Jungkook groaned lowly while shifting his body to the other side, the sound of his phone that was vibrating for non-stop on the nightstand had made him forced his heavy eyes to open. He reached for the phone and looked at the name that appeared on the screen. It was his fiancé, Hye-Joo.
He looked at the time on the wall and it was still morning. Hye-Joo had never given him such an early phone call. It made him get up from the bed and quickly answered the call.
"Hye-Joo?"
"Hello? Jungkook?"
"What's wrong?"
"Are you still sleeping?"
"Yeah...But I'm planning to wake up around this time too anyway."
"Oh, well I made you a soup last night but you fell asleep. Talk my ass, huh."
Jungkook lifted his brows at the said, "I- What? Fall asleep?"
"Yeah, you made me worried to death. Say thank you to your brother, he lifted you up and put you on the bed."
"Hye-Joo, hold on." He rubbed his face in perplexed, his brain was still in the progress on working functionally. "I know I was drunk. I'm sorry for wasting your time. I promise I will talk to you again later."
"Okay, um by the way. I call you because I want to ask you."
"Ask what?"
"Today, I'm planning to go out with Taehyung. Can I meet him?"
"Hm, for what?" his voice changed, already dislike with the request.
"Well, um... It's for the photography club! We want to buy some things related to it."
Jungkook hummed coldly, "At what time?"
"Maybe 3 or 4? I'll let you know once I go out."
"Okay. If you need to buy something, use the card I'd given to you. Don't use your money—"
"Whatever!!! I will use the card only when I needed it. Okay, got to go. Anyway, good morning~"
The lips that were pressed into a thin line seconds ago had now turned into a small smile by hearing at her cuteness. "Morning."
After the phone call had ended, Jungkook got his ass up off of the bed and went straight to grab his towel to freshen up, still not aware of what had happened yesterday.
***
Jungkook stepped out from his room as it was the time for him to have his breakfast in the late morning. He felt so fresh and clean, taking a shower almost reached 40 minutes, who wouldn't feel fresh? He ruffled his wet hair to make it into a messy look, too lazy to dry it and he even looks good in any type of hairstyle.
He strolled towards the stairs, passing by Jimin's room that saw the door closed. He glanced at the door and sighed, he started to feel that Jimin might not be coming back. Maybe, Jimin had run away because he believed of living with him must be hard for the boy to deal with his attitude. So, he decided to give up and tried to get rid of the empty feeling of losing a 'friend'.
He went straight to the stairs and was being greeted by the maid who was holding a tray of food in her hands. "Morning, Jungkook-ssi."
Jungkook nodded, "Morning. What are you doing?" he asked while eyeing the food, "I'll go eat downstairs."
"No, Jungkook-ssi. This isn't for you."
He raised his single brow, not getting the said. Then who else? He was the only one who got a room upstairs while his brother often staying in the office room downstairs. Who else it could be?
"Then? For who?"
"It's for Jimin."
Jungkook's head tilted to the side and was having a little taken aback. "I'm sorry? What?"
"This food is for Jimin. Seokjin-ssi said Jimin isn't feeling well and asked me to make a porridge for him."
"What do you mean Jimin? He's not here. Did you have a dream?"
"Y-Yeah? Jungkook-ssi," she laughed lowly, "Ah, I forgot that you were drunk last night. Jimin had come back last night and you even slept with him."
"Don't try anything funny," Jungkook turned serious as he felt like he was being played by the maid. It was a serious matter for him and he didn't like it, at all. "I slept on my bed."
"Yeah and that was because Seokjin-ssi brought you back to your room."
Jungkook wanted to explode, wanted to tell the girl to stop. He turned his head to gaze at Jimin's room and a flashback of his fiancé saying something had made his legs whirled around at a fast speed and ran straight to the door.
"Say thank you to your brother, he lifted you up and put you on the bed."
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
He bams his fist loudly onto the door, hoping that the door will be unlocked.
KNOCK! KNOCK—
"Yeah, come *Cough* Coming!"
His eyes widened while his body had been completely in froze. It was indeed Jimin's voice and he didn't know why his heart was beating so fast that he can't hear any other sound anymore except for his own beats.
