A/N sorry I have been missing some of my updating Saturdays but if I ever miss them I'll most likely post them on Sundays like I have been doing
Jungkook ran into his apartment a crying mess.
It had been almost a month since he saw Taehyung before that incident, and he was
trying to forget about him. He was only trying to save him from the pain and heartbreak that he was currently feeling.
Long story short, seeing him, if only for a few minutes, made Jungkook miss him even
more. He felt awful, hearing the things Taehyung had to say to him. He wanted to apologize and see him again, to continue their weekly visits at Hakkasan. But he knew it wasn't right. It was wrong.
He completely spaced on the fact that he was wearing his oxygen tubes when Taehyung saw him. He had basically told him everything, by his words and his appearance alone. Now, there wasn't a single person that knew him that didn't know about his illness.
Since it was barely the evening, Jungkook had nothing better to do than lay down. He brought a pillow to his chest, heaving sobs into its white fabric.
It was very rare that Jungkook got this emotional, since typically he tried to stay stronger. He hated to pity himself, yet here he was basically breaking down into his pillow.
The white fabric soon turned damp with tears, and after a few minutes of shoulder-shaking sobs, Jungkook soon found it hard to breathe. He struggled to catch his breath and he tried to calm down, to no avail. He gasped for air but eventually found none, despite the tubes being in his nose. His eyes fluttered, and his vision soon grew blurry. Soon, his vision completely disappeared and he passed out, collapsing onto the wooden floor of his bedroom as he fell off his bed.
There was only one time he had ever gotten this emotional, but that was before he was sick. It was the day his brother died. Jungkook still remembers it vividly.
Seventeen-year-old Jungkook had just gotten through a full day of high school, and was practically bouncing with excitement. His older brother Junghyun was coming back to visit during their spring break, and the two planned on spending the entire week together, doing things like going to the beach and arcade.
It was already three, and Junghyun was supposed to come any minute. Jungkook sat with his face glued up against the window, causing the surface to fog up from his breath. His eyes darted and followed every single car that drove up his road.
Eventually, twenty minutes passed and Jungkook's excitement diminished. It wasn't like Junghyun to be late, and typically he showed up five minutes earlier. His nonchalant state soon turned into one of worry as another hour passed.
He pulled out his phone from his pocket and sent three texts to Junghyun, all asking the same questions. Are you okay? Where are you? Are you still coming?
The sun soon fell and the sky turned dark. It was now past six, and Jungkook still had yet to hear from his older brother. He sat on his living room couch, nervously bouncing his leg. His mother finally emerged from her room after spending the entire afternoon behind the locked door with his father.
"Isn't your brother supposed to be here by now?" She asked in a demanding tone, as if Jungkook knew where he was and had something to do with his disappearance.
"He is, eomma, but he hasn't showed up yet."
"Well where is he?"
"I-I don't know..." Jungkook's rambling was soon cut off by a harsh knock at the door. He sprang off the couch, his worried expression being replaced by a relieved one, figuring it was his older brother finally arriving. He was expecting some type of reason why he was late, maybe traffic or a delay or some other reason.
His smile soon faded when he was met by the solemn expressions of two police officers standing at his doorstep.
"Can we help you?" His mother asked, soon standing behind her youngest son.
"M'am, we have some unfortunate news. You may want to sit down for this." The taller officer said, removing his hat. His partner mimicked his actions. Jungkook's confused eyes darted from his mother to the two officers.
What was going on?
"Are you the guardian of Jeon Junghyun?"
"I am, yes. Why, do you have my son?" The officer shook his head.
"M'am, I regret to inform you that..." he swallowed a lump in his throat. "Your son was involved in a car accident." Jungkook's mothers hands immediately went to her face, covering her mouth in disbelief.
"No... No I don't believe it. Junghyun is an excellent driver. You... you have to be lying." She shook her head, tears welling in her eyes. By this point, Jungkook's shock had faded and he was hit with the hard realization.
"Where is he?" He managed to croak out, his voice cracking as he was on the verge of tears. "He isn't too badly hurt, is he?" The taller of the two officers shook his head, hanging it low.
"We give our condolences to you and your family."
"Condolences... no. Condolences are only given if-" his eyes widen and tears come pouring out of his eyes. "No... no he can't be. He isn't dead. I won't believe it."
"We are very sorry." The shorter officer speaks up, looking at the two distressed Jeons who were both crying. Jungkook was crying for a different reason than his mother.
Junghyun was his best friend, and his only friend. He was the only person that he trusted and loved, and the only person who knew everything about him.
His mother was crying because she lost her favorite son. Her oldest was clearly the better of her two sons, and now she was stuck with a measly replacement. She ran up to her room and woke his sleeping father, informing him of the news. The two left the house and sped off, not bothering to say goodbye to their youngest son or even tell him where they were going.
Jungkook spent the rest of his night curled up into a ball, heaving sobs into his knees. He was in a state of shock still, but he still knew what had happened. Junghyun was dead, and he would never see him again.
Jungkook moved out five months later, the day he turned eighteen. It was clear that his parents didn't want to deal with him in their house any longer than necessary, and frankly he was fed up with their comments. Any time he made a miniscule mistake, they would shoot him with the hurtful comment.
