A/N: Another nice and thicc chapter for you ;)
"That's Kookie's car!" Y/N exclaimed, pointing towards a sleek black car already parked in the carpark. It looked like it had been there for a while; a smooth white layer of snow had already settled on it's exterior.
Krystal pulled over next to Jungkook's car, sighing in relief. "Thank god he's really here... I was afraid we were going to have to keep searching."
"Let's go." Y/N impatiently unbuckling her seatbelt and getting out of the car.
"Hey be careful the floor is slippery outside." Krystal warned Y/N, turning the ignition off and going over to her. Krystal was worried that Y/N would get hurt getting to the temple; she couldn't risk getting into any trouble now that she was pregnant. "Here hold onto me so you don't fall." Krystal offered, linking arms with Y/N.
Y/N smiled, reaching over and squeezing Krystal's arm reassuringly with her free hand. "Thank you. Should we go now?"
Krystal nodded, and the two made their way to the footpath leading up to the temple.
The pathway was lined with thick slabs of stone; the temple was near the top of the mountain, so visitors had to climb a number of stairs and winding pathways to reach the temple. In the warmer seasons, the walk was always a quiet and relaxing trip. Y/N especially enjoyed visiting during autumn; the orange and yellow colours of the falling leaves covering the ground like a thick blanket of fire. It was also the reason Jungkook's grandma liked to come here. When she was healthy, she used to walk to the temple everyday.
Now that it was winter, the trees lining the mountain were bare, and the ground layered with white. Now it was snowing lightly, and the stone slabs were a little slippery from the ice that had glazed them over. Krystal held onto Y/N tightly, and they slowly followed the signs leading them up the mountain.
Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't take more than 30 minutes to reach the end of the path; but with the speed they were walking at, it was taking a lot longer than usual.
"I don't remember this walk being so tiring...Too many stairs." Krystal complained, pausing to catch her breath. Y/N chuckled and playfully punched her in the shoulder. "Have you worked out lately? You're so unfit a pregnant lady is coping better than you."
Krystal rolled her eyes and linked arms with Y/N again. "Yeah yeah sure, I'm just not as young as I used to be okay?" She stuck her tongue out at Y/N, earning a light pinch in return.
--------
"You know I probably have like ten bruises from you pinching me? Why are you so violent!"
"That's because you keep being cheeky!" Y/N laughed. "It's not my fault you're literally unable to go up a few flights of stairs."
Y/N felt very grateful that Krystal was here with her. She had always helped her out of hard times and cheered her up when she didn't feel like herself. If Krystal wasn't here right now, she would have broken down already.
"Okay stop laughing at me satan, we're here now!"
The temple courtyard was completely silent; a stark difference to its busy hours in the summer. Normally it would be bustling with visitors, but the weather wasn't exactly ideal right now so it looked like a ghost town instead. It seemed like there were no signs of movement; the only sounds to be heard was the audible crunch of snow under their boots and the rustling of the trees around them.
They walked around the empty courtyard and Krystal scanned the area for people. "Should we check inside the temple first? I doubt he would be out here in this kind of weather." Y/N agreed, and they walked over to the temple entrance.
Krystal was starting to get worried. "There's nobody here... Don't tell me he didn't actually come up here?"
"I doubt it. If his car was there then he must be here; there's not much else on this mountain other than the temple anyway. Kookie won't be going for a walk in this weather I'd hope."
"Wait.. is that?" Krystal pointed to a figure sitting on the grass behind the temple. "Kookie!" She called out, running towards him.
Jungkook was sitting down on the snow covered grass, his hair and clothes slightly wet from the snow that melted onto him. Fresh snowflakes gathered on his black hair and clothes, lightly covering him in a thin layer of sparkling white.
Next to him lay two empty alcohol bottles, and he hunched over a small drawing pad; a pen in his hand. He flinched slightly hearing Krystal call out for him, but stayed motionless and didn't respond.
Krystal grabbed Jungkook's arm, shaking him slightly. "Kookie what are you doing out here, you're going to get sick! Look at you... how long have you been sitting here?" She swiped away the snow that had gathered in his clothes and his hair.
Jungkook stayed still, not answering her.
Y/N sighed and kneeled down on the grass next to Jungkook. She reached over and grabbed his hand, giving it a sympathetic squeeze. "Kookie, everyone's really worried about you right now... Come back home with us okay?" She said softly, rubbing gentle circles on the back of his hand.
Jungkook blinked slowly, not raising his head to look at Y/N and Krystal. He kept his gaze on the paper on his lap; it was almost like he couldn't hear them at all.
Y/N and Krystal looked at each other worryingly, unsure of how to make him talk to them. It was clear that he was quite unstable.
It was already nearing 1pm, they needed to get Jungkook home before the snow picked up. Y/N shifted her position so she sat directly facing Jungkook. She could feel the wetness of the snow seeping through her jeans; her legs felt like they were going numb from the cold. She thought about how cold Jungkook must be feeling right now.
