Challenging The Fate

chapter 25

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The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart."

                              ~ Helen Keller

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The sterile white walls of the hospital room had been replaced by the familiar beige of Jungkook's dorm room, but the oppressive feeling remained. Two days had passed since his return from the clinic, and he hadn't left the confines of his room. The silence was deafening, punctuated only by the rhythmic ticking of the clock on the wall, each tick a painful reminder of time passing, a time he didn't know how to fill.

Taehyung and Jimin had tried everything. They'd brought him his favorite meals, coaxed him with playful banter, and even resorted to gentle scolding, their voices heavy with concern. But their efforts were met with an unwavering wall of silence. Jungkook wouldn't eat, wouldn't talk, wouldn't even look at them. Their smiles, once a beacon of hope in his world, now felt like hollow mockeries, a painful reminder of the life he could no longer have.

As the clock struck midnight, a horrifying decision took root in Jungkook's mind. The loneliness, the crushing weight of grief, it was all too much. He felt utterly alone, adrift in a sea of despair with no life raft in sight. He yearned for the warmth, the tiny hand reaching out for him, the dreams he had nurtured for months. But there was nothing left, only a hollow ache and the suffocating silence.

He stumbled towards his bedside drawer, his movements lethargic, devoid of purpose. There, nestled amongst other medications, lay a small bottle of sleeping pills. He had initially bought them to combat his restless nights, a temporary solution to a temporary problem. Now, however, they presented themselves as a permanent escape.

He popped open the bottle, the sound a stark echo in the quiet room. He stared at the white tablets, each one a tiny promise of oblivion, a way to escape the unbearable pain. He tipped the bottle, a handful of pills falling into his palm. He grabbed a glass of water, his hand trembling slightly, and swallowed the pills whole.

He lay back on the bed, the duvet pulled over his head, shutting out the remaining light and the world around him. His eyelids grew heavy, the world blurring at the edges. He hoped this was it, an escape from the endless cycle of pain, a chance to finally be with his little one, somewhere beyond the realms of reality. As the darkness closed in, a dream unfolded before him, vivid and heartbreaking.

He found himself in a familiar park, the one where he used to take long walks with his grandmother. The sun shone brightly, casting long shadows, and the air was filled with the chirping of birds. But amidst the serenity, a piercing cry shattered the peace.

He turned towards the source of the sound and his heart lurched. There, on the park bench, sat a young boy, no older than two or three, his face contorted in a mask of grief. Tiny tears rolled down his chubby cheeks, leaving wet streaks on his innocent face.

The boy's eyes, the same shade of doe-brown as Jungkook's, met his across the distance. He reached out his tiny arms, his baby voice filled with a desperate plea.

"Ma...ma" the boy cried, his voice barely a whisper. "Ma-ma come… 'oo miss you."

An invisible force propelled Jungkook towards the boy. He felt a deep yearning, a primal urge to comfort the crying child. He ran, ignoring the tightness in his chest, the pounding of his heart.

"Yes, baby, I'm coming," he called out, his voice thick with emotion. "Don't worry, I'm here."

He was almost there, close enough to reach out and cradle the boy in his arms, when a figure materialized beside the child. It was his grandmother, her kind face etched with worry.