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"The Secretary pushed forth, stating her stance against Y/N's membership in Bangtan Co. She planned to stop you from joining no matter what. Ignoring your trembling eyes, she stood up straight and turned to Seokjin, who was leaning on the backrest with a stoic expression.
" "Sir," she said. "There is a chance that she is a bait laid out by Senyu. We can not let her join us. The risk is too high!"
"Before she could add on, Taehyung cut her off with a sharp glare.
" "You're Seokjin's guard, and your blunder trying to kill Y/N almost caused Seokjin to be injured." His low voice sent a wave of chills throughout the conference room. "Your current words hold no value to us."
At his statement, The Secretary merely stared back flatly, without a ripple in her vehement gaze. The conversation had reached a stalemate, with neither sides willing to submit."
Clarity closed the book with a shake of her head. Four words—To Be His Possession—filled the cover of the leather surface as she placed the book on the bedside counter.
"When I first read that chapter, I loved it because it was peak satisfaction. But if you glared at me in real life, I would cry right there." Brushing her short hair back, she turned around, towards the person on the bed. "But you wouldn't do that, right?"
Of course, Taehyung did not responded.
His eyes were serenely shut, bringing emphasis to his long lashes, pink lips, and smooth facial structure that gave him an appearance of a doll. Clarity bit down on her lips, mustering a faint smile.
A month had passed since her return to this world, and seven months have passed since Taehyung fell into a coma.
It took her over a month to readjust to normal life, and to redevelop her dying muscles and physical strength. Now that she could complete most of the daily tasks independently, she was finally getting discharged next week.
She sat in the chair beside Taehyung's bed and lifted a hand to caress his face.
"If the fake Yeontan ever appears again, I'll roast that dog-looking thing..." she muttered to herself.
The moment she relearned to walk, Clarity had been coming to Taehyung's ward everyday to talk to him. She spoke about all types of things, from the weather to the latest gossips among the Bangtan members. She did this mainly to keep herself grounded, but also because the doctors had suggested daily conversations to keep the patient's living environment...well, alive.
"It's been kind of boring without you." She sighed, taking in the cool sensation of Taehyung's cheeks as her fingers lightly brushed a strand of black hair away from his face. "Jimin and Jungkook's been feeding me some horrifying stuff. They call it desserts, but I don't believe them. It's almost on par with the poisonous cookies that Yinn tried to kill me with. Just almost."
At that moment, the door across from her creaked open, and Yinn Naron poked her head into the room. Upon seeing Clarity's presence, she immediately waved at her with a smile and strolled in with a basket of fruits in her hand.
After she set them on the table, the brown-haired girl turned to observe the person on the bed.
"He's looking better," she said, scrutinizing him from top to bottom. "It shouldn't be long before he wakes up."
Clarity didn't rebuke her statement, but deep down, they both knew that was not the case.
In half-an-year's time, Taehyung's cheeks have slimmed drastically, and his solid build had shrunken with the dissipation his muscles. As a result, his current appearance was comparable to a vulnerable, malnourished child.
A warm ray of sunshine seeped through the curtains, cascading shadows onto his bed like a flight of stairs.
"Thank you for taking care of Taehyung during this time." Clarity turned to Yinn with a smile.
Although the members visited the ward frequently, there were inevitable times where they also needed to take care of problems in Bangtan Co. During their absence, Yinn had spent the majority of her time at the hospital so she could immediately notify the members of any abnormalities.
"It's the least I could do." Yinn shrugged a small smile, then blinked as if she suddenly remembered something. "Have the doctors said anything else regarding his condition?"
Clarity shook her head. "They say it's a miracle that he's holding on, but you know how doctors are, always leaning towards the worst case scenario. Either way, even they were unsure when he was going to wake up."
A silence dawned upon the two of them. Amidst the room warmed by the sun, Yinn swallowed subconsciously as she mustered an optimistic tone. "If they don't know, then that means anything is possible. I'm sure it'll be soon!"
At the brown-haired girl's attempt to cheer her up, Clarity nodded with a faint smile.
After chatting for some time, the two decided to head downstairs to the lobby to meet up with Seokjin, Namjoon and Jimin to have lunch. Before leaving the room, Clarity opened all the curtains in the room to fill the room with vibrancy. That way, even if Taehyung woke up during this time, the first thing that would confront him wouldn't be darkness.
