After an hour at the library, Jungkook could sense that Soo Jung wasn’t fully with him. He looked up from his notebook to see her looking out of the window, her expression dark. Concern swept through him as he took in her features. He put his pen down, gently calling her name. He frowned when she didn’t react to him. He leant forward so that he was a little closer to her. “Soo Jung?” her head snapped around to face him. She noticed the look of concern on his face and realized that she had been spacing out. “Sorry, Jungkook.” She said, embarrassed for being off in her own world. She also felt guilty for making him worry about her.

“Everything alright?” he asked worriedly as she fumbled with her notebook. “Yeah. Everything’s fine.” She said as she grabbed her textbook, flipping through it and stopping on a random page. “Sorry.” She said again, her eyes flicking up to meet his. He let out a small sigh before closing his notebook. “I think we should just call it a day.” A wave of sadness shot through her at his words. She hadn’t meant to space out, but her nightmares always threw her off. She really didn’t want to leave Jungkook just yet. Although her expression may not have shown it, she found some comfort in his presence.

“I’m really sorry for being so useless today.” She mumbled as she slowly started packing up her things. Jungkook surprised her by smiling. “Don’t worry about it. We all have off days. How about we go somewhere and have some fun instead? I’m sure putting off our project for one day won't hurt.” A smile automatically made its way onto her face at his suggestion. “That sounds good.” He grinned at her, “I know the perfect place.”

Jungkook laughed as a bunch of puppies surrounded her, all of them desperate for her attention. She laughed loudly, her nightmare completely forgotten as she crouched down on the floor of the dog café that Jungkook had taken her to. One of the smaller puppies clambered onto her lap and her hands. She giggled and scooped it up, turning to face Jungkook. “Look at him! He's so cute!” she gushed, her voice filled with childlike innocence. Jungkook smiled and snapped a photograph of her with the puppy on his phone. She laughed as she crouched back down to pay attention to the other dogs surrounding her.

He couldn’t take his eyes off of her as she played with the dogs. She seemed so carefree and innocent, he was thankful that his idea had worked. He had been worried about her when they had met that morning, she had seemed distracted, like something was worrying her. He was too nervous to pry, but when he had seen her spacing out at the library, he had become determined to try and cheer her up. It had only taken minutes for her to start smiling once they entered the café. He was glad that she wasn’t afraid of dogs.

He lost track of time as he watched her smiling as she played with the dogs. He had always felt like she was holding herself back, like she was too afraid to show who she really was. The more time he spent with her, the more he wanted to learn about her, and the more he wanted to help her break out of her shell. She eventually came back to their table, a huge smile on her face. “Thanks for bringing me here.” She said making him blush at her words. “No problem.” He said as he focused on his drink, suddenly feeling shy.

“I didn’t know places like this existed.” She said as she looked around the café. “Really? They're quite popular these days.” Jungkook said. She silently cursed, worried that he now thought that she was strange for not knowing that dog cafes were a thing. “I suppose not everyone knows about them though. Jin hyung had never heard of them until I brought him here a few months ago.” Relief swept through her. “You should get a discount for bringing so many new customers.” She joked making them both laugh.

They stayed at the café for a while longer before deciding to go and get something to eat. Jungkook couldn’t help but notice that Soo Jung was now walking with a slight spring in her step that he had never seen before. It brought a smile to his face as they chatted freely as they walked down the street together. “It’s just across this road then to the left.” Jungkook said as they approached a big crossroads. Just as they got to the crossing, the lights began to change. Soo Jung had already taken a couple of steps onto the road when she heard Jungkook shout her name. She spun around, time slowing down as she saw his horrified expression as a car collided with her side.

She grunted in pain as she was forced to the ground. She heard a loud commotion around her then she felt hands on her body. “Soo Jung! Soo Jung! Can you hear me?” Jungkook yelled frantically. She opened her eyes and winced. It had been a long time since she had been hurt. She cursed quietly under her breath as she tried to sit up, but Jungkook pushed her back down. “Don’t get up! You might be injured!” he said, his voice laced with worry and panic.

A guy appeared beside them, crouching down beside Jungkook. “I saw everything, that guy was driving way too quickly! I can’t believe he just drove off! What a jerk! I’ve called an ambulance; they should be here soon.” He said. Jungkook thanked the guy before realising that he recognised him. “You’re Namjoon, right? You’re in one of my classes.” He said, his voice shaky. Namjoon nodded, “Yeah, don’t worry. Everything’s going to be ok.” He said as Jungkook focused his attention back to Soo Jung who was beginning to panic. Ambulances led to hospitals. And hospitals were too similar to the Institution. She quickly sat up before Jungkook could protest again. “I’m fine. I don’t need an ambulance.” She said firmly. Jungkook looked horrified at her words. “You just got hit by a car! Of course you need an ambulance! You need to go to the hospital right away!” he said before turning back to Namjoon. “Did they say how long it would take them to get here.”

“They said no longer than fifteen minutes.” Jungkook thanked him again before turning back to Soo Jung who had started to sweat, the thought of going to a hospital making her feel physically ill. “Oh my god, you're so pale.” Jungkook said, his worry increasing tenfold as he noticed her expression. “Where is that damn ambulance?” he cursed as he looked up and down the road, ears straining to hear the sirens.

