"Why aren't they here yet?? It's almost ten!!" Seokjin whined. Jungkook and Ju were supposed to be at the hospital by nine.
They were almost an hour late, but Taehyung didn't want to do it without them. Seokjin started becoming restless and almost started pacing around when Namjoon got a call from Ju. He scrambled to answer the call.
"Ju!! Where the hell are you guys??" he yelled into the phone.
"Namjoon, if you are with Jin, then act like there isn't any signal and come out of the room! It's urgent" she said with a voice that made chills go down Namjoon's spine.
"Hello?? Hello!! HELLO!! Aish!" Namjoon exclaimed. "Stay with Tae, I'll be right back" he said and walked out of the room.
"Haan, now tell me what's wrong. Where the hell are you??"
"Namjoon, I..." her voice broke as she started crying.
"Ju! Please! You are scaring me! What the hell went wrong??" Namjoon asked.
"....." he heard nothing but sobs on the other side.
"WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED, JU??" he yelled.
"JUNGKOOKIE!! HE FUCKING...!!"
"He fucking what? HE FUCKING WHAT???"
"HE FUCKING DIED, OKAY?! HE FUCKING DIED!! I WOKE UP AND WALKED INTO THE ROOM TO WAKE HIM UP AND FOUND HIM DEAD ON THE FLOOR!! I CHECKED HIM UP!!! HE DIED BECAUSE OF LACK OF OXYGEN, JOON!! IT'S TOO LATE NOW!! I AM IN THE HOSPITAL RIGHT NOW!! IN THE MORGUE!!" she screamed.
Namjoon stood frozen as he processed what he just heard. He ran to the ground floor and asked for the morgue frantically.
He ran to the morgue and found Ju standing beside a body that was covered up. He walked to the body and brought up his trembling hands.
He mustered all of his courage and pulled the cover off his face. He felt terrified of what he would see below it. He looked at Ju for support, but she was busy sobbing, looking at the floor.
He lifted the cover off the body and it took him a second to recognize the pale, colorless face. He stumbled back as the weight of the situation finally sank in.
It was his fiance's little cousin brother's dead body.
It was his little brother's fiance's dead body.
It was his favorite bunny's body.
He looked around frantically as he weighed his options. Of all the people, Seokjin would go mad if he came to know about this. Taehyung already had enough in his life. He couldn't tell them now. He looked at Ju, who was still wiping her tears.
"We can't tell them now! We have to wait till they get back home. Listen to me, Ju. I will tell them that Jungkook had an attack and that he is here now. But I won't tell them that he is.....he is....gone" his voice cracked.
"They can't know, Ju! You help me by finding a doctor who is gonna tell them that Kookie is serious right now and that they shouldn't wait for him and that they should just go home. Send the body to Busan, Ju! I will take them home soon.
In fact, it's better if you tell them that he is already in Busan. Tell some or the other hospital's name, it doesn't matter. I will go now. Wait. Don't bring any other doctor. Do it yourself" Namjoon rambled. He got up shakily and went back to Taehyung's room.
................................
'Why is he taking soo long? Maybe he is getting the discharge papers ready' Seokjin thought. It had almost been twenty minutes since Namjoon went out to talk to Ju.
"What's taking him soo long?" Jimin asked. "We just have to wait" Yoongi answered. Just as Seokjin decided to go out, Namjoon came back with sweat pouring down his face. 'Something's wrong' Seokjin thought.
"W-We should just do it already, d-don't you think?" Namjoon asked, looking at them with a really tensed face. 'Aigoo! Why is he shaking and stuttering like that?' Seokjin thought. He walked to his fiance and hugged him.
"Chill! Is something wrong?" he asked. "J-Jung-Jungkookie had an attack y-yesterday night and Ju sent him to some B-Busan hospital. So they won't be coming here. J-Just remove it f-fast and then we can go t-to Bu-Busan" Namjoon stuttered.
Seokjin froze, but he didn't understand one thing. 'There are hospitals in Daegu, right? Why did she send him to Busan?'