"If your brother were still here he wouldn't act like this."
Now here Jungkook was, passed out on the floor from sheer exhaustion and lack of oxygen. Luckily, his overly observant neighbor had noticed him storm into the apartment complex in a fit of tears. He didn't bother to keep quiet, and all of the residents most likely heard him.
Saehun knocked three times on his door, earning no response. "Jungkook? Are you okay?" He called, again earning no response. Being the landlord, he had the keys to every apartment. He frantically jammed the key into the lock and opened the door. He knew Jungkook's condition, and he knew how little it took for him to reach dangerous territory.
He looked around his apartment until he caught a glimpse of the sick male laying on the floor, his oxygen tubes slightly askew around him. His eyes widened, and he grabbed his cell phone from his pocket and dialed one-one-nine. This wasn't the first time he's had to call for an ambulance.
Within five minutes, the wailing sounds of an ambulance fast approached. Two paramedics soon entered his apartment, carrying Jungkook out on a stretcher. He didn't wake up once, and Saehun watched him with worried eyes.
The two weren't friends, but it didn't mean he didn't care for the younger male. Saehun was in his early fifties, and Jungkook reminded him of his only son. They shared a resemblance, both physically and personality wise. The only difference was their health status.
He watched the ambulance speed off, taking Jungkook with it, it's sirens wailing as it sped down the street.
The paramedics reconnected him to a stronger oxygen tank, taking his vitals. He was still alive, but barely breathing. A very short ride later, it arrives at the hospital. Jungkook isn't a stranger to them and his normal nurse immediately comes rushing to his aid.
When Jungkook finally comes to, he's in a brightly lit hospital room, his eyes squinting as he had just woken up and wasn't used to the fluorescent light. He groans and rolls over when he sees the nurse.
"Hello, Jungkook." She says, scribbling something down on a paper clipped onto her clipboard.
"Hi." If he knew her name, he would have addressed her by it. He looked around on her uniform, searching for her nametags. He figured that he should at least know her name, since this was the fifth time seeing her.
In a very small font, he could read her name tag. Seo Jae Na. So that's her name.
"How are you feeling?" She asks, still flipping through some papers on her clipboard. Jungkook figured if he was more polite, he'd be able to be discharged sooner. He had a bad habit of being rude and snapping at people, but that had been getting him nowhere in terms of being released as soon as possible.
"I'm doing very well." It was silent for a moment, and Jungkook spoke again, addressing her by her name. "Dr. Seo-nim?" She rose an eyebrow at him, surely suspicious.
"That's the first time you've ever used my name. I was starting to think you didn't know it." She shook her head and Jungkook stayed quiet. "But yes, what is it?"
"What happened?" He blurted out. "I mean, why am I here, again?"
"You don't know?" She looked down at him with a sympathetic expression. "Well, you are very lucky you have such an attentive neighbor, I'll tell you that."
"What happened?"
"Well," she pauses, uncertain. "We have a suspicion that your tumor may have grown."
"What do you mean grown? Is that even possible?"
"Well, yes it is." She isn't looking down at him but staring straight at her clipboard. "But besides that, you're here because your lungs collapsed, despite having the oxygen tubes in. This wasn't expected of you, and since it's never happened, a probable cause is that you got overly worked up? Does that seem right?" Jungkook knits his brows together and turns over on his side, remembering how emotional he had gotten last night over what had happened with Taehyung.
"I guess so."
"Jungkook, I know how hard this is, trust me, but it's really important to your health to try and stay calmer, because experiencing heavy emotions can really strain your lun-"
"I know, okay? It's not like I haven't been told a thousand times." His politeness basically flew out the window as he grew agitated. He shook his head. "When can I leave?"
"About that..."
"What do you mean about that?"
"You won't be leaving." Jungkook's head basically whips back as he sits up in bed, feeling a sharp pain in his lungs. He ignores it and stares straight at the nurse.
"What do you mean I won't be leaving? I'm perfectly healthy."
"No, Jungkook, you're not. I told you earlier, your tumor had grown."
"So?" She sighs again, giving him another look of sympathy. Jungkook hates how she's looking at him. It's how everybody looks at him, and he was tired of it. She hesitates to answer, causing him to grow more anxious by the second.
"You may need surgery." His eyes widen at her words and he shakes his head, pulling his knees to his chest.
"No. No I don't need surgery I'm fine."
"Jungkook, you're not fine. You're far from it. I know you've told me multiple times you don't want to get surgery, but if you want to have a larger chance of surviving-"
"I'm not getting surgery. What's the point? For me to live a few more months here in this shithole? No thanks."
"It's more than a few months. Jungkook, with this surgery you may have a chance at surviving surviving. Not just for a few months but for the rest of your life." He shakes his head in disbelief.
"No. No, I don't believe it. You told me that-"
"Your cancer is fatal, yes, but there's a chance. It may be a small one, but don't you even want to try?" She asks hopefully, earning no response from Jungkook. He doesn't listen fully. He doesn't want to get his hopes up for them to be shattered.
"Please just think about it, okay? I'll be back later to check in on you with dinner." With that, Dr. Seo leaves.