me this far and I hope you guys continue to support this blog.
'until the spring day comes again' - spring day, bts
I'm heartbroken to hear the news from today. I personally haven't gotten into astro as much as I have wanted to, but I do know that moonbin was such a beautiful soul. it hurts to know that another sunshine has left us, and I can't even imagine how his band mates, friends, and family feel. it's hard to see so many good people leave so young and in a prime time of life.
my dms are always open. if you need someone to talk to, whether it be to vent out your feelings and have someone listen, or to distract yourself with another topic, please feel free to reach out.
Summary: Y/N L/N, an investigative journalist for the Daily Bullet, usually doesn’t see much out of the ordinary; A missing person’s case gone cold, an old case reopened and solved with updated technology, the thrilling excitement when another puzzle of one of the biggest serial killers is cracked. But when an old file resurfaces, she brings back a past that should have been burned with the file a long time ago.
Pairings: Jeon Jungkook x Reader
Word Count: 3.2k
Chapter Warnings: One swear word, talks about disappearing children, allusion to the paranormal and unexplainable things, this is also a very dialogue heavy chapter. let me know if I missed anything
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Mystery/Thriller, Paranormal, Strangers to Friends
Chapter Rating: Pg-13
A/N: I'm back! I'm sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out 😓 I lost motivation to do a lot of things, and when I finally got back to writing this, I scrapped my original idea and rewrote. I can't tell you guys how many times I rewrote this haha... and then uni started up again so I unintentionally pushed this to the side. BUT now I'm back and I hope to finish up this series soon! There's a couple of major things that I want to happen before it ends, so look forward to a couple more chapters! I hope you like it! 😊
Series Masterlist | Main Masterlist
6 September, 20XX
It shouldn’t have taken you as long as it did to get here; standing on the front porch of the most recent disappearance victim. After your talk with Jungkook, you knew there was no easy way of approaching the subject with the woman. The questions you needed to ask demanded so much from the person answering. So you kept to yourself.
For the past two days, you kept yourself tucked away in your room. You paced the floor, thoughts running a mile a minute about everything that had happened so far. From when you first drove into town, to the heavy conversation with Jungkook a day prior. You tried to find the best way to ask the questions to get enough information in return without hurting the victim even farther than they already were. But there really wasn’t an easier way.
The front door slowly opens only far enough to peek outside; the chain on the top of the door restricts it from opening any more. Martha peeks through the crack. You smile gently at her, hoping she will recognize you from when she saw you a couple nights ago. She offers a small smile in return.
“Hi, Martha,” you begin slowly. “Is it alright if I come in and ask you some questions?”
She nods, almost frantically. She shuts the door, and you can hear the frantic movements of the deadbolt being shifted around before the door swings open again.
“Sure, sure.” She waves you in. “Yes, come on in. Would you like something to drink?”
“Water is just fine, thank you.”
As you enter the house, Martha nods towards the living room seating. You make yourself comfortable as she grabs a glass of water for both you and her.
“Here you go.”
“Thank you.” You smile. “Please, get comfortable.”
You gesture to the couch opposite the one you are on. Waiting until she gets settled in, you review the notes you’ve already made in the file you brought along with you, preparing your pen to take any more notes. You take a deep breath. Hopefully you can get all the information you need to get your foot in the door in this investigation.
“I was hoping to ask you about what exactly happened two nights ago?” you ask slowly.
“Of course.” Her face hardens into a look of determination. “I am willing to answer anything to find my daughter.”
“Thank you. Now, can you describe to me how you found out she was gone?”
Martha sighs, leaning back into the couch. She clasps her hands in her lap and fiddles with her thumbs.
“Well, it was two nights ago, as you said. I had been home after work for a little while, preparing to make dinner for the two of us.”
You nod and tilt your head in curiosity.
“Where do you work?”
“I’m an antique dealer at a pawn shop in the next town over. I work eight to four on the weekdays.”
Martha smiles at the thought of her work. She must seem to really enjoy what she does.
“Okay. And you mentioned ‘the two of us’. Is it just you and your daughter?”
“Yes,” she hums, nodding. “Her father left us when she was little. It’s been her and I since she could walk.”
She looks up at you, waiting for you to ask another question. Instead, you gently nod your head, letting her know she can continue her thoughts. Martha glances back down at her restless hands. She clears her throat, licks her drying lips, and takes in another breath before speaking again.
“Well, I went upstairs to check in on her, and know her plans for the rest of the night. When I made it to her room, she was at her desk, working through the most recent packets for her classes. We had talked for a few minutes before I went back downstairs to continue working on dinner.”
“So you had seen and talked to her before she disappeared?” you ask.
“Yes. She seemed completely fine.” Her brows furrow as she shakes her head slightly. “She never mentioned anything alarming. Her and I have a really good relationship where we try not to hide anything from each other.”
You nod. There is a moment of silence between the two of you as you write down some of the key notes. The only sound being the scratching of the pen against the paper. Your eyes lift up as you finish, nodding again for her to continue.
“I was in the kitchen in the middle of cooking when I heard the radio suddenly playing.” Her head tilts in the direction of the kitchen. Your eyes follow, catching a glimpse of an old radio, weathered from the many years of use. “I thought it was just Ayesha, but when I looked over, the room was empty. I thought it was odd at first, but the damn thing is so old that it will sometimes turn on by itself. I didn’t think anything of it until I realized what it was playing. It was something that I’ve never heard before. We always leave it on one station, so when it does turn on, it’ll play that station. It’s never once changed to a different one.”
Your eyes never leave the radio. Standing up, you walk towards it.
“Is it this one, here?”
“That’s the one.” Martha’s voice is close behind you. She must have gotten up herself as you made your way to the radio. “I had walked over to it to turn it off, but when I got to it, it wasn’t even on in the first place. But, it still kept playing this odd tune. Something like a flute playing through the speakers.”
You study the radio. The bright red paint is wearing off most of the antique. The knobs on the front have been used so much that the sides are worn down enough to see where your fingers should hold them. The glass covering the frequency indicator is slightly scratched when the light hits it just right. You glance around to the back, noting that it had been modified to use the house’s electrical system to stay powered. Though, when you look down at the wall socket, there is nothing plugged in.
“Did you unplug it?”
You glance up at Martha, an eyebrow raised in question. She nods as she looks at the outlet herself.
“Yes. I was trying to get it to stop playing. But nothing changed even after unplugging it.”
“That’s odd.”
Your brows knit together trying to come up with a logical explanation. Maybe the radio has a backup battery for when the power is out, to keep it playing. But when you glance at the back of the radio again, you realize there is no way a battery with enough power of any size could be hidden away.
Leaning down to plug the radio back in, you wait for any sign of electrical problems. Perhaps there was just a short after having it plugged in for so long. You aren’t an expert of the topic, by any means, but maybe if you could find where the problem might be, there would be at least one thing explained away.
“I remember hearing the stories that the folks around here would say about the disappearances,” Martha utters. You lift yourself back up to face her. “You know, the old tale of hearing faint music drift through the air, something that no one else hears but the person that will disappear. I didn’t believe it all at first. Mostly because it was all of the elders saying it, which you know, sometimes they aren’t always in the right space.”
You hum. Even from the short time working on this case, you read and heard most—if not all—the folklore surrounding the disappearances. Martha meets your gaze, a stone cold shiver running down her spine, and a flash of fear in her eyes as she begins to recall what she experienced.
“But there was something that just clicked in me once I realized that I couldn’t turn it off. I knew that it was the Piper’s music. The same music that was in the stories. I can’t tell you how fast I ran back up to Ayesha’s room. I opened her door, hoping that she would still be in there, at her desk. But the room was empty. As if she had vanished into the air. Everything was left like she had just stepped out to use the bathroom or something. The only weird thing about the room was her window.”
“Her window?”
“Yes.” Martha’s voice is stern. “She never has it open during the night. It gets drafty in her room, and the open window doesn’t help. Especially on cooler nights like that night.”
You glance up to the top of the staircase, as far up as you can see from the position you’re in. In the darkness of the upper floor, you can make out the beginning of a door frame just past the top of the last step.
“Is it alright if I took a look in her room?” you ask.
“Yes, of course. Follow me.”
Martha leads you to the staircase, flipping the lightswitch on the wall beside it to light the way. She takes a hesitant first step. Grabbing onto the railing, Martha ascends the stairs with you in tow. The boards creak under the weight, and one stair in particular screeches loudly as if it were shouting in agony. You glance around once you make it to the landing. There are three doors, one of which is wide open, showcasing the simple hallway bathroom. Martha pushes open the door nearest to the stairs.
“This is her room.”
