My own BTS part 5
2365 Words
Chapter Five
The Girl Who Ran Away
The street became quiet again after Seo-yeon disappeared.
Jungkook stood where she had been only moments before.
He stared at the empty road.
Nothing.
No footsteps.
No voice.
No girl.
Only the faint sound of traffic in the distance.
Seokjin walked up beside him.
“She really left.”
Jungkook nodded.
“She always does.”
The others looked at him.
Yoongi raised an eyebrow.
“You said that like you've known her for years.”
Jungkook didn't answer immediately.
He looked down at the notebook he had noticed in her hands.
The same girl.
The same voice.
The same habit of disappearing whenever someone got too close.
It was strange.
Very strange.
He had heard her only twice in his life.
The first time, she had been a frightened girl who ran away before they could speak to her.
The second time, she was a young woman sitting alone in the dark, singing as though her entire heart had been turned into music.
And somehow, he remembered her.
Not her face.
Not her clothes.
Not even the exact sound of her voice.
He remembered the feeling.
That was what bothered him.
Why did someone he barely knew remain in his memory after all those years?
Jimin touched his shoulder.
“Jungkook.”
He looked at him.
“You okay?”
“Yeah.”
“You're staring at the road.”
“I know.”
Hoseok smiled.
“You're thinking about her.”
Jungkook looked away.
“No.”
Taehyung laughed.
“You definitely are.”
“I said no.”
“You're a terrible liar.”
Seokjin joined in.
“Very terrible.”
Jungkook sighed.
“Can we just go home?”
Yoongi looked toward the direction Seo-yeon had taken.
“We should probably make sure she's okay first.”
Jungkook looked at him.
“Exactly.”
Namjoon folded his arms.
“But how?”
Nobody answered.
They didn't know where she lived.
They didn't know where she worked.
They didn't know her school.
They didn't know her family.
They didn't even know whether she had gone home.
All they had was a voice.
And a name.
Han Seo-yeon.
The next morning, Jungkook woke earlier than usual.
He couldn't explain why.
He sat on the edge of his bed, staring at his phone.
He had no message from her.
Of course he didn't.
He didn't even have her number.
He laughed quietly at himself.
“What am I doing?”
He stood up.
But as he got ready, the question remained.
Was she okay?
Had she gone home?
Had she made up with her mother?
Had she eaten?
He didn't know why those questions mattered to him.
They shouldn't.
She was a stranger.
But there was something about her that made him uncomfortable in a way he couldn't explain.
Not because she was dangerous.
Because she looked like someone who had become too good at carrying pain alone.
And Jungkook knew something about that.
Sometimes people who looked the strongest were simply people who had learned not to ask for help.
At breakfast, the others noticed immediately.
Jungkook was quiet.
Very quiet.
Seokjin looked across the table.
“You're thinking about her again.”
Jungkook nearly choked on his drink.
“I'm not.”
“You are.”
“No.”
“You've said no three times.”
“And?”
“That means yes.”
Taehyung laughed.
Jungkook rolled his eyes.
“I just want to know if she's okay.”
Hoseok smiled.
“That is exactly what someone says when they're curious.”
“I am curious.”
“There we go.”
Jungkook sighed.
“Fine. I'm curious.”
The table became quiet.
Yoongi looked at him.
“Then find out.”
Jungkook looked surprised.
“How?”
Yoongi shrugged.
“You're the one who wants to know.”
Namjoon nodded.
“But be careful.”
Jungkook looked at him.
“With what?”
“She's not a mystery to solve.”
That sentence stayed with him.
Because Namjoon was right.
Seo-yeon wasn't a puzzle.
She was a person.
A person who clearly didn't want strangers digging into her life.
If he wanted to find her, he couldn't treat her like a story.
He had to respect her.
So they agreed on one thing.
They would look for her only to make sure she was safe.
Nothing more.
At least...
that was what Jungkook told himself.
Their first clue came from the simplest place.
The street where they had heard her singing wasn't far from a busy market.
They decided to return there.
The next afternoon, the seven boys arrived quietly.
No cameras.
No crowd.
Just caps, masks, and ordinary clothes.
They walked through the market.
Food stalls lined the street.
Steam rose from pots.
People shouted orders.
Motorbikes passed.
Children ran between tables.
Jungkook looked around.
“Do you remember exactly where she was?”
“Over there,” Jimin said.
