Yoongi had been biding his time, waiting for the next morning when they'd finally check out.
His parents insisted on going home in the morning, even though you had already left. He knew his father was trying to save face at this point. But he'd wait.
You should be at the hospital soon, after all. He'd only just had the thought when someone called his phone.
Ryeowook told him that you had made it safe and sound and that you had asked him not to wait.
"She'll probably be a while," he agreed with a small nod. "Thank you, Ryeowook."
"Of course, sir. Let me know if I can do anything else for you."
Yoongi sat down on the bed. It was odd, he realized. There had been a point where he couldn't care less where you were. But now that you were away from him, it made him nervous. He had half a mind to call someone else to pick you up from the hospital and take you home.
He was still considering that when his phone started ringing again.
"Hello?"
"Mr. Min? This is Choi Siwon. Do you and your wife have a minute to talk?"
"She's not here right now, but I can tell her later."
"All right. I apologize for the late hour, but I found something--"
"You can break the contract?"
"Technically, it wouldn't break it but it would render the document null and void."
Yoongi frowned. "Oh."
Siwon chuckled. "You can still call it a break if you'd like, it's much less of a mouthful. But anyway, your parent's lawyers are very thorough. I was afraid I wouldn't find anything. But there is a clause in here I'd like to discuss with you both when you have time."
"Which one?"
"Since this is highly confidential, I'd rather wait until we're face to face to show you the exact wording."
"That's fair. And you're sure about this clause?"
"Absolutely."
"Thank you, Mr. Choi. We'll call you back to schedule a meeting."
"I'm looking forward to it. Have a good night."
As soon as he was done, Yoongi dialed your number. You should be free by now, surely. But you didn't answer. He sighed and tried again.
When you still didn't answer, he left a brief message asking you to call him back as soon as you could.
A few short minutes later, he was telling you the news.
"We can break the contract. He's sure of it." You didn't respond for a moment. "Are you still there?"
"Yeah, just....mind is racing. Do you mind if we talk about this tomorrow?"
"Oh. Of course." He scratched the back of his head. "I just wanted to let you know."
"Thanks. Did I miss much after I left?"
"Other than the Mins storming out? Not much."
You chuckled. "I would have paid to see that. What time do you think you'll be back tomorrow?"
"Probably around lunch. And don't worry, I'll bring your stuff back with me."
"Thanks. I'll see you then." You turned to see Jimin leaning against the doorway. "Oh, hey."
He smiled, although it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Hey. Thanks again for coming, it means a lot. You think I could ask you for one more favor?"
"What's that?"
You left the hospital about an hour later. You'd returned your father's phone call and assured him that you were visiting on his behalf. He was already in the process of buying two plane tickets home by the time you got back to him.
He said he and your mother should be back by the next afternoon, maybe sooner. So you conveyed that to the Parks and said you'd check in on them later. Mrs. Park gave you a tight hug on the way out. Jimin offered to give you a ride but you assured him you'd be fine.
You took one more look at Mr. Park before you left and you saw it. How thin he really was under that blanket. How pale his skin already looked. The smile he was forcing for the sake of his family. The same one that Jimin had been forcing since you'd gotten there. You hoped he'd have a little more time than they expected.
The next morning, you woke up and changed out of your pajamas. You were determined to wear something casual this time in case you stopped by the hospital.
But first...you had an errand to run.
"It's for Hoseok," Jimin had told you. "A thank-you present for inviting me to his showcase. I really enjoyed it."
He had told the store that you would be picking it up in his place. He normally would have done it himself, but he didn't want to leave his mother alone for too long.
So you'd agreed to deliver the basket to Hoseok, which you were sure he'd enjoy. But once you got there, you were surprised the studio owner was nowhere to be found.
"He had lunch plans with Jungkook," Shindong explained when you'd asked. "You're welcome to wait for him."
You were planning to wait, but you saw someone dancing in one of the practice rooms and you got curious. As you got closer, you realized that it was actually two people.
Kim Yugyeom and...?
Before you could register what you were doing, you'd opened the door. Both men turned to look at you, confused by the sudden interruption.
"Excuse me. Have we met before?"
The second man frowned. "I don't think so, ma'am."
Ma'am?
Ma'am.
No one called you ma'am. No one except--
"You're the guy from the car accident. You stayed with me until the paramedics got there."
Recognition flashed across his features. "That was you! How are you doing? Did you or your friend get hurt?"
"We're fine. He doesn't drive a lot nowadays, but we weren't badly hurt."
He extended his hand. "Mark Tuan. Nice to officially meet you, and I'm glad you weren't hurt too badly."
"Nice to meet you. We're lucky you were there, I don't think I'd have known what to do." You cleared your throat. "Sorry to interrupt your practice, I just wanted to thank you."
"Of course. I'm sorry it happened that way."
"Oh! And great job in the showcase, Yugyeom."
The taller man smiled. "Thanks."
You had just shut the door when you felt a presence behind you.
"Hey, you ready to go?"
"Tae?" You turned at the familiar voice. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh! Sorry, thought you were someone else." He tapped on the glass of the door and waved to Mark. "Can't stay to chat, we're already running behind."
You quickly moved out of the way of the door as Mark came out, slinging his bag over his shoulder. You watched them leave for a second. "Hey, Tae?"
He turned around. "Hmm?"
"Give Yoongi a call sometime. He worries about you."
"Sure." He nodded slowly. "I'll do that."
You headed back towards the front of the studio. Something about that interaction was nagging at you. Some piece you were missing. What was it?
"Hey! What are you doing here?" Hoseok chirped as he saw you.
"Jimin asked me to deliver something for you. I left it with reception."
"Oh, thanks. How's he doing?"
"Doing okay in spite of everything. I see you've got a new instructor."
"New instructor?" he repeated. "Who?"
"Mark? I saw him dancing with Yugyeom."
"He's not an instructor. He works with Tae. I think they do a lot of gigs together. He's usually busy with work but they come by to see Yugyeom once a week or so."
That was the piece.
If Mark worked with Tae, then what was he doing anywhere near your accident?