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Kai worried at his lip, gazing up at the unfamiliar street sign above him. Stepping to the edge of the curb, he peered across the intersection at the sign for the cross street. Ah.
He rocked back on his heels as a truck rumbled past, squeezing his eyes shut and scrubbing at his face.
He had absolutely no idea where he was.
A passing woman gave him a concerned look and Kai forced his feet to begin moving again. He’d been collecting strange looks from a lot of people, lingering there on the sidewalk in nothing but a thin sweater, staring forlornly into the sky.
Surely if he just kept walking, he had to run into a street he knew eventually...right?
He waited for the crosswalk sign to change, rubbing his hands together trying to get some feeling back into them.
Why did he decide he needed to go to a store on the other side of the city, today of all days?
The others were back in the warm dorm, probably eating lunch by now, and huddling around the small TV to watch some action movie that Taehyun would probably pretend not to be scared at, only to later crawl in Kai’s bed, unable to sleep.
Kai knew one thing at least: he needed to not draw attention to himself.
The last thing they needed was for paparazzi photos to leak of him standing out alone in twenty degree weather in a thin sweater. Fans would be outraged against BigHit. Never mind that this was all Kai’s fault.
Three blocks later he was forced to admit that his current method wasn’t working. After all, what if he was just walking further away from the dorms?
Fumbling, he pulled his phone from his pocket and clicked the on button again, just in case, by some miracle, it had regained power simply fueled by his rising levels of desperation. The empty battery symbol blinked back at him mockingly.
There was a small street market a block down and Kai made his way over, mouth watering at the smells drifting from some of the food carts.
He loitered on the sidewalk where a vendor’s grill made the surrounding area just a little warmer, debating if he should ask to borrow a phone. He hadn’t memorized any of the other members or his manager’s numbers- why hadn’t he memorized their managers’ numbers?- which meant he was going to have to google the main headquarters and try to call that.
Kai folded his hands over his chest, tucking his hands into his armpits in an attempt to stay warm, shifting back and forth in place. His eyes paused on a stand across from him, where a wiry man was selling fake gold jewelry to tourists, and he tried to determine how friendly the vendor looked. Would he let him borrow a phone? Or a few coins for the bus?
“I assure you, these are the best you can find in all of Seoul right now. And at such a reasonable price! You won’t find a better deal in all of Korea!” The man was saying, tilting a flashy necklace so that it sparkled in the light.
Kai’s teeth were chattering now and his ears felt frozen solid.
He took a step forward, almost involuntarily. It was just so cold. What did he have to lose anyway?
In front of him, a teenager in a large sweatshirt drifted into view.
Kai perked up. Teenagers were usually pretty friendly. He’d probably at least let Kai borrow his phone. He raised a hand to tap the boy’s shoulder but… something was off.
Kai hesitated.
The thin-faced boy, who looked a bit older than Kai, was watching the storekeeper like a hawk, hand tapping frantically at his jeans. The teen waited until the shopkeeper turned the other way and darted forward, grasping handfuls of jewelry and shoving it into his backpack. Kai’s mouth dropped and he could only watch, frozen in shock, as the boy snatched up a last necklace and darted off into the alleyway.
Finished with the customer, the vendor turned back to the front, letting out a shout at the disarray in front of him.
“What? My wares-”
The man shoved his way out of the stand, looking left and right, and finally his gaze settled on Kai, who took a step back under the force of the man’s clear fury.
“Thief!” The man shouted, crooking a finger at him. He snatched a broom where it lay propped up against his booth and advanced across the sidewalk.
Kai sputtered, throwing up his hands placatingly. “No, it wasn’t me! I was just-”
“I saw you eyeing my wares! Hand them over!” The man swung the broom at him and Kai stumbled back, heart racing.
“Sir, I didn’t-”
The man swung again and he barely moved out of the way in time, stumbling over the curb in his haste and falling. The cold pavement felt frozen against his back but he could barely feel it, his wide eyes fixed on the vendor. Kai kept a hand outstretched, hoping to keep the man at bay until he could just explain.
“Please, I didn’t steal-”
“Thieving foreigner.” The man spat, advancing again. And something dropped in Kai’s chest, a cold flush washing over him.
He looked desperately to the passersby hoping for someone to back up his story, but no one spoke up, their gazes fixed firmly on the shopping in front of them. They weren’t going to intervene. No one was going to say anything, stop the man, no one... no one had seen.
Panic finally hit him and Kai skittered backwards in a crab-walk as the man approached, before he finally, finally, found his footing and scrambled to his feet.