They walked toward the old building.
But there was no sign of Seo-yeon.
A woman selling fruit noticed them looking around.
“Are you lost?”
Namjoon smiled politely.
“Maybe.”
She laughed.
“What are you looking for?”
Jungkook hesitated.
Then he asked:
“Do you know a girl named Seo-yeon?”
The woman's expression changed slightly.
“Seo-yeon?”
“Yes.”
“Han Seo-yeon?”
Jungkook's heart jumped.
“Yes.”
The woman pointed down the road.
“You mean the girl who helps her mother at the food stall?”
Jungkook looked at the others.
They had found her.
The stall was small.
Much smaller than Jungkook expected.
There were two tables.
A large pot.
A few containers.
An old umbrella.
And a woman standing behind the counter.
Seo-yeon's mother.
She looked tired.
But she smiled at customers.
“Two portions?”
“Yes, please.”
“Coming.”
Jungkook stood across the street.
He couldn't move.
This was where Seo-yeon lived her life.
This was the place she had never talked about.
The place where she had worked before school.
The place where people had probably watched her grow up.
Suddenly, the girl from the night before made more sense.
Her tired eyes.
Her old clothes.
Her fear.
Her voice.
Everything seemed connected.
Seokjin quietly said:
“She's been doing this for years.”
Jungkook nodded.
He watched Seo-yeon's mother lift a heavy pot.
She struggled.
A customer didn't notice.
Neither did anyone else.
Jungkook did.
He wanted to walk over.
But Namjoon stopped him.
“Not yet.”
“Why?”
“Because we don't know what she wants.”
Jungkook looked at the stall.
He knew Namjoon was right.
They waited.
Then they saw her.
Seo-yeon came running from the corner with her schoolbag.
She was still wearing her uniform.
Her hair was tied back.
She smiled when she saw her mother.
“I'm here.”
Her mother looked relieved.
“You're late.”
“I'm sorry.”
“Did you eat?”
“Yes.”
Seo-yeon was lying.
Her mother knew.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Her mother smiled.
“Go put your bag down.”
Seo-yeon nodded.
Jungkook watched them.
There was something about the way Seo-yeon looked at her mother.
Even after everything that had happened.
Even after the argument.
She still loved her.
That touched him more than he expected.
Then Seo-yeon suddenly looked across the street.
Her eyes met his.
Everything stopped.
Jungkook froze.
Seo-yeon's smile disappeared.
Her eyes widened.
She recognized him.
Again.
And this time...
she didn't run.
Not immediately.
She simply stared.
Jungkook slowly raised his hand.
A small wave.
Seo-yeon looked around.
Then back at him.
Her mother noticed.
“Seo-yeon?”
Seo-yeon turned quickly.
“Nothing.”
Her mother looked suspicious.
“Who is that?”
“Nobody.”
Jungkook almost smiled.
Nobody.
After all this searching, he was still nobody.
Seo-yeon turned back toward the stall.
But when she looked again...
the seven boys were gone.
That evening, Seo-yeon found something beside the food stall.
A folded piece of paper.
She looked around.
Nobody was there.
She opened it.
There was only one sentence.
You don't have to run every time someone hears you sing.
No name.
No phone number.
Nothing else.
Seo-yeon stared at it.
She knew who had written it.
Her heart beat faster.
She folded the paper carefully.
Then put it inside her notebook.
She didn't know why.
She could have thrown it away.
She could have ignored it.
Instead, she kept it.
And that frightened her.
Because keeping the note meant she was right.
That night, Jungkook couldn't sleep.
He lay in bed staring at the ceiling.
He kept thinking about the stall.
The small tables.
The old umbrella.
Seo-yeon's mother.
The way Seo-yeon had looked at him.
And the note.
He had written it himself.
He wasn't sure whether that had been a good idea.
Maybe he had crossed a line.
Maybe she wanted them to leave her alone.
Maybe he should stop.
He picked up his phone.
Opened the notes app.
Typed:
Han Seo-yeon.
Then stared at the name.
He added:
Singer.
Then deleted it.
He tried again.
Girl from the street.
Deleted.
He sighed.
“What am I doing?”
He threw the phone onto the bed.
A few seconds later, he picked it up again.
There was a message from Jimin.
You still awake?
Jungkook replied:
Yes.
A moment later:
Thinking about her?
Jungkook smiled.
Maybe.
