"Ow, ow, ow-Guk!"
"Shh, you're making it bleed even more." Jeongguk grimaces, taking the cloth he has clutched in his hand and pressing at the bleeding area. My hand keeps the ice pack firm against my cheek, hoping and praying that no swelling will take place.
Everything was great. After breakfast prepared by Fei, all of us had gone on a hike on the surrounding mountain range. A beautiful view overlooking the campsite that would paint our minds in the fading greens, vibrant yellows and fiery reds of Autumn that were slowly settling into nature. With it being everyone's first time here, today was the day to try and complete most of the activities. We went canoeing and somehow ended up playing a round of volleyball.
With a bunch of competitive males, maybe excluding Taehyung and Yoongi, the game quickly turned serious. With Jeongguk and Jimin roughly allowing the ball to fly at all angles, zooming past as if it were a bird. Yoongi, Taehyung and I watched safely from the side retrieving the ball everytime it would land somewhere out of reach.
This continued for a few more rounds until Jimin decided that everyone had to join. With Taehyung and Yoongi in tow, all three of us joined the winning team, hoping not to do much.
Though I was annoyed with him, I could admit that besides looking deadly attractive in a suit, Jeongguk looked hot with the look of competition shining in his eyes. A competitive gaze being sent at Jimin everytime he had the ball.
The admiration is knocked right out of my gut when my attention is not focused on the flying ball that comes directly for my face. The ball had long ago left Jimin who started yelling to move.
It's too late and while I appreciate him catching me just before I wipe out, I can't ignore the blood that immediately starts streaming out of my nose. Flowing like a never ending stream. The feeling of heat pools at my cheek like the bubbles in a jacuzzi. I know I'm coming out of this looking a mess.
Mildy still lost in a daze, it's Jeongguk's frantic voice that pulls me back to reality. My eyes taking in the wideness of his. Pulled into big balls of worry as he scoops me up into a bundle and starts running for the main house. Jimin following close behind.
"Why the fuck would you do that?" Irena asks a surprised looking Stephanie. Her hands prodding at the girl is the last thing I see before everything else becomes a mixture of trees and sky. The white ceiling quickly replacing the nature as Jeongguk steps into the house, not even stopping to remove his shoes.
"Ice!" He yells, removing his shirt as he starts prodding at the still flowing blood. With red blood splotches all over it, the kitchen floor looks like a murder scene already.
Jimin is quick to react, his small hand holding a bag of ice to my cheek. The heat cooling down, but still paining as I gather my bearings. My eyes going in and out of focus as I try to focus on Jeongguk's moving lips.
"Are you okay? Can you hear me?" He asks, squatting in front of me. His white t-shirt still being held at my nose to stop the flowing blood.
I nod, watching as Jeongguk dotes on me. His eyes scream worry. His lips pulled into a pout as he concentrates on his work. Jimin leaves soon after I tell him there's no need to call a doctor.
"I still think we should call a doctor. What if you have a concussion?" Jeongguk asks, still firmly applying pressure to my bleeding nose.
"I don't think I have a concussion."
-
"You have a concussion." Dr Kang speaks, writing things in his notebook. His eyebrows furrowing the longer he wrote.
Despite my protests against it, Taehyung had decided to phone the family doctor. Telling the man a dramatic story about how I'd lost enough blood to fall into a coma.
Doctor Kang has been a close friend of Father for most of our life. He'd often visit our home in Seoul with his family during the Christmas holidays. He was a type of uncle to me and my brothers. The type to report everything to our parents. I had no doubt that Mother would later phone me asking what had happened. He had no sense of patient confidentiality when it came to either of us.
"Soa, you need to start looking after yourself." Dr Kang spoke, pulling his eyes away from his notepad. "All this blood is due to your recent increase in stress. Now, I know with taking over the business your responsibilities have increased, but you need to look after yourself. With your condition, you need to try and manage your stress levels."
I sighed, knowing he was right. Over 2 years ago I'd been diagnosed with high blood pressure. I'd made all the dietary changes and had even tried to be more consistent with exercising thanks to Jeongguk, but lately with everything that had been going on with Kim Group and my family, it was easy to neglect everything.
"Taehyung says you've been arguing with your mom more frequently." His statement comes out as more of a question.
"You know Mother and I have always had a love hate relationship." I chuckle, hoping he'll leave it. "It's nothing new."
Unfortunately Dr Kang doesn't easily let things go. "I'm talking to your father about possibly moving you out of the house after this wedding. You need to be reduce your stress and maybe living with your mother doesn't help it."
I sigh, knowing he's not joking when he says that. He leaves an hour after, making sure Taehyung knows to monitor my sleeping and gives him a bunch of medication and instructions on what to eat. The bleeding had eventually stopped, leaving me relieved.
"You should probably not be out here considering your concussion and all." Yoongi comments, dark eyes watching as I take a seat on the garden bench next to him.
"I'm just coming out to eat." I reply, raising my hands in mock surrender. My eyes take in the book he has planted in his hands.
"Taehyung's taking care of that. Apparently he knows how to cook now."
I scoff, "One class and he already thinks he's a chef."
"You know your brother."
"Have you seen Jeongguk?" I ask, not having seen the male since Dr Kang arrived. His white, now red, shirt was quickly discarded into the bin and replaced by cottom swabs.
"Should be in the floating house."
Like Yoongi said, Jeongguk is in the floating house, laying face down. The bed is no longer neat, but rather a mess of white sheets with a few pillows on the floor like discarded pieces of paper.
"Guk." I call, watching as he turns his head toward me, bloodshot eyes coming into view.
"Hey." He croaks. The voice sounds like he's either been yelling or crying all this time.
"You okay?" I ask, taking slow steps toward him.
He starts sobbing again, his face turning away to hide the flowing tears. The sight causes me to frown and worry at the same time.
"Jeongguk, what's wrong?" I ask, laying down next to him, on the side that does not hurt. Hoping he'll turn to me and speak.
"Soa you were bleeding a lot." He chokes, turning to me with still streaming tears. "If there was a shark nearby, you'd be dead by now." He says, breaking down even more at the thought of it.
The imagery makes me pull out a smile. A shark being nearby is the least likely thing, but I appreciate the thought.
"And then knowing it's all because none of us have been helping you control your hypertension- You could get a heart attack and die at any moment." He sobs into my shoulder. Arms clutching my body as if I can leave anywhere when his whole body is on top of me.
"Guk, it's not your fault. I should be more careful." I muse, brushing my fingers through his hair.
It's the first time in a while that I've seen Jeongguk completely let down all his defences. Normally he's the masked one. Hiding his feelings behind a trained face od seriousness.
"I'm okay, please stop crying." I ask, patting his back.
-
AN:
I'm so sorry for taking forever to post. I just was stuck with huge writers block this week and I'm with family so I don't always have time to think out scenarios.
I hope you enjoyed this though. We got some action and a little Yoongi too.
Please tell me tell you think, vote and comment. ❤️❤️