Seconds after, another cough can be heard, and then the door that he was hoping to be opened had been pulled by someone from the inside. And his eyes quickly landed on Jimin's face. The boy seemed like he had just finished taking a shower as he was only with a towel around his waist. Jungkook didn't move, can't manage himself to be fine. He couldn't believe his eyes that the person he had been looking for days was now standing in front of him, looking puzzled.
"What?" Jimin sounded irritated.
"You..." Jungkook didn't get the right word to come out, he stepped forward and grabbed both of Jimin's shoulder in his hands, pushing the boy into the room. It led Jimin to freak out in puzzled.
"Wae? Wae? Wae??" Jimin stepping back with eyes wide looking at Jungkook. "What are you doing?" he asked while covering his body with his arms.
Jungkook was about to close the door but the maid calls for him to deliver the food to Jimin. He groaned in annoyed cause he can't wait any longer to have a talk with the latter. He grabbed the tray out from her hand and bam the door closed.
"Yah! Who said you can come into my room?" Jimin glared at Jungkook with face contorted in annoyance but then in just a second, it had been replaced with huge eyes after Jungkook cornered him to the wall.
"Where did you go?" Jungkook stepped so close to Jimin, looking down into the boy's eyes with a sharp glare, didn't want to let the chance out of his hand.
"What are you saying?" Jimin rolled his eyes, "I didn't go any—"
"Where did you go?!" the taller suddenly howled loudly, making Jimin jumped on his place and a surprised look dawned on his face.
"I... I didn't go anywhere..."
"Where did you go, New Face? These days. Where?"
"Jungkook."
"You disappeared, not coming home at all. Tell me where did you go. Don't ever think of lying to me."
Jimin didn't know what to say. He stared up to the taller who had the brows knitted together, showing him how serious the boy was at the time. He wanted to find an excuse but he couldn't find one. What should he say? And he can't even spit a lie as his brain wasn't working to find any idea to create one. Should he explain the things happened to him? Going back to the real world and now coming back into the Webtoon world?
That will make him look stupid. No one is going to believe him.
Before he can say something to cover up everything, Jungkook had thrown him another question and the boy seemed so worried, his expression hardened while running his eyes on all over the bruises.
"Did someone hurt you?" asked Jungkook in a pissed tone, sounding like a possessive man who was ready to kill anyone.
"Yeah, b-but it was a long time ago."
"When?" he gently grabbed Jimin's jaw and moved the boy's face side to side, sizing the bruises up with hawk eyes.
"I don't know, I can't remember."
Jungkook looked down at Jimin's arm and then saw another 'purple-green' spot which burnt his inner flames even more. He turned Jimin around and as he expected, so many bruises on the back body. His jaw immediately set into a tight clenched and huge anger began to thrum through his veins madly.
"Fucking tell me what had happened to you! Who the fuck did this?!" The voice had now sounded so thick with resentment. "Tell me, please?"
Jimin quickly shook his head and his eyes had shown terror at how rage had overtaken Jungkook in front of him. "Please... d-don't force me." He mumbled lowly between a tremulous breath and slowly lowered his gaze from the mad taller.
Jungkook sighed, "Why? Why you refused to tell me?"
"I will, I will tell you when I'm ready. But not now, I'm tired."
By looking at how pale Jimin was looking at the time, Jungkook believed that the boy was truly tired. He found the eyes were swollen and that was the time when a flashback of what had happened last night came striking inside of him. The image of Jimin who was crying in his hand that was holding the face has made him looked at Jimin with mixed feelings.
"You okay?"
Jimin pushed Jungkook to the back and stepped away, walking towards his wardrobe to take a short pant to wear it. He ignored the eyes that were looking at him and tried his best to maintain his emotions to be in a stable state. It weakens him when Jungkook asked him if he was okay or not. Clearly, he wasn't.
The pain of losing was still there, it was like someone was stabbing it with a knife whenever his parents' face appeared in his head. And what worse, he can't cry as much as he wants anymore. His chest will give him a hard time to deal with, as he was a boy who had heart failure in Webtoon.
The bruises behind Jimin's back had really made Jungkook felt so frustrated. He didn't know why but he can't help himself to calm down. He was full of rage that churned inside of him. He walked towards Jimin after the boy had finished putting clothes on and pulled Jimin's hand to make the latter turned around to face him.
"What now?" Jimin lazily whined, he just wanted to be alone but he can't with Jungkook being right here.