The bedroom is just about as big as the studio apartment you use to live in during your college days. A twin bed is situated in the corner beside the window, its purple sheets crumpled slightly from someone sitting on the edge of the mattress. The closet doors a foot or two away from the foot of the bed. A small desk, papers and books scattered across the surface, sits up against the wall on the opposite side of the room from the window. The chair is pulled out and twisted as if someone had just stepped away from the desk. Your eyes glance over to the window where a light breeze is gently tossing the light purple curtains towards the center of the room.
You take a step into the room, skimming through the contents of the papers on the desk before making your way to the window. You lean down to scan the frame and stick your head outside, memorizing the view. You can see the top floors of the school several blocks down, and the old general store is just down the street from where they live. Pushing yourself back into the room to face Martha, your eyebrows furrow. One brow lifting in question.
“And this is exactly how you found it?”
She nods. She plays with her fingers as she avoids any eye contact with you, barely even looking at any of the things in the bedroom.
“Yes. I didn’t touch a thing. When I saw she was gone, that’s when I came running over to find you.”
“How did you know about me, anyway?” You tilt your head as you ask.
“It’s not that hard to find a new face roaming the empty streets.” Martha shrugs. “My daughter had mentioned about a woman who looked to have been collecting information about the town, so I had assumed that you must have been a reporter or something. And the Jungkook boy has the only place that would make sense to hold a new visitor.”
“I see,” you hum, glancing out the window one last time.
You step closer to Martha with a gentle smile resting on your lips.
“I appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions. I hope that I can give you the answers you need,” you speak with sincerity.
Martha shakes her head, stepping toward you herself and takes your hands in hers. A hopeful look takes over her features.
“No, thank you. I know that you will be able to help this town. I have a good feeling about it.”
“We will find her.”
“Thank you.”
You shove your notes and dead laptop into your backpack. The duffle bag for your clothes lays open on the bed, a couple of items still lounging about.
“What are you doing?”
Jungkook’s sudden presence startles you slightly. He’s very quiet, you’ve come to learn, showing up out of the blue when you least expect it. He leans against the doorframe, arms folded across his chest.
“I’m leaving,” you mumble, still preoccupied with packing to give him anything more than that.
A scoff rings out in the air. You furrow your eyebrows and glance up to where Jungkook stands. A strained smirk is painted on his face. His tongue pushes into the inside of his cheek.
“I knew it. You’re just like the rest of them. Promising that you’ll help, only to leave this town in the dust once you get confirmation that we are just a bunch of hopeless cases.”
You quickly stand up from your crouched position on the floor. Getting up in Jungkook’s face to tell him your thoughts has become a lot easier the longer you’ve been here. So when he stumbles back slightly from the sudden close proximity, you feel a sense of pride swell in your chest. Though, you don’t focus much on it as you briefly explain why.
“I need back up. I’ll only be gone for the rest of today, so stop jumping to conclusions. You don’t know how hard I’m trying to keep the promises I’m making.”
Jungkook must have sensed your tenacity as he steps back, raising his hands in surrender before turning away towards the living room.
He wishes you a safe trip back into the big city.
The closer you drive to the town’s borders, the heavier the air feels. It’s as if there is an invisible force field over the town and the energy from it continuously affects you negatively. It doesn’t help that there is a dark storm rolling in over the mountains as you drive away. You can hear the rumbling of thunder from the inside of your car. It’s going to be a big storm.
As your car creeps up to the town boundary, you catch a glimpse of something dark from the corner of your eye. You turn your head to see what it is. Your eyes grow wide. Standing behind the welcome sign to the town, a dark figure seems to wave at you in the shadows. Though it has no distinct features, it looks as if it is grinning widely at you as you pass by. A cold shiver runs up your spine.
“What the f- Shit!”
As you turn back to face the road, a small herd of deer sprint across right in front of you. You have to slam on your brakes to stop you from knocking through the innocent animals. You manage to stop inches away from an unsuspecting dear. It’s frozen in the middle of the lane, staring your frantic form down. Too close for comfort. After taking a moment to catch your breath, you honk, sending the deer into a slight frenzy, and scaring it away. You glance through your rear view mirror at the sign as you start back up again, but there is nothing there.
“Yoongi!”
A head of shaggy brown hair whips towards the sound of your voice. Yoongi’s face lights up as he recognizes who you are. He rushes to stand in front of you, a look of worry taking over his face. He eyes you up and down like a worried mother, looking for any kind of injury.
“Y/N? Where have you been? It’s been a month. Why haven’t you been answering your phone?” Yoongi spits rapid fire questions at you. You both have joked in the past that he should have become a rapper with how fast he speaks sometimes.
Confusion is written all over your face. A month? You had only been working on the case for a week and a half at most.
“No it hasn’t? It’s only been like two weeks.”
“You’re kidding, right?” he scoffs.
“No? My phone’s been dead, but there’s still no way that-”
“Ms. L/N?”
Your eyes light up at the sound of Namjoon’s voice. Turning to face him, you rush out what you needed to ask of him.
“Perfect. Mr. Kim, I need all the help I can get.”
Namjoon raises an eyebrow, a strong gaze watching your every move.
“Are you still working on that case? We have tried everything we can to help that town.” He shakes his head absentmindedly. “There’s nothing else we can do.”
“No.”
Both Namjoon and Yoongi look at you like you’re crazy. Did you just say no to the boss? Taking this case changed you quite a bit. Before, you would have never faced Namjoon the way you are right now. Before, you would submit to whatever Namjoon had told you to do as he would take over and close up most of the cases you worked on. Some of the surrounding employees must have heard or felt the shift in the air as they stare at the three of you without even trying to hide.
“I won’t take that as an answer,” you continue. “I need anybody that I can get. Forensics, paranormal, literally anyone.”
“Look L/-”
“Mr. Kim,” you interrupt.
Your voice is unwavering. Your feet are planted into the floor as if he is trying to knock you down with his words. Your eyes bore into his, trying to get your message through his thick skull.
Namjoon takes in a breath. He closes his eyes, bows his head slightly, and raises one hand.
“Fine. It won’t be very many, since most departments are busy with their own cases, but I’ll let them know. Min, go with L/N.”
A smile creeps up onto your lips.
“Thank you, sir.”
You walk up to the door of Jungkook’s Bed and Breakfast, bags in hand, and Yoongi on your tail. Before you step up to the porch, you turn to Yoongi.
“Be aware that you may not get the warmest of welcomes.”
Yoongi’s brows crease and a small pout forms on his lips.
“What do you mean?”
Without another word, you face forward again and walk up the steps. The front door swings open before you have the chance to ring the doorbell. Jungkook looks at you with a raised eyebrow.
“You call your boyfriend your backup?”
You push through the door, forcing Jungkook to move out of your and Yoongi’s way to get inside quickly. The sun is beginning to set and you didn’t want to stay outside any longer after what happened earlier in the day.
“One, he’s not my boyfriend,” you call out as you walk through the house to get to your room. “He’s got a fiance. Two, there will be others coming tomorrow. Don’t get your panties in a twist.”
You glance back to see Jungkook grumble out something under his breath at your last few words. He takes one quick look at you, then Yoongi, rolling his eyes before speaking at you rather than the person he is referring to.
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omg guys... I'm so sorry it's been so long since I've done anything! I've been meaning to finish up and post the next chapter of pied piper, but I started up uni again and I got carried away with that 😅
BUT
I've got a few things on my radar. i am hoping to post pied piper this week and start working on some ideas for October 👀👀
I am also open to requests if anyone would like to send something in! so please, if you wanna see something from me let me know!
Warnings: mention of champagne, pregnancy and allusion to possible abortion, making out, idk if there's anything else. it's really just a lot of fluff
Notes: This fic is part of the Bangtan On Replay event hosted by @btsgoldnetwork! I had fun writing this, and I hope you enjoy it! I wish I got this out a little sooner, but I'm happy on how it turned out.
Masterlist
You remember the first time you met him. The bright smile he had on his face after defeating your brother in a round of Mario Kart the first time he was at your home only made you more curious. The dimples in his round cheeks deepend as he taunted your older brother, dancing around his deflated form sitting on the floor in front of the couch. You stood watching curiously at the interaction.
The moment he stood between your brother and the tv, his eyes caught your figure in the doorway. He gave you a small wave. At that, your brother turned around to see you standing there, whining out your name with a pout on his face. Even over the sound of the game playing in the background you heard him sigh.
He turned the sound down before pointing at you.
“Namjoon, this is my bratty younger sister, Y/N,” he said in a bored tone.
“Hey! I’m not bratty!”
He stuck his tongue out at you. Which you gave back. Namjoon laughed at your antics, still wearing a silly smile on his cheeks. He raised up the controller, as if he were about to toss it to you.
“Wanna join?”
You gasped. With wide, sparkling eyes, you turned to your brother. Of course you were going to ask him. You had just interrupted their play time and he didn’t seem very pleased while introducing you to the new friend.