He found it really weird, but right now, all he wanted to do was to run to Jungkook and comfort him. 'It was raining yesterday night. He must have had a bad dream' he thought.
Taehyung frowned. He could sense his brother's tension.
'THIS IS NOT RIGHT!' his mind kept screaming at him.
"But I wanted him to be there with me" he pouted. Namjoon walked towards Taehyung and patted his arm.
"I-I know. But it never happens the way we want it to happen, does it? Let's finish this and hurry back to Busan, okay?" he said and settled in front of him.
The doctor removed the bandages and it took a few minutes for his eyes to focus properly. He was finally able to see.
After waiting for TWO FUCKING LONG YEARS!
He jumped on Namjoon and sobbed to his heart content. The introductions were made once again and Taehyung was excited to go back. "Jungkookie, Jungkookie, Jungkookie" he kept muttering. "I need to see him. I can't wait to see him" he said as they walked out.
"JUUU" he yelled as he ran to her and hugged her. She gave him a sad smile. "I am very happy for you, Tae! I am really very happy for you. Now go and live your life" she said, a sob tearing out of her.
"Don't cry, Ju! You are gonna make me cry too!" Taehyung said as he wiped her cheeks.
"Now I can finally see my love! I can finally kiss him right! I can finally play and run around with him! I CAN FINALLY MARRY HIM, YOOHOOO" he yelled and punched the air with his fist.
Everyone was happy except for Namjoon, who closed his eyes and waited for the pain to subside. Ju gave him another sad smile and turned to Seokjin.
"He is in ******** hospital. Have a safe journey back home. Remember to let go and move on with your lives. Here, I got him discharged. You guys can go" she said, handing Namjoon the papers.
Seokjin frowned at her choice of words, but once again, he just stayed silent. Ju locked eyes with Namjoon and gave him a slight nod. Again, Seokjin noticed it, but didn't say anything.
Taehyung kept muttering about how excited he was to finally see the love of his life throughout their journey back to Busan. Namjoon got a taxi and gave them their flat address.
"Why are we going home? Let's go to the hospital!!" Seokjin exclaimed.
"No. Let's go home and get showered before going to the hospital" Namjoon said with a serious tone that no one could go against.
"We will go to our house, then. We will be back once he gets well" Yoongi said. "No. You guys come with us" Namjoon said, again with the same serious tone.
"Okay....?" Jimin said, looking uncertainly at Seokjin.
Taehyung didn't understand why his brother was suddenly behaving like this. Neither did Seokjin. But they didn't question him. He clearly seemed on edge.
"Oh?! Why is there an ambulance in front of the apartment?" Jimin asked.
Seokjin felt a chill settle in his stomach as he slowly started connecting the dots. He didn't let his mind think about it.
He watched Namjoon as he walked to the ambulance and talked to the driver, showing him something on the phone. He watched as they walked to the back door and opened it. He watched as they brought out a coffin.
Everything fell in place.
Every fucking thing.
Seokjin suddenly understood why Namjoon had been soo nervous earlier. He understood the subtle signs that Ju had been giving him all this while.
He understood why Jungkook didn't show up and why Ju showed up late even though they said the attack happened the previous night. He understood the deeper meaning of her words.
His brain understood them, but his heart wouldn't accept it.
"NOOOOOOO" he screamed. He ran to Namjoon and held his collar.
"Don't tell me that coffin...that coffin contains....." his eyes burned. "....Jungkookie" he whispered the last part.
He was desperate to prove himself wrong, but Namjoon's silence proved otherwise. His eyes were wide as saucers, holding a silent fire that told Namjoon how much pain he already was in.
"Hyung?" Taehyung called out. "Is something wrong?" he asked.
Namjoon looked at Taehyung with tearful eyes before looking back at the ambulance crew and handing them the keys of the house. "Please place it inside" he said.