“Hey! Stop-”
But Kai kept moving, running down the sidewalk so fast his numb legs could barely keep up, his breath pounding a frantic drumbeat in his ears.
He risked a glance back and saw that the storekeeper had abandoned the broom and decided to give chase, face screwed up in dark scowl.
“Stop that thief!” The man yelled, motioning frantically at Kai as the boy passed a group of people. One man reached out to stop him, but Kai ducked under the arm, fear blooming in his chest.
He threw another look over his shoulder. The man was gaining. He was faster than Kai. He was faster than Kai.
Fueled by the panic of that realization, the boy put on a burst of speed just in time to skid around the street corner and bowl straight into a wide chest.
A bleached blonde figure cursed as they both went sprawling, another shorter man barely shifting out of the way in time. Grocery bags landed on the sidewalk with a crunk, oranges spilling out into the road.
Kai hit the pavement shoulder first, his sweater snagging on the harsh concrete.
For a moment he just lay there, arm aching, as he tried to regather his scattered thoughts.
He was running. He needed to get up- because… because... the vendor!
Kai shoved himself into a sitting position, his panic returning.
The shorter man was crouched next to the guy he’d run into, who thankfully seemed to be unhurt, already sitting up.
The blonde guy waved off his friend’s concern, and the shorter man rocked back on his heels, turning his attention to Kai.
“Aish, kid, you need to watch where you’re going!” He scolded, snagging one of the oranges and brushing it off before placing it back in his bag. “You could have ended up in the road! Are you alright?”
The familiar voice brought Kai’s frantic thoughts to a halt. He blinked over at the blonde’s companion, dark hair, kind face...wait…
“J-Hope sunbaenim?”
The elder’s brow creased and he stood up, peering over at Kai.
Kai didn’t move, frozen, desperately afraid that he was mistaken.
But then there was a flash of recognition and the man’s mouth dropped open.
“Kai? Huening Kai?”
The blonde man -Kim Namjoon - Kai finally registered, was brushing himself off and climbing to his feet. At Hoseok's words, the leader’s head snapped up, and he too gaped at Kai.
“Kai-ah? Are you out here alone?” Namjoon twisted in quick circle, peering down the sidewalk as if he was expecting Kai's manager or his members to appear from around some corner.
Kai could only blink up at the two from the pavement, his adrenaline still chanting run, run, run.
Hoseok took several steps forward, brow creased as he registered the boy's flushed face and disheveled clothing. "Is everything okay?"
At that moment, there was a pound of footsteps and the vendor appeared around the corner, panting.
“You-” he snarled, pointing a finger in Kai’s direction, who began desperately trying to regain his footing.
The vendor advanced towards him, only to have the almost six foot Namjoon step straight into his path.
“Is there a problem here, sir?” the leader said, with the false politeness that he usually reserved from the ruder members of the press.
A truck trundled by on the street, the rumbling engine momentarily overwhelming Kai's ears. He flinched but didn't move, eyes fixed carefully on the vendor in case the man tried to chase after him again.
“That kid stole my wares!” the man accused, glaring at Kai around Namjoon’s shoulder. “Nearly ten brooches and three of my best necklaces! ”
The two members looked to Kai, who shook his head frantically, shrinking back.
“I didn’t, I didn’t.” he whispered.
The vendor growled, shifting like he was going to push past the leader, but Namjoon cleanly sidestepped to block his way again.
“He’s a liar too.” the man spat.
"I-I'm not-" Kai tried to protest. His voice failed him under the fire of the man's gaze and was lost to the noise of the street.
“I don’t see any jewelry around here.” Hoseok said mildly, but Kai saw the way his hands tightened around his shopping bags. His oranges still lay scattered around on the sidewalk, now forgotten. There was one a few inches from Kai's foot.
The vendor waved a furious arm at the boy on the sidewalk. "He probably hid it away in his bag! Troublemaking foreigner, he should be taught a lesson.”
Kai hunkered down closer to the pavement, his heart pounding. Hoseok and Namjoon both stiffened, the elder taking in a sharp breath.
“Leave it. He’s not a thief.” Namjoon said, all previous politeness gone. Impossibly, he seemed to grow even taller, towering over the vendor with an unrestrained glare.
The vendor took a single step back, but his anger seemed to override his cautiousness. “How would you know?” He scoffed.
“He’s my little brother.” Namjoon snapped, not missing a beat.
Kai gaped at him but Namjoon didn’t blink, just continued staring the man down, Hoseok hovering behind with a scowl.