Stealing a final glance at the sleeping man, Clarity closed the door between them.
✿✿✿
TWO WEEKS LATER.
In an oversized hoodie, Clarity leaned back leisurely in the arm chair as she swiftly cut the plate of strawberries in small chunks, positioning them into a pretty formation.
After that was done, she took the book from the counter with familiarity and read out loud another chapter of To Be His Possession.
"Did you know? I picked up this fanfiction from the beginning because Jin was my bias in BTS. It was my dream to see him in person, to witness his stage in the other world...
"Come to think of it, my ultimate goal was to marry him, although that was out the window after meeting you in this world." She paused, lips curling up mischievously. "If you don't wake up soon, I might just take back that dream. After all, I now personally know Jin's counterpart in this world. And he's good looking, too."
Taehyung, with his eyes peacefully closed, laid like a renaissance painting. Naturally, he did not respond to Clarity's comments, but the latter paid it no mind.
Laughing inwardly at her own pettiness, Clarity closed the book threw it back into the counter drawer. She had scheduled a meeting with Namjoon to visit the doctors together for an update on Taehyung's condition.
After she left the room, the space once again fell into stillness. As usual, the only audible noise was the systematic beeps of the heart monitor and the occasional muffled laughter outside the hospital window. Everything laid unmoving, like a frozen lake from a quiet night—well, almost everything.
As usual, the black haired man laid motionlessly, his back sinking onto the white mattress. His eyes were restfully closed, his breathing steady, and his fingers—
There was an indiscernible twitch from his fingers.
The frozen lake rippled.
✿✿✿
The meeting, having taken longer than expected, lasted until late afternoon. By the time Clarity and Namjoon were finished, the sun had already made itself half way past the horizon.
"Are you going back to the hospital?" Namjoon asked, earning an affirmative nod from the short haired girl.
"I'll go hang out with Taehyung so he does not get bored," she said, half jokingly.
Namjoon let out a chuckle. "I wish I could visit him with you, but I have a meeting with Jungkook regarding an upcoming company conference. Please give Taehyung my kind regards and tell him I will go see him soon."
"Sounds good, I'm sure he'll be happy to see you."
After the two parted, Clarity made her way back to the hospital. Along the way, she took in the peaceful scene of people chatting by the benches, children running on the grass fields, couples strolling around the area. The different parts of the area, merging with the setting sun, formed a beautiful picture filled with beige, orange and red.
Clarity stared at the sight, her heart filling with a sense of melancholy.
After walking around for awhile, she arrived at the hospital. Standing in front of the door to Taehyung's room, Clarity stopped, took a deep breath, and turned the handle.
The moment she opened the door, she was blinded by a brilliant glow that poured in from the curtain-less windows. Positioned directly through the window was the presence of the descending sun, projecting majestic rays of light into the room.
It took her eyes a few seconds to adjust to the lighting of the room, and by the time her vision focused, Clarity froze.
As if in slow motion, the coffee in her hand dropped onto the ground as its contents splashed all around her feet. Her hand burned from the hot liquid, her breath hitched in her throat, and her heart pounded wildly, as if attempting to rip her chest open. However, Clarity paid no attention to any of that as her eyes solely focused on glowing silhouette in the room.
Sitting up against the bed, Taehyung's body was turned towards the setting sun. One of his skinny arms lifted to his face to block the sunlight as his face scrunched slightly, making him seem like child who had just awaken from a nap.
At the noise Clarity made, he turned towards her direction. For a second, he stared at her with a sense of foreignness, as though she was an intruder in his room. During this silent exchange, Clarity held her breath unknowingly as she embraced for the worst.
After what seemed like an interminable silence, Taehyung retracted his gaze, and Clarity felt her heart drop. Taking in her reaction, the corner of his lips twitched as his stoic face expanded into a familiar smile.
Holding out both of his arms, Taehyung called out to her in his usual deep voice, filling her heart with an indescribable sense of comfort:
"Clarity."
✿✿✿
"Taehyung!"
Tucking To Be His Possession in her loot bag, Clarity packed up the rest of their belongings in the personal hospital ward and poked her head over to the occupied washroom across the room.
Two months have passed since Taehyung's awakening, and today was the day of his release from the hospital.