“Can I?”
“I guess. Just don’t eat any of my snacks,” he huffed lightly. Settling back into his place with his back against the couch, he reached for the remote again to turn the volume back up. “I’m gonna warn ya right now, Joon. Y/N’s pretty good.”
Namjoon would often come over. Whether it be for your brother and his weekly hang out time, or for them to stay up all night finishing the joint project that was due that very morning.
Tonight was no different. With the upcoming winter break, there were tests and projects due very quickly. After five years of being friends and project partners you would have thought that they would have learned their lesson. But, just like before, Namjoon had come over with the guise of playing games and a sleepover with your brother. You weren’t sure if your parents had ever caught on to their procrastination, but if the tired looks and glitter-covered hands told you anything, you’re sure they knew very well.
You shared a wall with your brother’s room, and unfortunately for you, it wasn’t very thick. So when you wake up to the loud voices trying to be hush, you knew you wouldn’t be able to fall back asleep that easily. So instead, you threw your covers off your body, pulled yourself up from bed, and slipped out of your room and into the one next door. Two pairs of eyes stared up at you in horror in fear that you were either one of your parents.
“What’s going on,” you yawn. “You guys woke me up.”
Letting out a sigh of relief, your brother turned to glare at his best friend.
“Namjoon won’t let me draw dragons on our poster.”
Throwing his hands in the air, Namjoon looks at you in desperation.
“They don’t even make sense with our topic!”
“Uh, yeah they do.” Your brother crosses his arms in front of his chest. He leans in closer to Namjoon. “This is history. Dragons are in a lot of old stories.”
“Just because they’re in a lot of stories doesn’t mean that they’re relevant to what we have to present about!”
Your face scrunches at the volume that the two are bickering in. You shush them, reaching out to cover your brother’s mouth before he has a chance to shout out another argument. When he licks your hand, you pull it back and wipe it on his face before he has a chance to move away.
“Keep it down. You don’t want mom or dad to wake up do you?”
He scoffs and points his thumb towards the other boy in the room.
“You’re just lucky you don’t have to deal with his dumb logic everyday.”
“What do you mean? She has to deal with you as a brother everyday.”
Your brother pinches Namjoon’s thigh, leading them into another—this time quieter—argument. You sigh, rubbing your hand against your face before stepping back towards the door.
“I’m going back to bed. You guys are too much to deal with right now.”
You’re not sure if either of them even heard or saw you leave, but you don’t care about that right now. As you carefully shuffle back into your own room, your tired eyes meet your bed. But you can’t sleep now. You’re not sure why tonight is any different, it’s not like you’ve never been woken up by your brother in the middle of the night. Most of the time it’s because he’s up gaming, even though he shouldn’t be.
Deciding that trying to fall back asleep isn’t going to be worth your time, you pull a book off your shelf and sit on your bed. You wrap your comforter around you and snuggle in. You can still hear the faint complaints between the two boys as you begin to read, and it did distract you at first. But the longer you focused on the book, the less you noticed about your surroundings.
Your heart pounds in your chest at the light knock that eventually comes from your door. Slowly, you set the book down, glancing at the clock. It’s been almost an hour since you started reading. You get up from your bed, pulling the comforter along with you. Quietly opening the door, you are met with Namjoon fiddling with his fingers.
“Hey.”
His voice is soft. He is definitely a lot calmer than what you heard earlier.
“Hi?”
“You’re brother’s already asleep,” he mutters. “I was going to get some water when I saw that you had your light on, so I thought I’d come apologize for waking you up.”
A sheepish smile takes over his face, dimples out on display. You send him a soft smile of your own. Leaning up against your door, you let out a huff of laughter.
“Ah, yeah. It’s no big deal. He wakes me up in the middle of the night often enough that it doesn’t really bug me all the time. Plus if you remember, it’s not the first time you both have woken me up by your bickering.” You glance back into your room, towards the open book laying on your bed. “Although, tonight I can’t really fall back asleep.”
Namjoon hums, pulling your attention back to him. His face scrunches up in thought before returning the smile to his face.
“I think I remember seeing some tea in the kitchen. Want me to make you some?”
“Sure.”
It’s quiet between the two of you for a minute. You’re not sure if you should start making conversation with Namjoon, or if he’d rather sit in silence as you wait for the water to heat up. He must have seen your thoughts as if they were tattooed on your forehead, though, as he initiates a quiet conversation with you.
The two of you talk about everything between school and your social lives, and the late night thoughts that keep you both awake. There was never a dull moment as you sat in your kitchen with your brother’s best friend.
Namjoon laughs as quietly as possible after you finish telling him about your class’s shenanigans. And in that moment, you don’t think you’ve ever felt the way you did. Maybe it was the idea that your brother wasn’t around, so you didn’t have to hear his nagging about you taking his best friend away from him. Or maybe it was because you knew that you’ve felt that Namjoon was more than just your brother’s best friend for some time, and that this moment—sitting at the breakfast bar with his thigh grazing yours every so often as he twists on his chair—was much more intimate than other times you’ve shared a space together.
Picking up your mug as you shake the thoughts out of your head, you hum in satisfaction. If there was one thing you knew, Namjoon knew how to brew the tea just right.
“You know,” he speaks softly. “I thought it’d be weird to hang out with my best friend’s little sibling.”
“I don’t think it’s weird,” you mumble against your mug.
Namjoon turns to you. His eyebrow is raised in confusion as his mug is held in midair.
“What?”
You shake your head.
“Nothing.”
“Well…” he hums. He raises his mug to his lips, whispering out before taking another sip. “I think you’re cool.”
You turn away from his gaze with a shy smile. Does he know what he’s doing to your heart?
Namjoon finishes his drink before you, but waits until you're done, taking both of your mugs to the sink. He turns back to face you, gesturing to the stairs where you both make your way back up to your room as quietly as possible. You step into your room. Before you can manage to close your door, Namjoon catches your wrist to stop you. You turn your attention to him.
“Goodnight, Y/N. See you tomorrow?”
His head tilts as he asks the question. You nod, giving him a sweet but tired smile.
“Yeah. Goodnight, Joon.”
“Y/N?”
Your eyes widen. Sniffling quietly, you rub your face to get rid of the stray tears and runny nose.
Namjoon comes running around the corner you managed to hide yourself behind. You should have known that he would have seen you run past him in an attempt to get away from your brother.
“Yeah?”
You curse yourself. Your voice sounds so hoarse.
“Are you okay?”
Namjoon kneels in front of you, his head tilted and eyebrows furrowed in worry. You can’t make eye contact with him unless you want to start apologizing for making him so worried when he shouldn’t be. He’s your brother’s friend. Not yours.
“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Well, cause you look like you’ve been crying.”
“No I wasn’t,” you mumble.
He raises an eyebrow at you, leaning in a little closer.
“Are you sure?”
“No…”
He sighs lightly. Namjoon shifts so he sits on the gravel beside you. The warmth radiating from him is comforting, so you lean into him a little more, testing the waters before fully committing to resting your head against his shoulder. He throws an arm around your shoulders.
“You can tell me anything, yeah? I’ll listen.”
“It’s nothing really,” you sigh. “Just my stupid brother picking a fight with me infront of his so called friends.”
“Oh?”
You finally glance up at him. Even from the position you’re in, Namjoon is watching you carefully. He smiles as you catch his eyes.
“I just really look up to him, ya know? But when he goes and says the things he said, I feel like I’m nothing to him.”
Namjoon hums, tugging you closer.
“He’ll come around. I’m sure of it. I never really liked those people anyways.”
“You think so?”
“If I have anything to do with it, I know so,” he chuckles.
You push away from him as much as possible, but his hold on you keeps you close. Shaking your head, you give him a tight-lipped smile.
“You don’t have to do anything. I’ll get over it at some point.”
“That’s the problem though,” Namjoon states. His voice is stern, and it sends a kaleidoscope of butterflies to your stomach. You’ve seen how protective he can get about the people he cares about. And now knowing that you are a part of that small group has you overly happy. “You shouldn’t have to get over it, that’s your brother. It would be different if it was a friend.”
“Why are you so nice to me?”
You stare into his eyes. It takes a moment for Namjoon to say anything, and for that moment, you reconsider if you ever even meant anything to him. He is your brother’s best friend. And you are just his bratty little sister.
“I consider you.. my friend. Why wouldn’t I be nice to you?”
It’s almost as if something shifts between the two of you. One moment, you are surprised to hear that what you’ve been thinking about is true. The next, you find yourself leaning in a little closer. You can feel his breath hit your face. You thank your lucky stars that he doesn’t seem uncomfortable with the limited space between your faces, and lean in even closer.
“Joon? Where’d ya go?”
