"Hora? Where are you?!" Hoseok catches his breath and looks around the undergrowth, only to realize that his beloved plush toy isn't the sole thing he has lost sight of. "Jungkook? Jungkook!"
Something crackles behind him. Swallowing hard, Hobi turns to look for the source of the noise. A bunny-like creature with doe-shaped eyes jumps into his field of vision. "Rawr!"
"AHHH!" Hobi collapses on the spot. A second later, he jumps to his feet and tackles his laughing friend with his fists. "Jungkook! I almost had a heart attack!"
"Serves you right. Why did you run away in the first place?"
"I thought I've seen Hora and… I wanted to have him back."
"Hora is a stuffed animal, Hobi," Jungkook sighs. "Stuffed animals don't roam forests. You've probably seen a fox or a wildcat or something."
"But I tell you, it was Hora!" Hoseok protests.
"If it really was your beloved Hora, would he really run away from you?"
"No…" Hoseok mumbles and rubs his eyes, noticing just now how tired he actually is. "Maybe you are right. Let's go toward the city."
Instead of responding Jungkook remains quiet and nervously looks around.
"Jungkook? Are you okay?" Hoseok asks.
Unable to look his friend in the eyes, Jungkook rubs his neck. "I must have lost my sense of orientation while running after you. I have no idea in which direction to go."
"Wha-wha-wha-wha-what?!" Hoseok squeals and is only seconds away from another collapse.
"Chill, bro!" Jungkook calms him. "I'll climb a tree and see whether I can spot the buildings."
"Be careful, okay?" Hobi says as he uneasily watches his friend climb a tree.
When Jungkook has made his way up to a height that is outside Hobi's comfort zone, but offers the best view, he sits down on a branch and lets his gaze wander. Spotting something on the ground level at only a few meters distance, Jungkook's jaw drops. "Wow! This is… incredible!"
"Can you see the city?" Hoseok calls to him.
"No, way better!"
"What did the doctor say?" Jimin rushed toward Jin before he could even think of closing the door to the doctor's office behind him.
"Apparently it's just a contusion. If I rest my shoulder, it will heal in no time." Jin offers his friend and Mary a thumbs-up with his healthy hand.
"I'm so glad you're okay!" Feeling relieved, Mary puts a hand on her chest and exhales deeply.
"Now that we're on mainland Korea again, shall we call Hybe and tell them where we are?" Jimin suggests.
"You want us to call our label and tell them that the BTS members got lost?" Jin attempts to flick Jimin's forehead, but the latter dodges the attack. "Why don't we call the next news station and report that Santa Claus has been kidnapped, while you're at it?"
Jimin crosses his arms. "I just thought… they could help us. I can't stand the thought of not knowing how and where my friends are."
Mary steps up to Jimin and says, "I know it sounds tough, but we have to make it on our own for now. The fate of Christmas is at stake. If we don't stop Knecht Ruprecht—"
"HAHAHA! THIS NAME!" Jin interrupts her with a laughter that wakes up a man snoozing in the hospital's sparsely-visited waiting area.
"—the world will fall into darkness!"
"Right, but how do we get to the North Pole from here?" Jimin asks. "We might be back in Korea, but we're basically in the middle of nowhere. This Byeongkwan and his girlfriend didn't even recognize Jin and me. I wonder whether people even have access to the internet in this remote place."
"Speaking of which, before we've departed, Hobi told me that there's a man living on the east coast of Korea who owns a collection of unique planes suited for all atmospheric conditions. I've searched the town on Google Maps and I guess it's not far from here." Jin smirks and looks at his companions. "How about we pay him a visit and ask for a ride to the North Pole?"
"That's a great idea!" Mary clasps her hands and gazes at Jin with big eyes. "You're incredible, Jin!"
Jimin watches the scene with squinted eyes, and fights the urge to 'accidentally' pat Jin's shoulders a little too hard.
"Okay, I think I have gathered enough," Taehyung says as he looks at the collection of objects he has brought to the tent. Namjoon sticks his head out of it and lets his gaze wander over the pieces of metal, plastic and wood spread out in front of him. "Is that all you found?"
Tae nods. "Yup. There's also a big chunk of metal behind this rock over there, but I can't carry it by myself. Oh, and look." He picks up a worn-out fluffy toy from the heap of material. "I've found Hobi's stuffed tiger. He'll be so glad when he gets it back."
"Okay. Thanks for your help." Namjoon flashed Taehyung a smile and gestures to enter the tent. "Now please assist me with this pole. You hold it and I connect these parts."
"Cool, that's going to be a luxurious tent," Tae comments as he notices the big frame Namjoon has constructed in the meantime, covered in a huge piece of the balloon's surface material.
"This is not for sleeping, it's for flying."
"Wait, what?!" Just now Taehyung spots the petroleum tank dangling in the middle of this construction. "You want to make a functioning balloon from junky jetsam?!"
"Technically, it's made from flotsam. And yes, this is what I intend to do."
"No way!" Tae yells. "You're Namjoon, the God of Destruction! No offense, but if you build a balloon it won't last for more than five seconds!"
"What other choice do we have?" Namjoon stops fixating the pole with kelp to look at his skeptical friend. "Either we try everything we can to escape, or we'll rot on this remote island! Besides, I still have you to make sure everything I touch stays put."
"I'm still worried about building a balloon without proper knowledge. After all, we're no engineers. Plus, if we crash again into the open sea..."
"We don't have to travel that far." Namjoon brushes the fabric away and points at the horizon. "See? There's land. Chances are high tat someone might spot us and save us."
"Right, it's not that far," Tae mumbles. His gaze falls onto the kelp Namjoon just touched. It slowly unwinds itself from the pole. "Okay, let's give it our best shot! But let me handle the delicate parts."
*11 Days Left Until Christmas Eve*