"Jungkook. Look at me."
"...."
"I said look at me." Y/N reached for Jungkook's face, cupping his cheeks and lifting his head; forcing him to look at her.
Y/N felt her heart shatter seeing his face. His face looked sunken in and tired, his swollen red eyes accentuated by noticeable dark circles. Jungkook had always been the smiling type; he was always laughing and cheering people up around him. It was hard to see him so unlike himself.
Y/N could feel the unnatural coldness of Jungkook's cheeks on her palms. "Please come home with us..." She begged.
Jungkook weakly pushed Y/N's hands away, sighing deeply. "You guys go back first... Let me stay here a while longer." He murmured. "Krystal, take Y/N home."
Y/N shook her head. "If you want to stay here, we're going to accompany you too."
"Y/N..." The weather was starting to deteriorate; it was windy and cold, and it wouldn't be good for Y/N to stay outside in these conditions for too long. It could be dangerous for the baby if something happened to her.
Y/N was also worried about her baby, but she knew Jungkook wouldn't let her stay out here.
Jungkook frowned, taking his coat off and placing it over Y/N's shoulders.
"I've always been a failure..." he said quietly.
"No you're not, how could you say that about yourself?" Y/N scolded softly. "I've known you all these years. Jeon Jungkook, you are perfect."
Jungkook shook his head absently. "I've known that grandma was always alone. No matter what she did, she always relied on herself and nobody else. I promised her that I would visit her often and accompany her whenever I could... But I didn't keep that promise." Jungkook looked down dejectedly, his damp hair falling over his eyes.
"After I started school, I saw her less often. Shortly after, I moved abroad, so my chances to see her continued to decrease. Because of my work, I was too busy to see her, and now that she's gone I won't be able to be here for her anymore. I asked her to live with me once but she was determined to stay out here... I should have tried harder to persuade her while I could."
Jungkook looked up at Y/N, giving her a sad smile. "Even towards the person I cared about the most, I promised to take care of her but...."
He trailed off into a laugh, unable to finish his words. Although he was smiling, his eyes were not. Y/N felt helpless watching him; he was having an internal war with himself and it didn't seem like anything but time could help him right now.
They stood there in silence for a moment, unable to find the right words to say.
Krystal was the first to break the silence. She was starting to feel slightly awkward being caught up between this conversation.
"Come on guys... We can have a good talk once we're inside somewhere. Please?"
Jungkook stood up, brushing the snow off his clothes then offering a hand to Y/N to pull her up too. "Let's go."
Y/N eyed the drawing he held in his hand. Although it was incomplete, it was clearly a sketch of his grandma.
The three walked out to the front of the temple, when suddenly Jungkook stopped in his tracks.
"Is everything okay?" Krystal asked, turning to him?
"Can I do something first?"
------------
Y/N and Krystal watched silently as Jungkook kneeled on the firm cushion, closing his eyes and intertwining his hands in a prayer. Y/N couldn't help but think about his grandma; who would always pray in this temple. Although she never had any specific requests, perhaps everytime she prayed, she thought about her precious grandson Jungkook.
By the time they decided to leave, the snow was already starting to get quite heavy, and the sky had darkened considerably from the thick grey clouds.
"We should leave quickly before the storm comes; it will be impossible to reach the cars if we don't make it before it gets too dark." Jungkook observed the weather worriedly. "I'm sorry for keeping everyone here so long."
"Save the apologies Kookie." Krystal squeezed his shoulder. "Let's go home first."
-------
Jimin wasn't in a good mood today. After his afternoon meeting, he returned home only to find that Y/N still hadn't come home yet.
He remembered that she had gone out early this morning. It was not nearing 6pm, but she still hadn't returned.
Grandma was starting to get irritated by Jimin. She noticed him looking at her throughout dinner like he was going to ask her something, but he never did.
"If you have a question, just ask."
Jimin put down his chopsticks. "Do you know why Y/N hasn't come home yet?"
Grandma raised an eyebrow at him, shaking her head disapprovingly. "Why are you asking me? Isn't she your wife? Why can't you just give her a call and ask?"
Jimin fell silent for a moment. Him and Y/N weren't on amazing terms right now, and he felt that it would be a bit awkward for him to call her right now. He sighed and picked up his chopsticks again.
"Dad, you don't know?" Joon Min spoke in between bites.
Jimin turned to look at the small boy sitting next to him. "What is it Joonie?"
"Great grandma told me that mom went to look for Uncle Kookie."
Jimin frowned, turning to look at grandma, who was currently ignoring him. "Why did she go looking for him?"
Joon Min shrugged his little shoulders and turned his attention back to his meal.
E/N: Today author-nim is really busy with work (poor her) so i'm here to update ٩(ↀДↀ)۶ Hope everyone's doing well! Does anyone hate online classes just as much as I do? I had a 5 hour practical today and I think i'm LOSING IT.