Shattered Souls (BTS)

Chapter 16: Hoseok

A frown appeared on her face. She took her phone out of her pocket and read the screen.

"I'm really sorry. I should take this." She apologized, rising from her seat. Hobi's eyes followed her as she answered the phone in a hushed tone. She left the room quietly, leaving them confused.

"Does anybody else feel like there's something off?" Jin asked the group, scratching the back of his neck.

"I was just about to say the same thing," Jimin mumbled, mashing his lips together.

Hobi felt an awful feeling stir inside of him. He felt like he was about to puke or faint. Casting a quick glance around the room, he noticed his bandmates all had ashen faces. Were they all coming down with something?

He didn't feel ill. It wasn't his body that was ill but something else.

"I feel si—"

Before Taehyung could finish speaking, the double doors were thrown open to reveal a distraught Freya. Without realizing it, Hobi had jumped to his feet.

"What's...wrong?" He asked in broken English, frantically examining Freya from head to toe.

Freya burst into sobs, her knees unbuckling. None of them knew what to do. They were confused about this situation and worried. The heavy, painful feeling worsened. It felt akin to a stone being lodged in his throat.

Sejin—the only person not affected by the strange feeling—approached Freya. He knelt down beside her and gently patted her back, waiting for her to calm down before he questioned her.

All that could be heard in the room was the sound of her agonizing cries. Hobi clutched his chest painfully, alarmed by his racing heart. What was happening?

It took a few minutes for Freya to become coherent. Hesitantly, she lifted her head. Strands of her onyx hair were plastered to her wet, flushed face but she didn't care. Her dark orbs were puffy and sad.

Sejin assisted her to her feet and wrapped an arm around her shoulders to keep her upright. She sniffled again and wiped her snotty nose.

"I—I just got a call from my cousin."

Sejin quickly translated her words, his eyes snapping to them. They all assumed she was referring to Madeline.

"N—not Madeline but her half-brother, Creed. H—he said she's in..." She swallowed harshly, her voice cracking. Hobi was even more concerned now. What had Madeline's brother said to Freya to cause such a reaction? "Hosptial."

Hobi stumbled back. Thankfully, Jungkook was directly behind him. He easily caught hold of Hobi's shoulders, keeping him stable. In any normal situation, he'd thank the maknae. But right now, his thoughts were in overdrive.

Whilst Hobi couldn't understand everything Freya was saying, he knew what the word hospital meant. Madeline was in hospital.

"I don't know a lot. He...he's distraught. She won't wake up," Freya rushed out the rest of the words, crying again.

Sejin recited her words in Korean, his face expressing his devastation.

"H—hospital?" Jimin echoed in English, his eyes wide and shocked. Jimin then turned to Namjoon, swaying from side to side. "What does he mean by that? Why...why would she be in hospital?" He queried in Korean, struggling to comprehend what was happening.

Namjoon encircled his long arm around Jimin's shoulders for support. "I—I don't know."

Their leader—the one who had all the answers—was just as puzzled as them. Hobi hated the situation.