"Can you tell me if you're okay or not? That's all I want to know for now."
"Yeah, I'm okay."
"Okay," Jungkook nodded and grabbed Jimin's hand to walk with him towards the study desk. "Sit, the maid has made you a porridge. My brother told her to, saying that you're not feeling well." Said him and went to take the tray that he has left it on the small table near the door.
"How did he know it?"
"I don't know either." He gently put the tray in front of Jimin and was about to grab a spoon to stir the warm porridge but Jimin shoved his hand to the side, glaring at him.
"I can do it myself, aish."
"Just let me do it for you."
"Why would you? I can do it."
"You're not feeling well," Jungkook rested his backhand on Jimin's forehead which made Jimin flinched to the back. "See? You're having a fever. So," Jungkook grasped the spoon out from Jimin's hand. "Let me do it."
"Yah!" Jimin took the spoon back in his hand, "I said I can do it."
"And I said let me do it."
"No!"
"Aish! Or you want me to feed you? Give it to me!" hissed Jungkook in annoyed while Jimin just coughed in flustered and looked away, letting the spoon smoothly slipped out from his hand.
***
"Hye-Joo!" Taehyung ran towards the girl with an apologetic smile, "I'm sorry, my brother suddenly didn't let me go out."
The girl handed him his drink that she had bought it for him a while ago and looked at the boy with furrowed eyebrows. "Huh? Then how can you come here?"
"I ran away! With Hoseok hehe," he turned to the side to point his finger towards Hoseok who was busy eyeing a brand-new sunglass at the glasses store near them.
"Oh my god, your brother will kill you." She laughed and Taehyung followed her along even though on the inside, he knew he will be dead once he steps his leg in the house later.
"So? How's Jungkook? Is he okay now? What did he say?" he asked while taking a sip of the drink and smiled at its taste.
Hye-Joo invited Taehyung to sit down and she quickly put her drink to the side, seeming like she can't wait to spit everything out.
"Yah, remember the time when I text you last night?"
Taehyung nodded, "Yup."
"I told you I was making him something to sober him up."
"Yes."
"So, things happened not to like what I imagined it to happen."
"What do you mean?"
"He fell asleep. So, we didn't talk at all."
"What?!" Taehyung freaked out, "Hye-Joo~! I came here, putting my life aside because I really want to know what did he say. You should have told me that you guys didn't talk!"
"Yah! There's something else that I'm going to tell you."
"What is it? About what? Your love life with Jungkook? No. I don't want to know."
"This guy, shut up and listen to me first."
"Fine," Taehyung chuckled, "Okay. What is it then?"
"Don't freak out."
"Okay."
"Promise?"
"Come on. I am a man with his words."
"Okay, so Jimin had returned home last night and—"
"WHAT?! WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"
"Yash! I told you not to freak out!"
"JIMIN?!"
"Kim Taehyung! Shut up!"
"You serious?! He's back?!"
Hye-Joo sighed, she knew she can't do anything once Taehyung had come into this state. "Yeah."
"How is he? Is he okay?"
"Um, about that... I don't know. Because when Jungkook's brother and I went closer to him, we saw many bruises on his right arm, his face... Looks like he got beaten up by someone."
Taehyung's expression hardened, slowly get to feel a jolt of anger rolled through him. "What?" even his voice had changed to be deeper than usual.
Hye-Joo knew Taehyung was now mad since the boy's eyes seem to be in flares and looking sharp, drilling into her eyes that made her gulped a little.
"You can ask him later about it. I don't know about it at all. Things that I want to tell you is when the time we reached Jimin's room, Jungkook was there too and he slept with Jimin. But not on the same bed. I don't mind if he just you know, just sleep... but he held Jimin's hand."
"Oh, come on," Taehyung took off his cap and ruffled his hair stressfully. "He's not like that."
"I know right. It makes his brother felt extremely worried about him last night."
"Do the feelings had come back to him?"
"I don't know but it seems like that. I think he likes Jimin."
"Who?" Hoseok asked, interrupted them as soon as he took a seat beside Taehyung. "Who likes Jimin?"
"Jungkook." Replied Taehyung seriously.
"Huh? What's making you think of that? He's already with Hye-Joo." stated Hoseok and looked at Hye-Joo. "Why? Is there something I don't know about?"