Jimin sent:
I knew it.
Jungkook laughed quietly.
Then another message appeared.
Her voice was beautiful.
Jungkook stared at the screen.
He typed:
I know.
Then he added:
But I think there's something else.
Jimin asked:
What?
Jungkook thought for a long time.
Finally, he wrote:
She sounds like someone who has something she desperately wants to say.
There was no reply for several seconds.
Then:
Maybe one day she'll tell us.
Jungkook stared at those words.
Maybe.
Across the city, Seo-yeon sat on her bedroom floor.
Her notebook was open.
The note from Jungkook was beside it.
She had read it six times.
She didn't know why it mattered.
She didn't know why the words made her feel strangely understood.
She picked up her pen.
For a long time, she didn't write.
Then she began.
Today I saw them again.
She stopped.
Crossed it out.
Started again.
Today, the seven boys found me.
She paused.
Then wrote:
I thought I would be afraid.
Another pause.
I was.
She continued.
But one of them looked at me like he wasn't looking at a poor girl.
She stopped.
Her cheeks became warm.
She immediately crossed out the sentence.
“No.”
She whispered.
“That sounds stupid.”
She closed the notebook.
Then opened it again.
She wrote one final sentence.
I don't know why, but I think he remembered me.
She stared at the words.
Then closed the notebook.
The next morning, something unexpected happened.
Seo-yeon arrived at the stall early.
Her mother was already cooking.
“Good morning.”
“Good morning.”
Her mother looked at her.
“You seem different.”
Seo-yeon stopped.
“Different how?”
“I don't know.”
Her mother smiled.
“You're smiling.”
Seo-yeon touched her face.
“I am?”
“Yes.”
“Maybe I'm just happy.”
Her mother nodded.
“I like seeing you happy.”
Seo-yeon looked away.
She didn't tell her mother why.
She didn't mention the seven boys.
She didn't mention the note.
She didn't mention the strange feeling in her chest.
She simply helped prepare breakfast.
But she had barely finished arranging the food when a black car stopped nearby.
Seo-yeon looked up.
Her heart immediately began racing.
The door opened.
One person stepped out.
Then another.
Then another.
Seven boys.
Her mother looked confused.
Seo-yeon's hands went cold.
Jungkook was standing at the front.
But this time, he wasn't looking at her from across the street.
He was walking toward the stall.
Seo-yeon swallowed.
“Mom...”
Her mother looked at her.
“What?”
Seo-yeon couldn't answer.
Jungkook stopped in front of the stall.
He smiled politely.
“Good morning.”
Her mother smiled back nervously.
“Good morning.”
Jungkook looked at Seo-yeon.
She couldn't look away.
He spoke softly.
“We came to eat.”
Seo-yeon blinked.
“Eat?”
Seokjin immediately raised his hand.
“Yes.”
He smiled.
“Seven portions, please.”
For the first time in days, Seo-yeon laughed.
It escaped before she could stop it.
A small laugh.
A real laugh.
Jungkook smiled when he heard it.
And for a few seconds, nobody talked about fame.
Nobody talked about music.
Nobody talked about the past.
They were simply seven hungry young men standing at a tiny roadside food stall...
and one girl who was beginning to realize that maybe they weren't going to disappear.
As Seo-yeon served them, Jungkook noticed something.
Her hands were shaking.
Not because of them.
Because she was worried.
He looked toward her mother.
Then toward the small stall.
Then at the stack of unpaid bills partially visible beneath the counter.
His smile disappeared.
There was something wrong.
Something much bigger than a girl who was shy around celebrities.
He quietly asked:
“Seo-yeon.”
She looked at him.
“Yes?”
“Are you okay?”
She immediately smiled.
“Yes.”
It was the same smile people used when they wanted someone to stop asking questions.
Jungkook recognized it.
He had seen it before.
But this time, he wasn't going to believe it.
“Are you sure?”
Seo-yeon nodded.
“Yes.”
Jungkook looked at her.
Then he noticed the notebook tucked beneath the counter.
The same notebook.
The one that had started all of this.
Seo-yeon noticed him looking.
She quickly moved it.
Jungkook said nothing.
But he knew.
There was a story inside that notebook.
A story she wasn't ready to tell.
And somehow, he had the feeling that whatever was written inside those pages...
would eventually change all seven of their lives.
He just didn't know how.
Yet.
To be continued...
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