“Ah, I see.” The vendor sneered. “Must be a family trait, then. Or does the dishonestly come from his side of the family?"
Namjoon’s fists clenched but Hoseok stepped forward, grabbing the younger man’s arm and tugging him back.
“Look, how much was it? We’ll just pay you for it.”
“No, we won’t- ” Namjoon objected, pushing forward, but Hoseok silenced him with a look, turning back to the vendor.
“How much, sir?”
A gleam appeared in the vendor's eyes as he eyed Hoseok’s designer wallet and he named a price that was far too extravagant for anything sold in a street market. Kai’s heart dropped. Surely Hoseok wouldn't- The elder handed over the cash without protest, but shot the man a scathing look when their eyes met.
"Now leave us alone."
The man sent one last glare at Kai before he disappeared around the corner, counting through the bills.
And the two were suddenly beside him, faces full of worry.
“Are you alright?” Hoseok asked, extending a hand.
Kai let himself be hauled to his feet, knees going weak as utter relief rushed through him.
What if they hadn’t come along? What if they’d been just a few minutes later? What if he had run in a different direction?
Namjoon was saying something but Kai didn’t hear it. He threw himself at Hoseok, crashing against the man’s broad chest, hands coming up to clutch at the back of the man’s coat.
“Shit, Namjoon-ah, he’s freezing.” He heard the elder say.
A moment later, a warm coat wrapped around his shoulders, and Namjoon’s beanie was pulled into his head. Almost in a daze, he let himself space out, trusting in the arm wrapped around his shoulder to guide him.
And suddenly, they were in a parking garage and he was being ushered into the backseat of a warm car.
There was already someone in the passenger’s seat, bobbing his head along to music in his headphones. The person turned, sliding their headphones off, and it was Kim Taehyung. He looked at them, open mouthed.
Hoseok slid in the back seat beside him, rubbing Kai’s hands, which he could barely feel.
A moment later, Namjoon climbed into the driver’s seat and dialed the heat up even higher, the hot air humming loudly through the vents. He twisted in his seat so he could look Kai over and Taehyung slowly copied the action, confusion still painted over his face.
“Are you alright?” The leader asked, brow sharply creased. “How did you end up out here?”
Kai was trying to gather his thoughts, but words kept flitting away from him. All he could think about were footsteps pounding on the pavement behind him, the swish of air as the broom swung at him. The silent shoppers, eyes carefully turned away.
"Kai-ah?" Hoseok nudged his arm lightly, concern shining in his eyes. Kai twisted his hands in his lap, ducking his head.
“Oh. I...got off at the wrong stop and... I got lost and then the man- I didn’t steal anything from him, I swear, but he ran after me and…” He trailed off as the three shared strangely alarmed glances.
“Ah, Kai-ah.” Hoseok said softly. “Korean, please.”
Kai blinked. He hadn’t registered that he was speaking anything else.
“Did that man hurt you?” Hoseok said, looking him over carefully. The motion reminded Kai achingly of his mother.
Taehyung sat up quickly, alarm spreading his features as he looked back and forth between all of them.
“What’s going on?” He demanded.
“In a minute, Tae.” Namjoon murmured.
“I’m okay.” Kai managed to say, his voice shaking, no, wait, he was shaking all over. He meant to say it in Korean, but his words came out in English. It would be enough. Namjoon knew English.
Part of the numbness had worn off and his teeth were chattering loudly now, his fingers aching as the feeling came back into them. He hunkered down further into the borrowed coat and flexed the digits slowly back and forth.
“He needs to get inside.” Hoseok said quietly. “Our dorm is closest.”
Namjoon nodded, shifting the car into drive. “Tae, could you text the others and tell them we’re going to have company?”
Taehyung shot Kai one last concerned glance and turned back to his phone.
Kai slid a little bit in his seat as Namjoon took the turn out of the parking garage a little more quickly than what seemed normal. Hoseok bit back some words, mumbling to himself about safety hazard leaders, and fumbled to buckle himself and Kai in before they could reach the main road.
“How long have you been out there?” Hoseok asked him quietly, nudging his arm.
Kai blinked at him. Words, Kai could use words.
“Around four, I think, the dorms, I...” He murmured.
Namjoon was watching them concernedly in the rearview mirror, eyes flickering back and forth from them to the road.
“Should we take him to the hospital?” He asked.
Hoseok bit his lip, looking conflicted as he studied Kai. “Did you hit your head tonight?”
Kai shook his head slowly, bewildered.