She nodded, "Um, Jungkook is behaving like the old him. I don't know if you guys realized it or not how he behaved these past days when Jimin went missing."
"Of course, we noticed it. It's like a drastic change. When we entered the class, his eyes will go to Jimin's place first and then—"
"A stressed look appeared, looking like he'll step on someone's head on the right spot." continued Hoseok, and Taehyung nodded in agreement.
Hye-Joo also nodded, not like she didn't know about it. She realized everything. Jungkook had become like the old him, someone who behaves like a dumb person, does not associate with people, always distance himself from everyone and be alone, always daydreaming until he does not care about his surrounding at all. And it all happened after he had lost someone that he loved to death, someone who he will put all his life on without hesitation. He can't accept the fact that he had lost his late-boyfriend.
Why was everyone worried about Jungkook liking Jimin? Especially Taehyung?
The boy's name was Im Yaejoon. He was Jungkook's first love. Jungkook had never interested in someone before, always focus on his study as he was coming from strict and cold blood of the family. His father, mother, and even his brother were known as a genius, making him feel stress to catch up and put himself on the same level as them since his parents always reminded him, "You're Jeon. Don't make us disappointed with you."
But after he met Yaejoon, he felt like he can be himself more than trying to be Jeon like how his family wants him to be. Yaejoon was a senior and known as the famous and the hottest president of the swimming club. That was how Jungkook met with him. A famous swimmer.
They both started dating when Jungkook awkwardly approached the elder and confessed, and he became flabbergasted when Yaejoon accepted him. But no one knows about their relationship except Hoseok and Taehyung because Jungkook was afraid if his parents found out about it. And he was lucky enough that Seokjin accepted it openly and agreed to keep it silence from their parents.
Then what happened?
One day, Yaejoon went missing for almost two months straight that had made Jungkook became crazy about it. And until one night, when the elder came to his house with the worst appearance ever, he was shocked to see how thin and pale Yaejoon was and he didn't hesitate to hug and cried his heart out as he was scared to lose the elder.
But things had changed his life drastically when Yaejoon told him the reason why he came to see him.
"Jungkook, I'm sorry that I need to tell you this."
"Don't say it if you know it's going to hurt my feelings."
"But I need to. You need to know this."
"I don't want to know. I just want you to stay with me and don't leave again."
"I don't want to leave you either baby but,"
"But?"
"I'm sick. I don't have much time left."
"W-What? What do you mean? Sick? What s-sick... D-Don't lie..."
"I'm sorry that I didn't tell you this. I don't want you to be sad—"
"I said don't lie!"
"I'm not Jungkook. I have leukemia."
"Y-You're kidding... No..."
"I'm sorry."
"Since when?"
"I get to know about it after 6 months we've been together."
"Then why didn't you tell me?!"
"Because I thought it could be cured with treatments and I don't want you to feel down about it and I'm worried it can affect your study. I don't want you to get scold by your parents."
"But still! How-How can you keep this from me and come to me when you don't have many times left?! You should've told me... I-I can be with you... or help you."
"Don't cry. Baby, I'm sorry."
"Don't leave me please..."
And three weeks after, the school went such a disaster when the rumors about the death of the famous senior that they've been crazy about started to spread everywhere. To make it short, Jungkook went into depression and suicidal.
Hoseok, Taehyung, and Seokjin were having a hard time trying to help Jungkook to move on, saving the boy from so many suicidal attempts and Jungkook were totally wrecked even after 5 months had passed.
Until Hye-Joo entered the school as an exchange student from overseas and happened to meet with Jungkook when the boy was crying at the school field in the late evening. Since that time, they became close because Hye-Joo was really good at comforting Jungkook and always be there through upside down the boy making Jungkook depend on her a lot.
And it was Jungkook decision to get engaged to Hye-Joo as he started to have a thought that he can't live without her. The small feeling towards her started to grow up and he was happy that she didn't refuse it.
So that's it.
Right now, the only person who's truly worried about Jungkook was Taehyung. He knew the same thing might have happened again if Jungkook has a feeling towards Jimin. Because he was the only one who knows about Jimin. If Jimin refused to go through the therapy again like before, things will get into serious after this and it will be such a disaster for them once again. He really hopes that it wasn't true.
Hopefully not.