It was already past noon, but Juno was still nowhere to be found.
Jungkook and I hadn't really talked for the rest of the morning.
As the minutes and hours passed, we both grew more and more tense, and that made us not really feel like talking anymore.
I was in the kitchen, doing some kind of stress-cleaning to distract myself, while Jungkook silently watched me from the table.
As much as I didn't want to... I couldn't help thinking the worst. We didn't know this place. It would be easy for something to happen to Juno. What if something had happened?
"He said he'd be home for lunch..." I spoke up after a long silence, my voice slightly trembling.
"He doesn't have a watch. He probably doesn't know it's noon. I'm sure he'll be here soon."
"I don't want anything to happen to him. He's too attractive for that..." I mumbled.
"Do you like him?" he asked softly.
"Maybe... It's probably just a crush. I was drawn to his looks. But he's got a family, too. Besides, I don't just not want him hurt because I like him... but because he has a little daughter. He's her only parent." I lowered my head.
"You're right," he sighed.
"What's this?" I suddenly found a small paper packet in my hand. "Oh my god..." I read the label.
"What is it?" Kook asked curiously.
"Why is there an aphrodisiac in here?" I frowned, putting the packet down with the other spices.
"I don't know. And I don't want to find out," he chuckled.
"Whatever... Jungkook, let's go find Juno," I pleaded with him.
"He'll be here any minute. He's not stupid—he's strong," he shrugged.
"But I can't calm down. We don't know what this place is," I insisted.
"Alright. If that's what you want, let's go," he got up, and we both went to the front door where we grabbed sweaters and boots — even though it was warm outside despite the snow.
We stepped out of the house and started walking in some random direction.
Jungkook immediately noticed a small path leading into the forest — the one Juno had mentioned — so we went that way.
"Why are you so nervous?" Kook asked me.
"I'm just like this. I can worry about anyone. Even the lowest scumbag," I shrugged. "Damn... uhm... would it be a big deal if I held your hand?" I asked nervously.
"Of course not. You mentioned being scared of the forest. You can hold my hand," he smiled at me reassuringly, and we laced our fingers together and headed into the dense pine woods.
I didn't even realize I was clinging to Kook's hand — I just wanted to calm myself as quickly as possible, hoping Juno was okay.
"He definitely came this way. Look, there are footprints," Jungkook pointed out.
"Should we call out for him?" I asked uncertainly.
"No. We don't know what's in this forest. Let's just quietly find Juno and get out of here. This place is seriously creepy," he looked around nervously.
We walked along the trail for quite a while, but Juno was still nowhere in sight.
A terrible feeling began to grow in my chest, and panic started creeping in.
What was he even doing here? Why would he come this far into the forest?
"J... Jungkook... We're pretty far from the houses now," I told him.
"Yeah, I noticed. What the hell was Juno doing coming out this far?" he grumbled. Then, all of a sudden, he stopped and pulled me into a tight embrace that I didn't understand. "Jimin... let's get out of here," he whispered, and I could feel his heartbeat start to race.
"B...But Juno..." I muttered into his chest.
"Jimin, don't ask anything. Just move," he said more firmly.
That's when we heard the howling of wolves in the distance.
We looked at each other in fright, and when I glanced around, I saw Juno's legs sticking out from under a pine tree.
There was blood everywhere — everywhere — and I genuinely thought I was going to faint on the spot.
I broke down crying, but Jungkook quickly covered my mouth with his hand, trying to calm me down.
The howls were getting louder, and Kook grabbed my hand and started running.
We ran out of the forest, leaving Juno's lifeless body behind.
My heart was pounding in my throat, and I could barely breathe from the shock.
I knew something bad had happened, but I never imagined Juno would be dead.
A thousand questions were swirling in my head, but I couldn't make sense of anything.
In a trance-like state, I ran beside Kook while we heard the animals following us.
When we made it out of the forest, the wolves didn't follow us into the clearing.
I collapsed into the snow and started sobbing.
"I knew something happened to him. It hurts so much, Jungkook..." I leaned into him, crying.
"It hurts me too..." he said, hugging me tightly again. "The wolves got him. We're never going near that forest again," he murmured.
"He was a good man... What's going to happen to his little girl?" I asked through sobs.
"I don't know, Jimin," he sniffled.
"Oh god..." I clung to him even more tightly as we tried to process the fact that Juno was gone.
Is this the so-called hidden Christmas village?
Christmas is supposed to be the holiday of love — but now we're mourning a dead man.
What is this place?
What do we have to do to get out of here?
It's not as magical as it seemed yesterday.
This tragedy took away all its wonder. I just want to go home to my parents.
Why did it have to be me? Why us?
We don't even have anything in common — except that we're Korean.
I don't understand any of this.
But at least Jungkook is still here with me.
His hug is incredibly comforting, and I can tell he's strong. A good-looking man.
I just hope he won't run away now — I hope he'll help me get through this trauma.