Hoseok’s shoulders slumped a little in relief. He touched the rip in Kai's sweater where his shoulder had collided with the concrete, tsking under his breath. "Does your arm hurt? Aish, Namjoon-ah, you had to go around running into kids on the street!"
Kai-ah was going to protest- if anything, he'd had been the one to ram into Namjoon- but there was no heat in Hoseok's voice and Namjoon didn't seem to be hurt at the absentminded ribbing. He glanced back at them in the mirror. "So no hospital?"
“No, I think he’s just in shock.”
Kai looked between the two of them. “What are you-” He began but Hoseok patted his knee gently.
“Kai-ah, could you speak Korean or English? I’m sorry, we don’t know enough Mandarin to translate.”
Kai felt his brow furrow and he let his head flop back against the seat. Korean felt… too far right now.
“We can ask again when he warms up.” Namjoon said quietly. “He seems to be okay.”
Kai let himself drift, reveling in the heat blasting out of the vents, and soon enough, they were pulling into another parking garage.
Kai didn't let go of Hoseok’s arm as they ushered him out of the car and into their building.
He had a bit of trouble toeing off his shoes at the door, as his feet were still numb, but Hoseok helped him out of them and into their living room. The rug was soft and thick under his feet as the elder led Kai over to the couch. It took an embarrassing long moment before Kai could force himself to let go of Hoseok's arm. He dropped down into the couch to hide his reddened face, pulling his legs up to his chest. It was still so cold.
“Tae, stay with him?” Hoseok said, disappearing down a hall.
The younger member nodded, settling into the other side of the couch.
The part of Kai’s brain that wasn’t in shock couldn’t believe that he was in BTS’s dorm. He’d have to remember all the details to recount to the others later. It was so big. Even the couch he was on was like three times larger than their own. He wondered if BTS ever had movies nights like his own members did. The seven members could probably all fit on this couch with room to spare. BTS and TXT could probably fit all twelve of them on this couch if they squished a bit. Hmmm, a joint-group movie night. That would be fun. If they could ever find a time when their schedules matched up to allow it. The couch looked like it would be much more comfortable to fall asleep on than the floor, like Kai always seemed to when they had their own movies night.
Namjoon stood there awkwardly in the middle of the rug for a moment. “I’ll...make some tea.”
The leader vanished through a doorway to what Kai assumed to be the kitchen. Taehyung was humming a song quietly, looking faintly amused as he watched Kai take in the living room with wide eyes. Hoseok bustled back into the room a few moments later with several blankets that he tucked around Kai.
“Where did Namjoon-ah go?” The elder asked.
Taehyung tucked in a corner that Hoseok had missed so Kai’s toes weren’t sticking out. He paused for a long moment, something twinkling in his expression as he announced nonchalantly. “He’s making tea."
Hoseok’s eyes went wide and he flung himself in the direction of the kitchen. “Namjoon, make sure you don’t-”
There was a loud clatter, and the distinct sound of something crashing to the floor and shattering, followed by several curses.
“This is why we don’t let him in the kitchen alone.” Taehyung whispered, with an actual giggle.
Kai couldn’t help giggling a bit alongside him when Namjoon was shoved bodily out of the kitchen, face red. The embarrassment seemed to clear when he caught sight of Kai laughing, even when the younger boy hurried to clamp a hand over his mouth, eyes wide. Namjoon just broke into a sheepish smile and wandered over to sit in the armchair next to the couch.
“I thought you were making tea, hyung?” Taehyung asked innocently.
Namjoon rubbed the back of his head. “Hoseok-ah is gonna make it.”
Taehyung snickered quietly, which Namjoon valiantly ignored, looking to Kai.
“Feeling a bit better?”
“Yes, sunbaenim.” To his relief, the words came out in Korean this time.
Namjoon smiled slightly. ““We’re not on camera, Kai-ah. Just hyung is fine.” The smile slipped from his face as he sobered. “If you’re feeling up to it, do you think you could explain what happened?”
Kai dropped his gaze to the rug.
“I was coming back from the store but I fell asleep on the bus.” He ducked his head, trying to hide the flush of red spreading across his cheeks. “I was half-asleep and I misheard the announcement and got off at the wrong bus stop and I didn’t have enough money for another fare. My phone died before I could call anyone, so I tried walking at first, but it was much further than I thought.”
He burrowed a little bit further into the pillows, chewing on his lip.