Namjoon groans. Curse your brother’s bad timing. Namjoon was in your brother’s sight when you passed by him earlier. Of course he’d go looking for him.
“I’ve gotta get going,” he sighs. “Your brother’s buying bowling passes for us and I promised I’d go. Not that I’d be great at it anyways. You’ve got my number though. I’m always free to talk, or do something to get stuff off your mind.”
Reluctantly, you settle back into your original position with your back against the brick wall behind you. Namjoon offers a bright smile as he stands up. He keeps his eyes trained on you until he makes it around the corner once more.
What would have happened if your brother didn’t interrupt?
Getting a text at midnight wasn't something you expected. But getting a text from Namjoon at midnight was even less expected. You thought that he'd be asleep right now, considering he has a big exam in the morning—one that will determine his future—and he likes to get a good amount of sleep before tests.
Reaching for your phone, you open up your messages. His text is vague, making you much more curious that maybe you should be.
Meet me at the park. I want to show you something.
Your eyes scan the playground when you get to the park. Namjoon is sitting on the swingset, gently swinging. Even in the dark of the night, you can see the satisfied smile resting on his face. As you make your way closer to him, he glances in your direction, seemingly hearing your footsteps. You smile and wave.
“What did you want to show me?”
Namjoon takes your hand, pulling you towards the other side of the park.
“Come with me.”
He brushes past the taller shrubbery, pushing branches out of your way.
“We gotta be quiet.”
Stepping out into a smaller open area, your eyes widen. Hidden away from the main park area is a garden area with a small gazebo centered between the bushes and trees. Fireflies light up the space, helping you guide your way to the gazebo. Namjoon pulls you to sit beside him, watching as the fireflies dance around you. You’re speechless.
“Oh wow. Joon, this is incredible.”
You glance at him only to find him already looking at you. You give him a warm smile, which he gladly returns.
A quiet rustle in one of the trees brings your attention away from him. You watch as a pair of squirrels climb up to one of the branches before snuggling up together.
“Maybe that could be us one day,” Namjoon mumbles.
You turn to him with a slightly surprised look.
“What are you saying?”
“Y/N, I like you.”
He smiles gently. Waiting patiently for your reaction, he stares at you with a sparkle in his eye. You sit still for a moment, trying to process what he had just said. Is he lying? Is this a set up? It was too good to be true. You begin to look around your surroundings for any sign of your brother or a hidden camera.
“My brother put you up to this, didn’t he? I’m being pranked right now, right?”
He knows that you’ve liked Namjoon for a while now. It’s one of the main reasons why he hasn’t let you be around them as often when they hang out. And one of the main reasons why he would always pick a fight with you. He wasn’t very happy when he had seen the way you looked at him after he had given you a birthday present a couple years back. The gift wasn’t anything super special, just your favorite candy and a little handmade card with ‘Happy Birthday Y/N’ scrawled across the paper. But the way he had remembered what you liked and gave it to you without a reminder of it being your birthday made your heart warm. Your brother knew then and there that you saw his best friend as something other than a friend or acquaintance.
Taking your hands in his, Namjoon leans over to get your gaze back to him.
“No. I really do like you, Y/N. I have for a long time now.”
“Oh,” you whisper. “Well, I’m glad then. Cause I have too.”
Dimples. Probably one of your favorite features of his. The smile that takes over his face lets them have their time to shine once again, and you have to refrain from poking them.
Namjoon squeezes your hands, dropping his gaze to them.
“Prom’s coming up. Would you want to go with me?”
“What about my brother?” you question.
You’re sure he’d be livid if he saw you and Namjoon together at one of the most special—at least according to many of your classmates—dances of the year. All dressed up for each other, holding you close as you sway to the questionable music on the gymnasium floor.
“He’s been saying that he won’t go cause it seems like a dumb idea to spend a crap ton of money for just one night in a sweaty room with a bunch of horny teenage couples.”
“Well, when it’s put that way…”
You cringe at the picture his words put in your head. Sweaty teens mosh pitting with several couples trying to make out while hiding from the chaperones was not the sight you wanted to see.
“So, no dance?” he pouts slightly.
“No!-- I mean, I’d love to go with you! Just as long as we stay out of the main crowds.”
Namjoon chuckles, pulling you into his arms to watch the fireflies again.
“Fine by me.”
You push him away enough to whisper against his lips.
“What if he comes back soon?”
Namjoon leans back in to give you another kiss, speaking in between each one.
“He won’t. With his girlfriend. Don’t worry.”
You sigh into the kiss. Wrapping your arms around his neck to pull him in closer, your hands find their way into his hair. Namjoon smiles against your lips. His hands—which had been settled on either side of you to prop his upper body up above you—slowly make a home on your waist. He pushes your shirt up slightly to make contact with your skin. Your lower bodies are flush against each other, legs tangled as you make out on your bed.
There was nothing sensual or sexual to your actions. You both felt that it was better to take things slowly, especially when you decided to hide your relationship with Namjoon from your brother. It wasn’t that you didn’t want him to know, but neither of you found the right timing to tell him the truth. He was with his own girlfriend most of the time anyways.
Your door creaks open. Namjoon quickly throws himself off of you, startled by the sudden entrance. Your brother bores his gaze into both you and Namjoon.
“I thought you were with your cousin.”
Namjoon stutters, frantically trying to compose himself after being caught in such a vulnerable position.
“I can explain.”
“No.” Your brother is seething. “Get out.”
Namjoon gets up from your bed, making his way to his best friend. He approaches him carefully, as if he is trying to tame a wild lion.
“Dude-”
“Don’t ‘dude’ me! My best friend was feelin’ up my sister!” He gestures towards you. “Who knows what you would have done if I didn’t interrupt?”
Your brows furrow. Standing up from your bed, you point at him accusingly.
“B/N, it’s not like that!” you yell.
He doesn’t say anything as he shoves Namjoon out of your room. Before he shut the door behind him, he turns back to face you.
“You should be glad that it was me and not mom or dad,” he growls out, slamming your door behind him.
You can’t believe him. You were trying to enjoy a nice home cooked meal together for your anniversary, and he drops the biggest bombshell on you.
“You told him?!”
Namjoon stares at you incredulously.
“What did you want me to do?”
“Uh, I don’t know… Maybe let me tell my own brother on my own time?”
He tosses his utensils on his plate, throwing his hands up dramatically. You watch in disbelief as he pushes himself away from the table to argue with you.
“He barely even accepted the fact that we’ve been dating for a couple years now—behind his back may I remind you—and you expect me to just not tell my best friend that my girlfriend is carrying my child?”
“That’s exactly what I expected!” Your fist hits the table, making you quietly hiss out in pain. “This wasn’t even planned, and I don’t even know if I can handle having a kid right now! I’m still going through college, Namjoon!”
“So you’re saying that this was a mistake?” he asks.
“Of course it was a mistake!”
His angry facade drops for a split second. Enough for you to see the disappointment on his face. You don’t let your guard down, too angry with him to think about what you’re truly saying. It isn’t until he stands from his chair, presses his lips together in a thin line, nods once, and makes his way towards the front door, that you realize what you said.
“Wait! Joon–”
Before you can get up from the table, he shoves his shoes on his feet and walks out the door, closing it softly behind him. You messed up.
Eyes swollen, you hold your legs against your chest. The movie playing on the tv does nothing to distract you from your racing thoughts. Were you done? Was this the final straw that breaks your five year long relationship?
It had been hours since you last saw Namjoon. Despite the anger that ran through your blood at dinner, you worried about him. He had never walked out on you like this before, and he didn’t even take his phone or keys with him. Usually after your petty arguments, Namjoon or you would step into another room to take a breather before ultimately coming back together to talk things through better. But the fact that he was outside, in the middle of the night, walking the streets of the new city you moved to, you weren’t sure if he’d come back.
Finally, another hour or two later, the door swings open. You watch as Namjoon walks quietly back into the house, possibly not to disturb you if you somehow managed to fall asleep. You sniff, catching his attention.
“I didn’t think you’d be back,” you mutter, turning off the tv.
“I live here, don’t I?”
He makes his way into the living room. He settles himself into the cushions on the other side of the couch you were on. You give him a moment to get a little more comfortable—if that was even possible with how much tension there was between the two of you—before speaking up.
“Look, about earlier–”
“You don’t have to say anything,” he interrupts. He leans his elbows against his knees, keeping his eyes trained on the carpet beneath his feet. “I get it. You’re the one carrying the baby, so you can ultimately decide what you want to do. And I should have said something to you before going to your brother.”
You shift your position to match his. Rubbing your hands against your face, you sigh.
