༶•┈ 𝐎𝐔𝐓𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐒 ┈•༶
┊͙ˏˋ 𝐜𝐡. ❻ ࿐ྂ
-͙
Jungkook was discharged five days ago. The doctors told him that he was recovering faster than most people in similar situations have, due to his proficient effort to take care of his body before the accident had occurred.
I won't lie, I miss him. I miss his company. But at the same time, I'm glad that he has recovered and no longer needs to stay in a confined space like I do.
The door slides open and I glance up from my book. Ms. Hayeong steadily makes her way towards me with a grin plastered on her face and her hands behind her back.
"What's the occasion?" I tilt my head in suspicion.
She clears her throat and tries to keep on a straight face. "Close your eyes."
Hesitant to close both, I close only one and peek open the other in hopes of her not noticing.
"Uh-uh, close them," she crosses her arms.
"Okay fine," I sigh and shut both of my eyes. What could it be now? A pile of books? My favorite food? More board games? Perhaps discharge papers? No, not possible.
The slide door suddenly closes shut. I can hear the sound of heavy footsteps clicking on the concrete floor as it approaches the end of my bed. Then, the clicking stops.
"Eunha," the voice echos in my ear.
It's soft and pure, like freshly baked vanilla cake. It's a voice that I could possibly never forget, a voice that will always stand out in a crowd. It belongs to one person and one person only. The person I've truly missed, Jeon Jungkook.
My eyes flutter open. Standing before me is Jungkook holding a bouquet of flowers in his hands. He has on a black beanie, white t-shirt and red flannel, black jeans, and a pair of old-school vans. He looks healthy and well, and bright like usual.
I really wish I could just run up to him, give him a hug, and tell him how much I've missed him but, I can't. I don't have the balls to.
"Happy birthday!" He stretches out his arms to hand me the bouquet.
"You remembered?" I could feel my cheeks begin to redden at the sight of him smiling so purely at me and lower my head out of shyness.
A stray whiff of the tulips' aroma swims over and steals its way into my nostrils. The fragrance is not pungent and penetrating as other flowers; rather, it's faint and unobtrusive.
"How could I forget?" He scoffs.
"Thank you Jungkook," I smile as I eye the fresh, beautiful flowers in front of me.
He sits down besides me and his sudden change of demeanor catches me by surprise. "I got the head nurse's permission to take you out for the day and celebrate your birthday, so let's go out and have some fun together, shall we?"
"Really?" I ask, feeling a bit uneasy. "I haven't gone outside in a while... plus I don't have any extra clothes on me, I don't think I can."
"I know, Ms. Hayeong told me ahead of time and so I asked my friend's sister to lend me some of her clothes for you to borrow for the day ...Eunha," he pleads with his eyes.
I furrow my eyebrows. If I'm being honest, I'm scared of what's out there. I'm scared of what's outside of the hospital walls. I'm scared of the 'normal' people, the places, and the lifestyle that I'm no longer familiar with. I guess being stuck in one place has really taken a heavy toll on me and changed my mentality for the worse.
"Are you sure about this?" I stare into his eyes with anticipation of a truthful and serious response.
"Yes," he deadpans, "I'm sure."
His tone of voice and facial expression are enough to tell me that he's being dead serious. I swallow my saliva in preparation of giving him a final answer.
"Well then," I pause. "I guess we can do this."
The corners of his eyes crinkle up and a bunny-like smile appears upon his face. He picks up a brown bag from the ground and hands it to me.
Before proceeding to change out of my hospital gown, I turn back to see Jungkook glancing around the room as he sits, leaned back in his chair.
"Well are you going to leave...?" I raise an eyebrow.
"Oh right sorry," immediately coming to a realization, he gets up out of his seat and scurriedly walks out of the room.
I let out a scoff and shake my head in dismay at how cutely clueless he is.
—
"How do I look?" I twirl in a circle.
Jungkook's mouth gapes open as he eyes me from head to toe. He seems surprised, seeing me in normal clothing for the first time.
I had put on a white tank-top paired with a cardigan, high-waisted denim jeans, and white sneakers. Ms. Hayeong let me borrow her makeup products so I glamoured myself up a bit, something I haven't done in months.
"You look pretty," he tilts his head and smiles.
I blush at his response and clear my throat in attempt to break the awkward silence moments after.
"So where are we going?"
"You'll see," he smirkingly grins.
The elevator dings and the metal doors fling open. As we make our way towards the exit, I begin to feel my hands tremble out of nervousness.
Out we go now.
The lush green, the landscape, the warmth of the sunlight, everything seems so coherent. I could hear the chorus of the pleasant sounding birds. The trees seem like silhouttes in the glorious expanse. My feet brush past the fluffy grass, as soft as marshmallows. Everything looks and smells so different from my bedroom window, from inside of the hospital walls.
This is the first time I've been outside of the hospital in six months, six whole months. I had forgotten what it felt like to be free.
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