“I was going to ask the vendor if I could borrow his phone so I was watching him but then this boy came up while he was turned away and stole a bunch of stuff and ran and the vendor assumed it was me and came after me with his broom. I tried telling him it wasn’t me but he wouldn’t believe me because…” He trailed off, contemplating not mentioning the rest of it... but the elder members had heard the man’s spiteful words anyway. “...because I looked foreign.”
Taehyung gave an uncharacteristic scowl, slinging an arm around Kai.
“I panicked and ran and he chased me until I ran until you.”
“I’m glad we were there.” Namjoon muttered, scuffing one hand through his hair. “If Hoseok hadn’t spent ten minutes choosing a type of noodle…”
Kai shivered a bit, despite himself. He didn’t want to think about what might have happened if they hadn’t been there. The man might have dragged him down to the police station, and then Kai would have been arrested, and have a citation on his record, and have to be bailed out and then it probably have leaked to the news, and TXT would be embroiled in a scandal.
“Ten minutes?” He asked instead, to distract himself.
“Ten long minutes.” Taehyung confirmed, with a dramatic sigh.
Hoseok emerged from the kitchen with a mug and some packaged snacks. “It’s not like you two were much help! The only reason it took so long is because I had to go back after we had already checked out because someone picked out lasagna noodles. To go in our soup.”
“How was I supposed to know?” Namjoon defended, his face flushing again. “Jin-hyung didn’t specify a type on the list. Noodles are noodles.”
“They’re lasagna noodles. For lasagna.” Hoseok dragged a hand down his face, and sent Kai a look that seemed to say- why do I even try?
“Thank you for paying the vendor, sunbaenim.” Kai told him. “I’ll pay you back.”
Hoseok waved a hand at him, pressing a warm mug into Kai’s hands. “Don’t worry about it, it was nothing. That man is lucky we didn’t call the police on him for harassing you like that.”
Taehyung hesitated, his gaze darting to Kai.“Does… stuff like that happen a lot?”
Kai shrugged, fixing his gaze on the floor. “Some people make assumptions. It doesn’t happen that often.”
“Good.” Taehyung said fiercely. “We’ll beat up anyone who insults you.”
“Taehyung-ah.” Hoseok groaned.
“We will maturely deal with the situation in a way that would not involve us getting arrested.” Namjoon said smoothly and Kai decided not to mention how Namjoon had been 100% down to throw hands with the vendor less than an hour ago.
Taehyung made a face and leaned in to whisper. “Ignore him, he’d help us beat them up.”
He kicked Namjoon in the knee. Namjoon hesitated, glancing at Hoseok, but admitted. “Yeah, I would.”
Hoseok rolled his eyes, dropping into the couch next to Taehyung. “Children, the lot of you.”
He heaved a sigh, patting Taehyung’s knee as he settled back into the cushions and closed his eyes.
“But I’ll come bail you idiots out.”
Taehyung held up a hand to Namjoon and after a few long seconds, Namjoon, with a look of long-suffering, high-fived him.
Taehyung flashed a bright grin at Kai, leaning back. “See? Hyungs got your back.”
And Kai couldn’t help but smile back, ducking his head to sip at the tea, as something warm settled in his chest.
“Speaking of, has anyone called manager-nim to tell him we have Kai-ah before someone calls the police to send out a search party?” Hoseok asked, sounding half asleep already.
Namjoon mouth dropped open in a perfect O-shape.
Hoseok cracked one eye open at the silence. “Seriously?”
The leader scrambled to extract himself from the couch, tripping over the edge of the rug and nearly knocking the floor lamp over.
Hoseok raised his eyes to the heavens, ignoring Taehyung’s giggles. “See what I have to deal with, Kai-ah?” But his eyes were warm as he watched their leader fumble through his coat pockets. “Complete idiots.”
“You know you love us, hyung.” Taehyung teased, poking him in the side.
There was a badly muffled curse as Namjoon whipped his phone out of the pocket of his coat too quickly and slammed his elbow on the corner of the wall in the entryway.
Hoseok gave a dramatic sigh, shutting his eyes again. “Ah, you caught me. I guess I do. At least Kai-ah and the new kids seem to have a full set of brain cells. Maybe they’ll let you borrow some.”
Kai had to bury his chin in the blanket to stifle his laugh, thinking about their own daily idiotic moments, like when Beomgyu managed to spill soy sauce all way down the wall when they were trying to make sushi for a video or that time Taehyun hadn't wanted to do laundry and managed to wear Soobin’s shirts for an entire week without the other boy noticing.
But Kai wasn’t going to be the one to ruin Hoseok’s image of them so he just nodded solemnly.
“You can borrow some anytime, hyungs.”