“No. That’s not what I was going to say. I just– I’m scared, Joon,” you whisper. “We didn’t plan for this to happen and now that this is happening, that I’m growing a life as a result of us being a little reckless, I don’t know how we’ll do it. I’m still in school and you just graduated. We still have so much ahead of us. But I don’t want to lose this baby.” Glancing up from the ground, you look over to where Namjoon is sitting. His body is still in the same position, but his head is turned to face you. “I don’t want to lose you. And you telling my brother just made me realize how real our situation is. I wanted to make sure that we were going to go through with this before going to him. I don’t want him to see me as his little sister who somehow seduced his best friend into being in a relationship with her and now he can’t get out of it because there’s now an unplanned addition into the mix.”
Your eyes begin to tear up at the thought of your brother berating you for becoming pregnant without proper financial or physical protection. Who’s to say that Namjoon wouldn’t get up and leave you any chance he got?
When you look back towards Namjoon, you let the tears fall. He looks at you with so much love and understanding that it’s much too overwhelming. When he notices you crying, he doesn’t hesitate to open his arms and turn his whole body towards you.
“Come here.”
You throw yourself into his arms and he pulls you as close as physically possible. He lets you cry it out for a few moments as he caresses your hair, rocking the both of you gently.
“You won’t lose me,” he murmurs. “And I’ll do whatever it takes to not lose the baby. I’ve got a few interviews lined up the next few weeks that will hopefully get me into my career. And then I’ll be making enough for the three of us to live comfortably. You don’t have to work if you don’t want to. And your brother,” he paused for a second. “He isn’t the stupid high school boy that he was. I’m sorry that I didn’t talk to you before going to him. But do you want to know what he told me?”
You hum, moving your head to meet his gaze.
“He told me that he was glad that I am the one taking care of you. Especially when he couldn’t or didn’t while growing up. He said that it was shocking at first, just because he found out so suddenly that day, but he knew that we would eventually recognize our feelings for each other.”
You press your face into the crook of his neck. Namjoon shifts the both of you so that you lay on top of him. One hand brushes through your hair while the other caresses your waist. Your own hand finds Namjoon’s waist, pushing up his shirt to make contact with the skin of his stomach. Your thumb rubs circles against him.
“Have I ever told you how much I love you?”
“You don’t have to,” Namjoon chuckles. “I can see it everyday.”
Pop!
The cork flies out the bottle, landing among the crowd. Namjoon sheepishly laughs as he gets a playful yell of his name from his cousin, where the cork landed.
Carefully he pours you a glass of champagne before filling up his own flute. You raise your glass, clinking it with his before downing the drink. The sound of the shutter from the photographer you hired can be heard amongst the chatter between guests. You’re sure that they got a good picture that you’ll search for later.
“I would like to raise a toast to the two people I love the most.” Your brother’s voice booms over the crowd, catching everyone’s attention. “My little sister and my best friend. I am so happy to see that they are still going strong after so many years. They’ve had their ups and downs, but I can see it when I look at them that no matter what happens, they will be able to figure it out. To the happy couple! And maybe you can bring me back another niece or nephew after the honeymoon!”
Laughter rings out amongst your friends and family. You glare at your brother playfully, sticking your tongue out at him. He laughs, returning the favor, before making his way back to your family’s table.
The night is filled with dancing and partying. You couldn’t have imagined a more perfect wedding for the two of you. Seeing your friends and family happily join in on the activities of the night makes your heart flutter with joy. This was the moment you’ve waited for for such a long time. Being able to marry your best friend and the love of your life was something you only dreamed about. But ever since falling in love with Namjoon, you knew that your dreams would come true one day.
As you’re talking to a couple of the guests that linger at the end of the reception, thanking them for coming, Namjoon slips his hand into yours. You glance at him, watching as he nods towards the photo backdrop you had set up for wedding pictures. Wishing your guests a good rest of the night, you follow Namjoon’s lead.
A whine has you turning to see your son in your mother’s arms. He reaches out to you and you coo at the sight.
“Seungjin, are you ready?”
His giggles fill the room as you take him from her arms and move over to the backdrop where your husband is waiting and watching you lovingly. As you step up beside him, the photographer readies their camera. Namjoon’s arm wraps around your waist, pulling you closer. He looks into your eyes, smiling, dimples on show.
“I love you,” he whispers.
“I love you.”
Seungjin whines in your arms and you chuckle. You look down to find his lips in a tiny pout.
“And we love you, too.”
He smiles, showing his own dimples, as you kiss his chubby cheek.
You wouldn’t have it any other way.
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In pied Piper jungkook doesnt want oc to stay in the town right then why did he allowed oc to stay at his house when he first met her ?
Simple answer:
he felt obligated to give oc a room as a way to at least be cooperative enough with the police/investigators.
Complicated answer:
Jungkook and the rest of the town had delt with one too many people trying to 'solve' the missing peoples cases. It would be the same questions and answers over and over again for years on end. So reporters, journalists, investigators, and police (like oc) are very unwelcome. But if the townsfolk aren't cooperative enough for them, like offering a place to stay or giving them a plate of food out of "the kindness of their hearts", then the people could go back to the main city and get rid of the town completely.
So even though jungkook didn't like the idea of oc staying in the town to do the same thing everone else has and get the same results, he feels obligated to at least give up a room in the bed and breakfast if he wants to stay on the good side of the city government. Though, that doesn't mean that he has to be completely nice about it, hence the whole "you can't leave now", "you should be glad i'm letting you stay here" bit. But it also plays a bit into the whole lore of the town, and that the townsfolk are scared that if anything changes (such as a new person staying in town for too long) that the disappearances could happen again, but they still want conclusive answers. It's a little confusing
I hope that cleared it up at least a little bit 😅 I struggle a bit trying to explain my thought process on things like this lol
How long did tumblr take to unshadow ban you? I’m still waiting, ugh
I actually had to send out a second ticket for them to fix the bug. I had sent one out a few days ago, friday I think, and hadn't seen an email by sunday night. So i sent another one that night and it was fixed by the next day.
I did send the first one under the social topic since I couldn't send/recieve dms, so i'm not sure if it was because of the topic that it didn't get looked at or not. But the second one I sent I classified it as account access and described that I hoped it was just a bug.
If it's been a couple days since you sent them a message, I would probably send one out again. Though, don't bombard them with several all at once. I did try to type out the issue as nicely as I could (since text can be interpreted so many different ways...), and maybe that helped a little too.
Hi, this is Cee, head admin of BTS Gold Network! We received your sign-up for our Bangtan On Replay event but your dms are not open so we cannot send you a link to the server. Can you open your dms or dm the net so we can send it to you? Thank you 💜
Hi! I hadn't realized, but I've been shadowbanned and am trying to get that sorted out atm...
I did message the network through my other account (mintquokka), but I'm not sure if you will accept that message. So please bare with me 😅
The time has come where we begin to see the sun shine through the clouds once more and the breeze combing through the trees, the smell of rain has begun to hang in the air as spring approaches steadily. Welcome to our Spring Event, Bangtan On Replay!
Hello in pied Piper first chapter, why did jungkook wanted oc to stay? "Don’t leave the house until after sunrise. And don’t even think about leaving town.” what happens if oc leaves the town?
Hi anon! I'm so sorry I didn't answer this until now.. 😓😓
tbh I almost forgot about that line. it was something that I kinda wrote in the moment, but worked into my story after writing it.
I mention slightly in chapters 3 and 7 about the curfew/leaving after sunrise. Part of the reason is that there are still people that will go after you (like robbers and teenagers looking for trouble, etc.) and try to do whatever they want to you. Really, your most logical reason. The other part is the legend surrounding the town. In chapter 3, oc finds themself at the edge of the forest without any recollection of how they got there. That's another thing that the townsfolk are warry of, not wanting to be dragged into the place where they believe the missing children are. The town believes that nighttime is when the pied piper comes out to play more to try to mess with the people.
As for leaving the town, I will be exploring that more within the next couple of chapters. To explain without giving much away, it's like there's a force field/pull. Not necessarily a physical force field that completely stops oc from leaving the town's boundaries, but it's more like whatever is controlling the town will do whatever it takes to keep you there. If that makes sense?
I hope that you are enjoying the series so far! And I hope you stick around for more! I would be glad to answer any questions y'all have
guys,,, I'm so sorry!! The last couple weeks were a mess as I was trying to finish up some last minute things for school.
BUT I am back! I'm aiming to get another chapter of Pied Piper in by next week. As well as get going on some other fic ideas that have been brewing in my mind lol. I hope y'all are ready for this summer!
Summary: Y/N L/N, an investigative journalist for the Daily Bullet, usually doesn’t see much out of the ordinary; A missing person’s case gone cold, an old case reopened and solved with updated technology, the thrilling excitement when another puzzle of one of the biggest serial killers is cracked. But when an old file resurfaces, she brings back a past that should have been burned with the file a long time ago.