Seokjin's legs gave out and he fell on the pavement. "JIN HYUNG!!" Jimin ran to Seokjin while Yoongi ran to Namjoon.
"Namjoon, what the hell is wrong? You are scaring me here!" he exclaimed. Taehyung, on the other hand, followed the paramedics without waiting for the others.
He almost reached the ground floor stairs when he heard a scream from Seokjin. He got startled, but stayed there. Scream after scream followed, carrying his legs back to the others.
He watched with horror as Seokjin kept screaming while the other three tried their best to control him.
Somewhere in the middle of the screams, Seokjin started screaming for Jungkook.
That was when it clicked.
That was when he realized why Jungkook didn't come that morning.
That was when he recognized the pain behind Seokjin's screams.
That was when he realized why his brother was so tense in the morning.
That was when he realized who was inside the coffin.
His legs gave out the second the realization hit him. His knees hit the floor as silent tears ran down his face.
He stared at the ground as the tears continued. He felt two arms sneak around him from behind. He recognized the touch.
"I am never meant to have everything in my life, am I, hyungie? Just when I thought I had everything in my life, mom got cancer. Just when I thought she might get well, she left us. Just when I thought I was going to finish my graduation, I lost dad, and my sight. Just when I gave up on my life, I found someone to hold onto, and just when I finally got a grip on him and finally when I had everything, he left me too. WHY SO CRUEL, HYUNG?? WHY SOO CRUEEEEEELLLLLL???" he screamed.
The people in the apartment complex came out to see what the ruckus was about.
Some people were crying looking at their pain, while the others had a hand over their mouth with pity written all over their faces.
"Is it too much to ask for? I JUST WANT SOMEONE FOR MYSELF, IS IT TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR?!?!?!?!? I-I..... I CA-CAN'T....." he frantically looked around him. He turned back to see the tears that leaked down Namjoon's face.
He took a deep breath and cleared his throat. He wiped his tears and cupped his brother's face. He placed a soft, lingering kiss on his forehead.
"I love you, hyung. I love you a lot. But I can't do this. So please, forgive me and leave me alone for a while" he said and left a startled Namjoon downstairs and ran for the elevator.
Namjoon got to his senses and ran to the elevator, but it was too late already. Taehyung had forced the doors closed. Namjoon screamed for his brother as he ran to the terrace on full speed, knowing exactly what his brother was going to do.
Just as he thought, Taehyung was climbing the wall, two seconds away from throwing himself down. Namjoon ran to him and pulled him down.
"ARE YOU FUCKING CRAZY?? HAVE YOU LOST YOUR FUCKING MIND??! WERE YOU REALLY GONNA LEAVE ME LIKE THAT?? YOU IDIOT, I LOVE YOOOUUU!!!! DO YOU REALLY THINK I WOULD BE ABLE TO LIVE IF MY LITTLE BROTHER KILLED HIMSELF???!! FUCKING ANSWER ME!!!!!!" he held his brother's shoulders and shook him violently.
"This is not what Jungkook would have wanted, Tae! Please don't do this" Namjoon sobbed. He still didn't get over the shock of his brother almost killing himself, but he had to stay strong for him.
"We were going to get married, hyuuuunngggggg" Taehyung dragged as he sobbed, falling forward into Namjoon's arms.
"I really can't live without him" he continued sobbing. Namjoon simply placed his head on his brother's head and sobbed hard.
"I know, baby. I know how hard this is for you. But please! Bear it. I know I shouldn't say this yet, but you are supposed to mourn and then move on with your life. You are supposed to keep him in your heart and lead your life. You are not supposed to end it" Namjoon explained through his tears.
"Now I understand his pain when he lost Hobi hyung. If I feel this much pain for six months, he spent three years with him, hyung" Taehyung cried.
Namjoon silently patted his brother.
"Let's go down. We should arrange for the funeral. Shh, shh, baby, it will be fine soon. Now wipe your tears and stay strong for your fiance, okay?" Namjoon said, wiping his brother's tears before wiping his own and bringing him down to their flat.