In 29 Days

7. Kidnapped

March 22, 2 pm

Taehyung closes his laptop and sits up straight on his swivel as his room door suddenly clicks open. He leaves a sigh on seeing it's none else than Charlie.

"Hey.." Charlie says with a grin before walking inside. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing," he shrugs.

"Had lunch?"

"No," he shakes his head.

"Then c'mon, let's go eat outside."

"You go. I'm not feeling hungry."

"Why you're not feeling hungry? C'mon, it's already 2. Get up. Let's go to Bite Back," Charlie nags, grabbing his arm and trying to pull him up from his chair.

"Alright," Taehyung sighs and gets up from the chair. "Wherefore you want me to come with you so much?"

"Wherefore??" Charlie frowns.

"I mean why," Taehyung says, surprised at how Jungkook has started influencing him.

* *

"Are you actually alright, Taehyung?" Charlie asks while they wait for their order at Bite Back.

"Yeah, I'm fine! Why do you keep asking me that?"

"I noticed you are always in thoughts these days. Just now you were thinking something deeply while staring at the menu? Is there any issue?"

"Oh, was I?" Taehyung chuckles. "I was just staring at the picture of this Hamburger. I wasn't thinking anything."

"I see," Charlie hums. "So, what about your date tomorrow? Where are you guys going?"

"Oh..er...I haven't really planned yet" Taehyung says. He totally forgot he had thought about taking Freya out on a date on Saturday. He even forgot tomorrow is Saturday. Anyway, they aren't going anywhere after what she did last day.

Charlie frowns at him. Thankfully, before he opens his mouth to say something, the waiter brings their lunch. After that, Charlie becomes fully absorbed in eating and only broaches the topic of his thesis when he almost finishes his plate. He continues talking about it during their ride back to the hospital and Taehyung just nods to him while thinking what he would do about Jungkook. It's dangerous to keep the boy in the hospital. But then what else can he do?

Charlie's phone rings in his pocket just when they reach the hospital. He fishes it out and frowns. "It's Ben. Why's he calling now?" He asks tilting his head to Taehyung but as the latter just keeps staring out of the window absent-mindedly, he answers the call and puts it on speaker.

"Charlie, trouble! That boy is kidnapped!" Ben says in a panicked voice from the other side of the line.

"What!" Taehyung turns his head in alarm, his eyes wide. "Do you mean Jungkook?"

"Yes! Jungkook. Where are you guys?" Ben asks.

"We went out to have.."

"How?! When? Who kidnapped him?" Taehyung asks, not letting Charlie finish his sentence.

"I don't know. I had asked Isla and James to bring him to the dressing room to remove his bandage. I waited for ten minutes in the dressing room and then sent Daisy to check what was wrong. She found Isla, James and the other patient in the room unconscious and the boy missing," Ben says hurriedly.

"Did you guys check the CCTV? Any leads on who might have taken him?" Charlie asks whilst driving the car to the parking.

"We did. And it's totally strange. There's nothing on the CCTV. The kidnappers didn't enter or exit the hospital," Ben replies.