Pairings: Jeon Jungkook x Reader
Word Count: 1.8k
Chapter Warnings: Swearing, talks about disappearing children, rats/insects, the actual Pied Piper storyline, mention of bones/killers, just very mean townspeople, allusion to the paranormal and unexplainable things, let me know if I missed anything
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Mystery/Thriller, Paranormal, Strangers to Friends
Chapter Rating: Pg-13
A/N: This chapter is more of a filler with some more background info that might serve useful in the future...🤔 I actually don't have many more chapters planned for this series! I am really hoping that even with exams coming up at the end of the month, I can get another chapter out for you guys. It's been a crazy semester so I'm sorry for not posting more than I was trying to promise 😔 I want to hear your guy's opinions though! Who should I make a series with next? Vote here!
With that, I hope y'all enjoy this chapter!
Series Masterlist | Main Masterlist
The Pied Piper. A legendary mysterious piper who turned fortune into tragedy. It was a bedtime story that many grew up listening to, though no one knew until much later about the sinister ending to the once happy tale. And it goes like this:
In the town of Hamelin, rats infested the ground. They brought all kinds of trouble. The townspeople feared for the future, desperate for relief. One day, a man dressed in brightly colored clothes and a pipe in his hand appeared in the town. He could get rid of the rats for a price. The town agreed. So, the piper played a tune to lure the rats to a body of water and drowned them. Though, when the man went back to collect his reward from ridding the town of the infestation, the people were greedy. They kept the reward to themselves and sent the piper on his way. Of course, he did not like that. So one day, he came back. He played his pipe through the town, a simple but enticing tune flooded the streets. But, instead of rats or insects or any other animal following him, the town’s children skipped along behind the piper, entranced by the sweet tune. They followed the man out of the town, disappearing, never to be seen again.
4 September, 20XX
The tension between you and Jungkook isn’t as thick as it was the night previous. Even as you’re cleaning up breakfast, Martha in tow, Jungkook doesn’t seem to tense up when you mention to him that you need to talk to him.
Martha, albeit distraught, leaves once breakfast is over. You weren’t much help last night, unsure of how to even begin comforting the strange woman. Though, you helped her into one of the bedrooms once Jungkook deemed it too dangerous for her to go back home. There are still some people that will do anything to hurt you despite the fact that no one is out after sun down, Jungkook finally explained about the strict curfew.
The moment he closes the door behind her, you face him with a stern gaze.
“I need you to tell me everything you know. I won’t take the bullshit answers you’ve been giving me since day one.”
Jungkook sighs, making his way back into the hallway where you stand. He clicks his tongue, his own expression a look of irritation.
“Fine.”
Walking past you, he motions for you to follow. It’s not a far walk, seeing as you find yourself in a small home library toward the back of his home. Jungkook shuts the door behind you after ushering you inside.
“Why are we in here?”
You stare at him quizzically. You know how to defend yourself if the situation turns sour—but you’re hoping that it won’t come to that. There’s at least a little trust if you’ve managed to stay this long without things going south. Jungkook only points to the set of chairs in the center of the room. You raise an eyebrow at him. When you don’t move to sit down, he scoffs.
“Do you want to hear my story?”
Sighing, you cautiously sit in the chair closest to you. He follows, lowering himself into the one across from you, and takes a deep breath.
“When I was a kid, we knew about the disappearances,” he starts quietly. “The teachers taught us about them, told us to never step near the forest. There was a superstition that that’s where the kids disappeared or something. I’m still not completely sure if it’s true or not. It was just a town rule that had been in place since the last disappearance, which had been at least fifteen years before when I first started school.”
Jungkook shakes his head slightly, as if to get himself back on his original thought.
“But like any other kid, we were curious. There was a group of us that snuck out in the middle of the night and tried to see if we could ‘find the bones of the past missing kids’. Couldn’t find anything. We were stupid though—didn’t think that we’d get caught, but the officer who was patrolling the area found us as we were trying to leave the forest. She took us to the station, called our parents, and we all were suspended for a few days.
“None of us dared going back again. Not with everyone watching us practically 24/7. The teachers talked about us in school, ya know, to show everyone else that it was a serious matter. After a couple weeks, we weren’t talked about and everything went back to normal.” He shifts in his seat. “At least, until it happened. It wasn’t even like the group of us talked about it again or anything. It was just a random day like a month or two after we went to the forest. And it just so happened to be one of the kids who went. And I just so happened to be the one who was closest to him, so they pinned all the blame on me.”
Jungkook’s eyes furrow deeper as he quickly mumbles out the last couple of sentences. His fingers curl up into fists, the fabric of his pants interlaced. His eyes avoid your own as he continues his story.
“I was all of a sudden in the spotlight again. His family, our teachers, literally everyone in the entire fucking town was questioning me. They compared our grades, they asked a lot of people about our friendship, did anything they could to get all of my information and background.” He glances up to meet your gaze. “Even my own parents questioned me.”
Though the tears weren’t present, you could see how much the disappearance affected him. Gone was the wall he had built up and reinforced in front of you. The wall came tumbling down in the moment, and all that is left is the kid left broken by the people he trusted the most.
“I-I was like a science experiment under a microscope. I was an outcast for the entire investigation. Everyone thought I had everything to do with his disappearance because I just happened to be the one that was last seen with him. Which was on the school grounds just after school let out. There were still other kids around us. We hadn’t even left the front gate before he suddenly just vanished. He was just gone and I couldn’t live my life normally anymore.”
Jungkook takes a deep breath. He clears his throat, sits a little straighter, and drops his gaze to the floor. You are left to wonder if he is trying to pick up whatever is left of his wall in order to save himself from your judgment.
“After that, they eventually just closed everything down,” he says lowly. “People left town, others stayed inside unless they absolutely had to go outside. A couple years, and it became a ghost town. I don’t know if it was because his disappearance was the final straw and no one could do anything about the missing kids anymore, or maybe it’s because they didn’t want to live in a town with a potential killer. Whatever it is, it doesn’t bother me anymore. The people who live here don’t give a shit about me, and I couldn’t care less about them either. That’s just how life became for me.”
Jungkook shrugs, leaning back in his seat nonchalantly. He really doesn’t care anymore, does he? Even after all of the hate and the threats he received. Neither one of you speaks up for a moment. You’re almost too stunned to speak. Sure, you knew the general bits, all the stuff about the town shutting down gradually, and how many children went missing. But what he just told you, all of the personal details about his friend’s disappearance, dropped a bomb on your entire investigation. There is so much more that is still left to unpack.
“What about Ms. Hudson, store owner?” you wonder. Your eyes, which had been focused on the floor for the last couple of minutes, flick up to meet his. “She seems to be the only one who doesn’t hate you.”
Jungkook sets his arm on the armrest, his head finding its place in his hand.
“She honestly was the only one who believed me when I said I didn’t know anything. I’m not even sure why,” he huffs out a laugh. “She never told me why she believed me. Just said something about it being an… intuition of sorts one time.”
“Wow. I can’t even imagine how it must have been.”
You lean against the back of the chair, rubbing at your face. It’s still too early for you to take in all of the new information he gave you. Maybe, you think, you should have done this later in the day. Your eyes drift around the room, the moment of silence between the two of you allowing for your curiosity to grow. As you scan the shelves of books, your eyes catch a glimpse of a particular cover.
“What’s that book over there?” You point to a mostly empty shelf. “The one with the red cover?”
The book lays against another less colorful book, standing out in contrast against the dark wooden shelves. Jungkook glances to where your focus is, humming questioningly.
“Oh. That’s just some stupid story I grew up reading. Kinda just stuck with me so I kept the book.”
You push yourself up from the chair. Stepping closer to the shelf, you pick up the book. The Piper of Hamelin, the title reads. Your eyes widen as you recall the events in the book. Quickly turning back towards Jungkook, you hold it up to show him the cover.
“Tell me the story,” you demand.
“Why would I do that? Shouldn’t you know it? I thought everyone knew about it.”
Waving him off, you flip through the pages of the book. You search for the one page you’re hoping will explain to him why you’re making him do such a thing.
“No, that’s not why. Just retell the story.”
He sighs, turning his head away, but clears his throat anyway.
“A long time ago, there was a man who showed up in a town that was having rat problems or whatever. He was able to lure them with his pipe to leave the town. But when he didn’t get the pay he was promised, he lured the children…out of town…with his music.”
Jungkook’s eyes widen, almost comically, as he turns to look at you.
“Didn’t Martha say something about hearing the Piper’s music?” you muse.
“Fuck. You don’t think-”
“Maybe the story isn’t just a tall tale? Maybe it’s a true story that’s been told over centuries as like a warning of some sort?”
His eyebrows furrow again, glancing down at his hands, his feet.
“I don’t get it. How could it be real?”
You sigh quietly, closing the book. The cover seems to mock you, the brightly colored piper with a pipe in his hand, dancing along the cobbled streets of a small town.