Suddenly, the sound of the shrill sirens pierced the air. “Oh, thank god.” Jungkook said. “Don’t worry, Soo Jung, everything is going to be ok.” He said as he grabbed her hand. She was shocked by the sudden skin ship, if she hadn’t been so worked up about going to the hospital she would probably have been a blushing mess. Two paramedics rushed up to her, gently moving Jungkook and Namjoon to the side to check over her injuries. She protested that she was fine and that she didn’t need to go to the hospital, but her words fell on deaf ears. She sighed loudly as they laid her out on a stretcher, feeling self-conscious as they loaded her into the back of the ambulance.

She fidgeted under the straps of the stretcher, hating how they restricted her movements. It reminded her of the countless times she had been strapped down to the cold, metal table at the Institute as they experimented on her. She closed her eyes, taking a few deep breaths to calm herself. She felt Jungkook slip his hand into hers again. “You're going to be ok, Soo Jung.” He said, his grip tightening around her fingers, mistaking her panic for her being in pain. She squeezed back, hoping to reassure herself and him that she was alright.

It’s a hospital. No one is taking you back to the Institute. It doesn’t even exist anymore. You're safe. She repeated those words over and over to herself as they sped towards the hospital. She looked up at Jungkook and was surprised to see tears in his eyes. “Jungkook, why are you crying?” she asked curiously. Jungkook quickly swiped at his eyes. “I’m not crying.” He protested, even though his eyes were still glistening.

She hadn’t cried in years. She found the action strange. She knew it was a normal human instinct, but she had learned at a very young age not to cry.

She was six years old.

She had heard the whispers spread throughout the Institute. Elena was dead. The girl who had held her close even when she knew that it could get her into trouble. The girl who had taught her how to survive… was dead. Killed on her mission. No one had any details, it’s not like deaths were mourned at the Institute. She had failed her mission. That was all her superiors were concerned about.

She had cried that night. She tried her hardest to be quiet, but she had been found out quickly enough. Two of the night guards had dragged her tiny, crying frame down the hallway, dragging her by the hair as they yelled at her to be quiet. When they reached the third floor, her screaming only intensified. There were no words to describe the hell on earth that was the third floor.

They let her out the next morning. Dumping her limp body into a cell and leaving her there. After that night, she had never shed a single tear.

The ambulance pulled to a stop outside of the hospital. Jungkook was forced to let go of her hand as the paramedics wheeled her into the hospital. He stayed with her until they took her through the doors of the emergency room and a nurse told him to wait. He wanted to protest, to be by her side, but he knew that there was nothing he could do for her. He paced back and forth impatiently as he waited. He asked every nurse who came out of the emergency room how she was doing, but they all just told him not to worry, never giving him a clear answer about the extent of her injuries.

He paced up and down the short corridor for what felt like hours before another person appeared in the hallway. A pale, dark haired man appeared, his face laced with concern. He strode up to the receptionist and asked about Soo Jung. Jungkook's ears pricked up at the sounds of her name. He must be her dad. He thought as he looked at the intimidating older man. His frame was slight, but he had the air of someone who was not to be messed with.

“Jungkook?” he turned around at the sound of Soo Jung’s voice. “Soo Jung!” he said, relief flooding through him at being able to see her again. He rushed up to her side, forgetting all about her dad. “Are you ok?” he asked worriedly. She nodded before noticing Yoongi. “Dad!” she said, surprised to see him there. “Soo Jung. Are you alright?” he asked as he approached the pair. She nodded, “Yeah, I’m fine. They patched me up.” she said indicating the bandage that had been wrapped around her wrist and arm. “How badly did you get hurt?” Yoongi asked. “Sprained wrist and ankle with some bruising from where the car clipped me and from hitting the concrete. Couple of scrapes and that’s it. Nothing major.”

Yoongi nodded, happy that she hadn’t been seriously injured. It was only then that he noticed Jungkook's presence. “And who is this?” he asked, his eyebrow quirking upwards. “Dad, this is Jungkook.” She said, knowing that he already knew fine well who Jungkook was. He couldn’t fight his old habits and had looked up Jungkook and the rest of her friends the first time she had mentioned their names. Yoongi looked the tall boy up and down, making him feel a little self-conscious. “It’s nice to meet you, sir.” He said as he dropped into a deep bow.

Yoongi chuckled, “So you're the one that Soo Jung keeps on talking about.” He said playfully. Soo Jung gave him a horrified look. “DAD!” she said, hating the smirk that passed over Yoongi's face. He might not be her real father, but he could be just as embarrassing as one. Jungkook couldn’t fight the smile that crept onto his face. “You talk about me?” he asked with a grin, looking at Soo Jung who was blushing fiercely. “No!” she protested making the two men chuckle.

She threw a glare in Yoongi's direction and he chuckled again before deciding to take pity on her. “Ok, I won't say anymore… for today. Let’s get you home, you can go back to the dorms tomorrow.” Soo Jung turned to Jungkook. “I’m so sorry things turned out this way.” she said, feeling guilty for the way the day had turned out. Jungkook shook his head. “Don’t apologise. As long as you're ok, then everything is fine.” He said, his smile making her heart skip a beat. “Do you need a lift back to the dorm?” Yoongi asked. Jungkook shook his head, “I’m alright. The bus goes right by here.” He said. Yoongi nodded before gently holding onto Soo Jung’s arm to help her walk. “I’ll text you later, ok?” she said before hobbling her way down the corridor.

“Well, he seems like a nice boy.” Yoongi commented with a grin when they were out of earshot. She resisted the urge to punch him. “Shut up.”