Y/N's POV
Soobin shifts in the seat beside me, obviously a bit uncomfortable and I can't say that I blame him. I barely know the kid and he probably just wants to be around Yeonjun as much as he can right now. But that's not an option for either of us as Jeongguk is in the hospital room doing god knows what with Yeonjun.
I sigh and look at Soobin. "So, you're Yeonjun's age?"
He nods with a tight-lipped smile. "Yeah, 13."
I hum. "And you're officially his boyfriend now? When did that happen?"
Soobin shrugs. "We never really talked about it like that. After the accident, it made us realize that we're obviously not just friends or crushes or whatever."
I smile. "I remember being your age. I wasn't introduced to love until I was in high school," I chuckle.
Soobin quickly looks at me. "Love is a...strong word."
I raise an eyebrow at him, his cheeks turning a rosy pink color.
"It's a little early for that...I think," he continues.
"While I want to protect Yeonjun from the bad people of this world and from heartbreak, I know that having these kinds of experiences is important for a kid," I explain. Soobin listens intently. "He might be a bit younger than I was, but I believe that you two have something. You might not know exactly what it is yet, I sure as hell don't, but I see the way you two look at each other."
Soobin smiles shyly and looks down at the floor.
"Do you care about him?"
"Very much," he whispers.
"In this world of so many bad things, he needs someone like you to keep him happy and out of trouble," I smile. Soobin looks up at me with big eyes. "He's been through a lot. I don't know how much you know about his upbringing. Hell, I don't even know everything, but the happiness that I've seen in his eyes recently is what I've always wanted for him."
Soobin scoots closer to me. "Noona, even before I confessed my feelings for him, I knew I'd do anything for him. I feel very close to him like we've been through some similar things. I just want you to know that even in this short time of being together, I know he's special. I promise I'll take good care of him."
Soobin's words make my heart soar. They sound beautifully genuine. I've always been good at reading people due to my past experiences. I can see in Soobin's eyes that he truly cares for Yeonjun.
I nod. "Okay."
We sit there in silence for about ten more minutes before Jeongguk walks into the waiting room with his hands stuffed in his pockets. What a cute habit.
Both me and Soobin stand up.
I get a good look at Jeongguk's face and he looks a bit disappointed.
"We talked and he's pretty much in agreement with you," he tells me. "He's not very happy with me."
I give him a sad smile. "I told you. I wasn't making it up that he didn't wanna see you."
Jeongguk nods. "He told me he wants to continue living with you as his legal guardian," he informs me, making me sigh in relief. "He also told me that he wants me to be in his life more, so I guess that's a plus."
I nod. "We can work on that."
Soobin suddenly steps forward. "Hi, I'm Yeonjun's boyfriend. My name's Soobin."
Jeongguk smiles widely and shakes Soobin's hand. "Young love. How cute."
Soobin chuckles awkwardly. "Love might be a bit much..."
Jeongguk gives me a look and I chuckle. "It's totally love," I mouth to him without Soobin seeing it.
Jeongguk returns his attention to the boy in front of him. "Well, it's nice to meet you, squirt."
"I'm sorry if I'm intruding by asking this, but how do you and Yeonjun know each other?" Soobin asks.
Jeongguk sighs. "We're friends. I used to be his legal guardian before Y/N, here, took over for me when I couldn't be here."
Soobin looks down. "Who are his biological parents?"
Jeongguk freezes up. "People he doesn't like to talk about."
I realize I actually don't know this either and I immediately become intrigued.
Soobin gets the hint and stops inquiring about them.
"Miss Kim?" I hear from somewhere behind me. I turn to find a nurse. "Hi, my name's Sabine. I was the nurse that helped calm Yeonjun down when he got here. I was a part of the team that found him," she mumbles the last part, her smile fading slowly.
"Thank you for helping him."
She shakes her head with a smile. "It's my job." She looks down at Soobin and smiles. "Choi Soobin, I presume?"
He chuckles and nods. "I heard that he had a whole team out looking for me."
She smiles. "That boy in there is very fond of you. Don't let him go."
Soobin shakes his head. "I won't."
She looks up at Jeongguk. "Hello," she reaches forward and shakes his hand. "I haven't heard about you."
"Jeon Jeongguk," he introduces himself.
She raises an eyebrow. "I've heard the name," she pulls away from the handshake suddenly. My heart starts to beat faster. She knows something. She looks around us warily. "I have some information that you were not informed of about Yeonjun's conditions," she whispers. "But we can't talk here."
She grabs his arm and starts pulling him through a hallway, leaving me stumbling after them.
"Noona," Soobin runs after me. "What's going on?"
I look down at him, both of us still trying to catch up to the other two. I sigh and in my mind, I make a decision. "If you follow us, you will probably hear some things that you don't necessarily understand. I don't know exactly what's going on, but I have an inkling," I whisper to him as we round a corner. "First thing you should know is that I was a part of a family mafia. The Kim mafia. Jeongguk and Yeonjun were a part of a different mafia. So we're all mafia members. Do you know what that means?" I ask Soobin.
Soobin blinks a couple times then nods.
"I left my mafia and became a part of the Jeon mafia with Jeongguk, Yeonjun and the rest of their crew. You with me?"
"Where else would I be?" Soobin asks, not seeming to be freaking out.
We start speeding walking up a set of stairs. "Some strange shit happened and I found out the leader of the Jeon mafia was crazy and he tried to basically kill us all. I proceeded to find out that it was all a dream. But it all felt so real and Yeonjun felt it, too, but everyone else was denying it. Jeongguk left without saying goodbye to any of us, leaving Yeonjun with me. Basically nothing made sense, I moved here, and now Yeonjun is in the hospital because that same mafia leader tried to kill you. Make sense?"
Soobin's eyes go wide at this. "Let me get this straight. Jeongguk's boss was the one that set off the explosion?"
"Ex-boss," I clarify. "Jeongguk left."
"Without explanation and without Yeonjun," Soobin comments.
"Right."
"That doesn't really make sense."
I nod. "I know."
"And in this scenario, who was your boyfriend? Because there's a hole that I'm not able to completely fill right now," he comments. "You left your mafia for what? And why di Jeongguk's leaving mess you up so much? Why is this leader guy trying to kill me?"
I chuckle. "You're observant."
"My family has always taught me to be aware of my surroundings."
I look at him. "That's a good skill to have. I'll explain everything else to you later. Just be prepared for some seriously weird information."
Soobin nods. "I think I'm prepared," he mutters.
Sabine stops in front of a door and quickly pushes us inside, locking the door behind us. She sighs and turns on the light.
"What's all this about?" Jeongguk asks.
"We found some weird things when we did Yeonjun's bloodwork," she tells us, a worried look on her face. "There are chemicals in his bloodstream. Did you know that?"
Jeongguk looks back at me and I shake my head, chills scattering over my body.
"What does that mean?" I ask.
"The doctors were quick to dismiss it as drugs, but I wasn't too sure," Sabine walks around the desk at the front of the room and grabs a paper. "The chemical doesn't match anything we are trained to look for," she explains, walking back around the desk in front of us. "Of course, I was trained a bit differently than these other nurses. I have connections with someone you are very close to Jeongguk."
Jeongguk squints in confusion and Sabine just lets him sit there thinking for a moment. And he only needs a moment before his face is softening. "Sabine...I know that name."
She smiles. "Kim Taehyung is my brother."
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bum bum BUMMMMMMMMMMM
y'all I'm psyched for the next couple chapters
~JJ