“There’s a lot of things we don’t know about this world.”
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Summary: Y/N Y/L/N, an investigative journalist for the Daily Bullet, usually doesn’t see much out of the ordinary; A missing person’s case gone cold, an old case reopened and solved with updated technology, the thrilling excitement when another puzzle of one of the biggest serial killers is cracked. But when an old file resurfaces, she brings back a past that should have been burned with the file a long time ago.
Pairings: Jeon Jungkook x Reader
Word Count: 3.7k
Chapter Warnings: Swearing, talks of a disappearance/missing person(s), minor/slightly major injuries, falling from heights, broken glass, spiderwebs, allusion to death, food (mostly meat and eggs), please let me know if I missed anything!
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Mystery/Thriller, Paranormal, Strangers to Friends
Chapter Rating: Pg-13
A/N: 😶I have no excuses... I apologize for not having update this is such a while. School is kicking my butt this semester and i've had to put a lot more focus on my classes. BUT i was able to find time each week to finish this chapter! I've been meaning to get this out WAY sooner than it is, but i did what i could. Either way, I'm back! I'm hoping that the rest of the semester goes a little smoother so I can get another chapter out in a more reasonable time! So please stick with me!
I hope you enjoy this chapter though!! 😊
Series Masterlist | Main Masterlist
3 September, 20XX
You can smell the heavenly aroma of a home cooked breakfast before even ever waking up. It drifts through your dreamworld, reaching your nose, and easing you awake—something that you haven’t had happen since before you started college years ago. It wasn’t often that Jungkook made breakfast. In fact, this would be only the second time he would offer you something other than the bread on the counter and the fruit in the fridge. So before he has a chance to knock on your door or eat all the food himself, you are dressed and stepping out of your room.
You peek your head around the corner, curious to see him in his natural habitat. Since staying here, Jungkook has been on edge with you—which you completely understand. A stranger waltzing into your home trying to solve the cases that were deemed unsolvable, and especially ones that you are personally affected by, isn’t going to make you open up the moment you introduce yourselves. So you try to keep quiet.
Standing in front of the stove, Jungkook flips an egg in the pan. It sizzles the moment it reconnects with the hot metal. It’s hard to tell from the angle you’re at, but the look on his face as he moves around the kitchen seems serene. A stark contrast to the hardened glare he always has around you. He moves to face your direction as he takes the egg from the pan and moves it to the plate sitting on the counter beside him. As quickly and quietly as possible, you push yourself away from the entryway, hoping that Jungkook didn’t notice your presence.
“Staring at me won’t make me like you.”
Damn it.
You carefully step out from your hiding place, an innocent look painted onto your face. Maybe if you appear less hostile yourself, Jungkook might do the same. Though, he doesn’t make an effort to acknowledge you when you walk into the kitchen. Are you disappointed? No. But you wish that he’d make the effort to help you in your investigation, more than the vague answers he’s already given you. If that means you’ll do whatever it takes to show him that you are not the bad guy, that you can be trusted, so be it.
You make a beeline straight for the plate of eggs. Jungkook must not have anticipated your movement as the moment his hands grab onto the plate, you manage to knock your own against it, almost causing the eggs to fly off the plate and onto his shirt. Though, with reflexes faster than the shutter on the film camera, Jungkook is able to pull the plate back to save them from slipping off. His eyes instantly meet yours.
“Sorry,” you mutter, smiling sheepishly at him.
Jungkook scoffs, presses his tongue against the inside of his cheek, and swiftly moves to sit in his chair at the dining table. You shuffle over yourself, gingerly pulling out your own chair and sitting down.
For a few minutes, the two of you eat in utter silence. The utensils scraping against the ceramic dishes are the only telltale that either of you are even breathing to begin with. You know your shy glances across the table to the man who despises you isn’t making the tension in the air dissipate any less than it has been over the past week.
Finally, you quietly ask what has been on your mind since the night prior.
“You weren’t ever going to tell me weren’t you?”
Jungkook freezes mid bite. His eyes bore straight through you. Does he even know what I’m talking about? Slowly, he finishes the food in his mouth, his gaze never leaving your face.
“Is that surprising?” He speaks low and slow. He definitely knows, you note. “I don’t have any reason to trust you, let alone tell you that my own friend disappeared because of whatever the hell is happening here.”
The sudden noise of his metal fork connecting with the ceramic as he stabs the egg on his plate, starles you. You're sure he has the strength to break through the plate if he wanted to. You sit up straighter, trying to match his intensity.
“I don’t blame you, but don’t you realize that this could be valuable information? I might be able to figure this out and give you the closure you need.”
Jungkook sets his hands against the table, pushing his chair out enough for him to stand. He leans against the tabletop and brings his face closer.
“I don’t need closure. What I need is for you to leave this town.”
Standing yourself, you mirror his stance. If his idea is to run you out of town by making you feel inferior, he won’t be successful. You’ll give back more than what he’s giving you if that’s what it will take for you to stay and finish your job.
“I will when I’m satisfied.”
“Do I really want to do this?”
Staring up at the fractured facade of the main school building, your shoulders become heavy. No. Your answer is no. Why on earth would someone in their right mind come to a crumbling building willing, to try to find the pieces you need to complete the thousand piece puzzle that this investigation is becoming? Right, because maybe you aren’t in your right mind—were you ever even in the first place?
“Please be kind to me,” you whisper as you step up to the building.
There is only one entrance, Jungkook reluctantly told you before you left, a second floor window on the east side of the school. It’s the only accessible one that was left unboarded thanks to some of the rebellious teenagers that visit the building every once in a while. To get inside, you have to pull over the stack of crates behind the nearest bush. It takes a moment for it to budge from the weeds growing through the holes of the bottom crate, but you manage to drag it haphazardly against the building. With how high the second floor windows are, you’re not surprised to see how steep the makeshift stairs are. One wrong step could send you crashing against the ground. Sure, you more than likely wouldn’t break any bones, but falling against the rocky ground will leave you with a few good scrapes and bruises.
Carefully placing your foot against the first crate, you wobbly push yourself off the ground. The weight of your bulky backpack pulls you back slightly and you have to claw at the next crate up to keep yourself from falling back on your equipment. Slowly, you make it to the top—not without your shoes slipping off the crates a few times on the way—taking a breath before stealthily avoiding the broken glass still in the window pane. Once your feet touch the floor, you let out a sigh. You don’t appreciate standing on solid ground enough.
You pull out your phone. Though nothing else works on it—you’ve tried so many different tricks to get your internet to work, but nothing seems to happen—at least you have enough battery to use your flashlight. There is light coming through the window, but it’s not enough to light the entire area as the sun is shining on the opposite side of the building. Slowly, you scan the room.
“This place is just as bad as the library.”
Crumpled and torn paper, overturned desks, broken bookshelves, and various art supplies are scattered across the floor of the small classroom you find yourself in. You’re not surprised to see that many of the papers, as well as the walls of the rundown school, are covered in crude drawings and spray paint. Do teens have nothing else to do?
You carefully make your way out into the hallway. A chill runs down your spine the moment you step out of the classroom. Though it’s mid-day and probably the clearest sunny day you’ve seen since coming into town, the boarded up windows of the second floor keep most of the sunlight out. There are a few gaps between the boards in the windows on either end of the hallway that give you slivers of light, lighting enough of the path to the staircase that you could probably do without your flashlight. Though, you don’t dare take any risks, keeping your own light shining just ahead of your feet.
You need to get what you’re looking for and get out. Despite having been in abandoned buildings before, there’s something about the school that doesn’t sit right with you. Maybe it’s the fact that all of the children had disappeared from the courtyard, or maybe it’s the idea that anyone could follow you in and sneak up behind you and-
I need to be quick.
Making your way down the stairs, you find yourself in front of an even larger corridor. Memories of your own education begin to come back to your mind as you walk down the hallway, searching for the main office area. Times of embarrassment—like the day you tripped up the stairs in front of a large group of people, one of which was your high school crush—and excitement fills your brain.
“Finally,” you whisper.
The window wall of the office welcomes you. You quickly step inside, dismissing the fact that the door has been pulled off its hinges and most of the glass is shattered. What’s not to expect in a building as damaged as this? You walk behind the front counter—somewhere you did not enjoy going to when you were younger, as that usually was during a trip to the principal's office. A smaller hallway towards the back of the office holds the principal and vice principal’s offices. You can only assume that what you’re looking for is tucked away into one of the rooms.
“If I were a filing cabinet full of student files,” you wonder, “where would I be?”
Stepping through the threshold of the vice president’s office, you weave your way through the doorway as you avoid all of the spiderwebs clustered around the frame. Your eyes quickly spot a couple of cabinets laying on their sides peeking out from behind the desk. A couple of the drawers have popped open—probably after being knocked over—and the files inside threaten to spill out. Leaning in close to see the contents of the open drawers, you smile victoriously.