As she took one final sweep of the room to check if she missed anything, the washroom doors opened. With movements that were still slightly jagged, Taehyung slowly stepped out, grinning as Clarity approached him from the other side of the room.
"You still can't move around too much!" She scolded, rolling the wheelchair right before his feet as she gestured him to sit down.
"I can walk just fine now." Pushing the wheelchair aside, Taehyung moved around his legs and arms to demonstrate to Clarity the fruits of his rehabilitation.
Thanks to his well developed physiques, Taehyung's rehab progressed smoother than expected, and with efficient results he healed much quicker than normal people. According to the doctors, it would have taken an average person anywhere from six months to years to recover from a long coma and return their everyday lives.
Unconvinced by his words, Clarity pouted and clung onto one of his arms, forcibly dragging him down to the wheelchair seat. As she did that, the loot bag that hung on her left shoulder slipped down to her elbow, unraveling its insides to Taehyung's eyes.
"Why do you still read that book about the characters when the real ones are right in front of you?" He frowned, subconsciously narrowing his eyes at the hard copy fanfiction in her bag.
Clarity arched an eyebrow in amusement as she observed his reaction.
"Jealousy sure comes easy," she teased, ignoring Taehyung's unamused stare. "Don't tell me you're still mad at me for saying that I would go find Seokjin while you were unconscious..."
"I was not unconscious," Taehyung retorted. "I couldn't talk or move, but I could hear everything. Everything."
Not waiting for Clarity to think of an excuse, he continued on, crossing his arms as he leaned on the wheelchair backrest.
"And ever since I caught a glimpse of your world, the one you used to live in, I've been thinking a bit differently. In that world, Bangtan really was different. They sing, dance, and save a lot of people. Like heroes."
He glanced at Clarity, this time with a hint of hesitation in his face.
"...Are you really okay with giving up that world?"
Despite the serious tone in his question, Clarity couldn't help let out a soft laugh. She pressed her hands on the sides of the wheelchair armrests, bending over slightly so she was face to face with the sitting Taehyung.
"What are you saying?" Leaning forward, she pecked him on the nose, then looked at him with glistening eyes. "My world is right in front of me."
At that moment, a crumpling sound interrupted them, causing Clarity and Taehyung to turn simultaneously towards the entrance.
In front of the door stood none other than Yoongi, pressing his lips into a thin line as the bouquet of flowers that had been in his hand plopped helplessly onto the ground. He parted his lips a few times, but ultimately decided to swallow the words down his throat.
After long pause, he picked up the flowers with a sigh.
"Congratulations on your discharge. The car's already outside." He turned to Taehyung, lips slightly curved as he smacked the man on the head. "Everyone's waiting at home."
At his words, Clarity and Taehyung looked at each other, exchanging a smile as they followed Yoongi out the door.
✿✿✿
A warm breeze swept past, carrying her short hair into the wind as Clarity hopped out of the Hyundai Palisade. Blooming in the summer, the cherry blossom tree stood high above the hill as its petals fluttered all around them, creating cascade of pink.
Majestic front gates, window filled front view, cherry blossom—the vibrant scene reflected in her eyes with great familiarity, causing a ripple in her heart.
Already waiting in front of the mansion was everyone from Bangtan Co.; Hoseok and Jimin were the first to caught her eyes with their colourful hair. The former grinned brightly like the sun while the latter held a wine bottle in his hand as he pumped his arm into the air; Namjoon and Yinn waved widely towards them while Jungkook swung a huge clear bag in the air. The insides of the bag seemed to be filled with various types of cookies.
Seokjin was the first to greet them as he walked towards the front gate. With a wide smile, he performed a complicated handshake with Taehyung and then tossed to Clarity the keys to the Bangtan mansion.
"Clarity, our Miss Secretary." He held out his arms. "Welcome home."
Above them was the vast blue sky, hanging over their heads as a witness of this moment in time.
Beside her, Taehyung held her hand tightly, embracing her with the warmness of his palm. The sensation of his touch, the sight of the laughing members, and the liveliness of summer mixed in with the scent of cherry blossoms...
Clarity smiled.
What she thought to be a shitty fanfiction world turned out to be a masterpiece, after all.
[THE END]
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it's done !!! thank you everyone who stuck with me until the end. i read all your comments and feedback and really appreciate everyone who stayed until now :)
thank you for reading code v
lori ✿