outbreak | bts

023

She missed.

Eunha gasped as she fell, missing the wall by a hair and having the wind punched out of her as a result. Landing with a crash in a pile of recycling, the young woman clutched her left side as tears stabbed at her eyes with one hand and used the other to clamp her mouth shut. She couldn't afford to get caught here when Jungkook was risking his neck in faith that she would go back to the terminal safely.

Rising after scrambling to her feet and hiding in case the noise from her fall had attracted any attention for a few seconds, Eunha was resolute as she limped away from the recycling pile, eyes dripping from the pain, but an otherwise staunch expression nestled on her delicate features.

Present time

Eunha managed to make her way to the terminal safely, checking over her shoulder and using a slightly longer route than usual, just in case.

When she limped into the terminal, she felt Jimin's heavy gaze on her and it all crashed down in waves. The pain in her side, the fear that she had made a grave mistake in separating from Jungkook and the terror of rebuke for being foolish. As soon as Jimin spoke, Eunha's legs lost strength and her knees hit the floor, all her previous determination leaving her in a whisp.

Jimin marched over to her and picked her up from the floor with a strength that was still surprising for his deceitful stature despite him evidencing it on several occasions. Eunha couldn't even protest or say anything because the concerned menace rolling off of Jimin was suffocating. He placed her on the edge of the benches that had been pushed together to create a bed and stood back, observing her.

Then, Jungkook's friends came over and the silence was shattered. Eunha sat still, speechless in the face of all the questions the others were bombarding her with. It was almost as if she couldn't hear them.

"What happened?"

"Are you okay?"

"What happened to Jungkook?"

"Did you get separated?"

"Did you get attacked?"

"Where is Jungkook?"

She flinched and lowered her head, causing immediate and horrified silence. Realising that she was in no state to answer, Seulgi and Joohyun stepped in between her and the others, effectively getting them to back off.

"You can barely hear yourselves with all racket you're making! Give her some space to breathe so that she can answer." Joohyun cut her eyes across the group, causing most of them to grimace away. Jimin stood his ground though.

Eunha clutched her face and tried to calm herself down, ignoring the now dulling pain in her side. Why had he done that? Why hadn't she been able to convince him to just go together? Why? Why? Then she remembered what he had asked of her. I need you to get back to the terminal and tell them exactly what we saw.

"W-we saw a horde." She started weakly. Jimin, Yugyeom, Seokmin and Jaehyun paused their serious scan of her, eyes widening in surprise. Joohyun and Seulgi snapped their heads over their shoulders to look at her in dismay. She cleared her throat and spoke again but her voice almost seemed to get hoarser.

"There were seventeen of them. They appeared at the park that Jimin oppa and I reached yesterday. There was also a lady with them. She wore all black, and a black beret. We think she's another abnormal." She had the attention of everyone now, and the ones who had been further away came closer to listen to what she said.

"She was calling somebody and saying that she couldn't find the two kids they had mentioned seeing yesterday." Eunha continued. Jimin thumbed his lip with narrowed eyes.

"That was you and I." He didn't ask. Eunha nodded, avoiding eye contact. He was so intense, the pressure was kind of overwhelming.

"She noticed us...because I blew our cover. So Jungkook-" her voice quivered when she said his name so she stopped, swallowed and tried again.

"Jungkook said we should split up. He would lead them away from terminal and give me time to get back on my own before coming back a different way." Jimin absorbed what she said before sighing.

"We decided to scout in pairs because we knew it was dangerous to be alone. You're even one of the people that pushed for us to always go with a partner because having each other's backs was better than facing everything on our own but what? Jungkook said to separate and you went along with it, just like that?" Jimin bent into a slow squat before her but Eunha cowered away, shutting her eyes tightly.

"Not only that, he took the horde with him and there's an abnormal among them. Your words and actions do not match, Eunha." Jimin's summary came out slow and sarcastic, and his gaze held fire. Even the elementary school teachers, Yuri and Soonyoung, turned around at the words from all the way on the other side of the room.

Eunha curled her fingers into her lap and bit the inside of her cheek as her eyes pricked hot and heavy. Her throat burned and breathing became a labour. The weight of Jimin's words smothered her in a blanket of guilt and terror. She couldn't allow herself to cry, not in the face of this man who was clearly terrified for a friend he saw as a brother, and who was clearly furious with her. Forcing her eyes open, she blinked furiously.

When Eunha didn't reply, Jimin stared at her. She couldn't even muster up an apology for not being able to convince Jungkook not to separate? Turning away, he ruffled his hair with a heavy hand and grunted with dissatisfaction, storming out of the main terminal to go up the stairs to the staff floor before he said something he would regret.

Taehyung spared Eunha an empathetic glance before jogging after Jimin, the door clicking shut behind him. The terminal was in silence, save for the corner where the elementary children were watching shows or playing quietly amongst themselves. Jungkook's friends walked away from Eunha, frustrated.

Mina and Yuju shared a worried look. If only Jihyo had been here, she definitely would have known what to do. Eunha and Jihyo had been the clear headed of their bunch before...

Yuju sighed, trying not to let her thoughts flow in that direction. Honestly, she was upset too. Jungkook was a good friend and no doubt an important asset to them in this situation. But Eunha was also her good friend, and Eunha, while able to be firm in most situations, was likely helpless to put up more of a fight if Jungkook had made such a big choice like that on his own.

Walking over to Eunha, Yuju dropped something in her lap, sending her a sympathetic smile before walking away with Mina to speak to the boys and try to calm them down. Eunha picked up the item and unravelled it. It was Jungkook's favourite black hoodie. He always had it on him when they had been in school, though he had been wearing a different kind of hoodie recently, and when they had gone to scout today, he had only been wearing a black t-shirt.

Gripping the fabric, Eunha cradled it to her chest and rested her face in it, taking in Jungkook's faint scent. As the tears she willed not to fall fell, she crumpled on herself and did the only thing she could do when she felt helpless. She prayed.