Inside the cabinet is exactly what you are looking for. Files of students ranging from when the school first opened to when it last held a class lay almost untouched. You take out the crumpled sticky note you shoved in your pocket before leaving the bed and breakfast earlier. Your messy handwriting is hard to decipher even under the light of your phone’s flashlight, but you manage to make out the names of the missing children just enough to move your focus to the filing cabinet.
You thumb through the files. They shouldn’t be that hard to find, right? You’re quickly proven wrong as the files aren’t in alphabetical order like you assumed they would have been. Rather, the students in the same graduating class are situated together. Which, you realize, isn’t very many per class, but when the school has been open since the 1940s, there’s still a lot to go through.
One by one, you sort through the files. To your surprise, it doesn’t take as long to find each student—save for the fight you had opening a couple of the cabinet drawers—and you are out of the office in the blink of an eye. You tuck the handful of files into your backpack, careful not to let the loose papers slip out and land amongst the plethora of paperwork on the floor.
“Shit.”
If it’s a prank, you don’t find it even an ounce funny. In the time you were able to get in and now out of the school, someone has moved the stack of crates back to it’s spot behind the bushes. A chill runs down your spine at the thought of someone watching and waiting for you to explore the building, even if it was a rebellious teenager. You peer out of the window, glancing down at the height of the second story window. If you can’t find another way out of the school, you’re going to have to brave falling to the ground.
You carefully push away from the window, glancing back towards the rest of the building. Is it worth your time trying to find an easier exit? As far as you’re concerned, and from what Jungkook told you, there is no other way out, especially on the ground floor. Though, if you know how teenagers work, you're sure that there is somewhere else that they can sneak through. So you make your way back down the stairs. You scour the building, cautiously poking your head through every open space you can find, yet none of them take you where you want to go.
It’s almost sundown by the time you make it back up to the second story window. Despite your efforts, you can’t find another exit. Your nerves eat at you at the thought of having to jump down from the height. One wrong move and you can kiss yourself goodbye. You peek over the window’s edge. There’s a group of mangled bushes off to the side, and your heart races. If you can manage to swing over and land in the bushes, you will be better off than hitting the dirt patches below you. Taking a deep breath, you slowly slide your backpack off your back. You hang it over the edge and swing it, tossing it a little farther than you thought you would. It lands amongst the branches, cracking a few as gravity pulls it further into the shrubbery. Now for me. Picking up a piece of paper from the floor, you brush away as much of the broken glass shards as you can, keeping you from hurting yourself too much in the process—not that falling from a second story window will do any less damage. Once the loose pieces are pushed to the floor, you throw a leg over the ledge, then the other, twist your body enough that you can hold on without worrying about slipping as you try to get situated, and carefully lower your body down to hang from the ledge.
Your heart is pounding against your chest the longer you hang there. You have to act quick before your fingers lose their grip and you’re sent tumbling to the ground without warning. With what strength you can muster, you try to swing yourself a little as you aim for the bushes. One last swing, and you push yourself away from the wall and towards the shrubbery. Your heart seems to stop. For the split second you feel yourself floating in the air, you regret your actions. What if you don’t land where you wanted to? What if there is something in the bushes that hurts you more than you are expecting? What if-
Your back hits something hard. Your limbs follow, and you can begin to feel the way the branches scrape your skin. The pain doesn’t register in your brain until you relax into the bush. You know, without even having to look, that you’re beaten up pretty badly.
The heat coming from your skin the longer you lay there becomes too unbearable. You have to force yourself to roll out of the bush and onto your feet. Your arms sting the more you move them, but you push through it. Landing wobbly on the ground, you hiss. The cool summer breeze that travels past you makes your wounds hurt more than they were before. Carefully, as to not strain the injuries further, you reach for your backpack. It feels a lot heavier than you remember, but perhaps it’s because you can’t take much weight onto your body. You are sure that you won’t be able to move a limb tomorrow.
“There has to be something.”
You groan. As you shift in your seat, the bandages wrapped around you seem to pull tighter against your skin. Sure, having the pressure is a welcomed feeling, but your unconscious movements lit your body on fire once again.
The moment you arrived back at the bed and breakfast, Jungkook was quick to call you an idiot for doing what you did. Though, that didn’t stop him from helping you take care of your injuries—even if he did it all the while cursing at you underneath his breath.
The student files spread across the surface of the living room coffee table. You were much too sore to move from the couch after being bandaged up, so you decided to look at the files in the open. Jungkook was eager to step into the kitchen when you began pulling out the folders and the first name he saw was too familiar to him. For the hour that you’ve sat, studying each file, comparing one to another, there is nothing that tells you why the children went missing. You had hoped that there would be a common thing amongst the victims—a similar birthday or upbringing; maybe a certain personality trait; anything—but you come up empty.
“Nothing makes sense,” you whine, slowly laying against the back of the couch.
A knock on the doorframe shakes you from your confusion.
“Dinner is ready.”
Your eyes drift to Jungkook’s figure leaning against the doorway between the kitchen and the living room. For a moment, you swear you catch a glimpse of sympathy and concern as he stares at your injured form, but it’s gone the moment you try to search for it further. He pushes away from the wall, turning back towards the kitchen without another word, leaving you to get up by yourself. You struggle, trying to push your body off the couch. It takes you a couple minutes before you can waddle into the kitchen.
The moment you step into the room the smell of meat becomes intense. You could faintly smell it as you sat in the next room over, but you didn’t pay much mind to it, hyperfocused on trying to find a relation between the children. Set in the center of the table for a change, several meat dishes lay on the tabletop. Your mouth waters at the sight of the food. So as quickly as possible, despite the state you’re in, you join Jungkook in dishing up your dinner.
The two of you eat in silence, enjoying the delicious food too much to even think about anything else. But slowly, your mind drifts back to the files still spread on the coffee table. Much like the conversation you had this morning, you break the silence.
“Can I ask you something?”
His eyes glance up to meet yours before flickering back down. He continues to cut at the meat on his plate, responding before shoving a forkful of food into his mouth, glaring at the plate.
“No.”
You dismiss his answer. There is no other way you can get through him besides poking at him with your questions. Soon enough he’ll break like a dam under pressure, right?
“Did you know about any of the other kids before his disappearance?”
“What part of ‘no’ don’t you understand?”
“Just answer the question.”
Your food goes untouched as you wait patiently for Jungkook to say something. You’re sure he can feel your stare the longer it takes for him to acknowledge your determined self. As you open your mouth again to annoy him to the point of spilling whatever information he has, he sighs. He glances up at you unfazed by your glare.
“Yeah. Most of it was rumors, but the teachers briefed over them in our history lessons.” He clears his throat, sitting up a little straighter. “So when… that… happened, they tried to pin the blame on me, saying that I tried to ‘copy’ the past.”
“What do you mean?”
Jungkook scoffs, rolling his eyes before shoving the knife in his hand against his food once again.
“If you’re so damn curious, why don’t you read the police report?”
Someone pounds frantically against the front door. It echoes into the rest of the house, a startling difference to the quiet, although tense, conversation between you and Jungkook. You raise an eyebrow at him.
“Are you expecting anyone?”
He glances in the direction of the door. He mutters something under his breath, standing up from the table, and cautiously walks out of the kitchen.
“Stay here,” he warns before disappearing from sight.
You can hear the frustrated sigh he lets out before you hear the click of the lock. The door swings open with a light squeak. Another voice calls out into the air, this time much higher pitched than the man you are staying with.
“Where’s that reporter?”
“Hey! You can’t just-”
As you push yourself from the table, a plump woman appears in the doorway to the kitchen. She turns to look in the room, her eyes widening the moment she spots your figure. She rushes over to you and grabs a hold of your shoulders. You hiss at the contact, but the woman doesn’t seem to notice as she begins rapidly speaking to you.
“You have to help me. My daughter’s gone.”
“Look, Martha,” Jungkook interrupts. The woman, Martha, turns to look at him as he continues. “Go back home. She’s probably just hiding somewhere.”
Martha’s shoulders fall at his words.
“No! She’s really gone!” she exclaims.
She lets go of you, turning her whole body towards Jungkook. You can see the way her hands shake as she reaches out to take his hands in hers. The two of them bicker back and forth for a moment, ignoring your presence.
“Ma’am, are you sure?” you manage to get out between their exchanges.
The moment she meets your eyes again, she’s at your feet. Martha nods frantically, tugging at your arms as you try to lift her from her kneeling position. You wince at her actions, the injuries on your arms still too fresh.
“I heard it.”
With a hum of confusion, your focus switches from the pain in your body to the tears trailing down her cheek.
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