“I’ll come back later, okay?”

Chaeyoung nodded softly, but her eyes didn’t leave the figure lying on the bed when Jennie spoke to her. Her eyes only shifted from the face of the unconscious lady down to her feet covered in a blanket.

Chaeyoung felt a firm squeeze on her shoulder, and she knew it was from Namjoon. He said something to Taehyung who was sitting beside her and just like her, Taehyung gave no words as a response. The sound of the pair’s footsteps walking away from them, out of the private room were suddenly loud in her ears and only ended by the sound of the door sliding close.

All Chaeyoung could hear then was the sound of the slow beating of Taehyung’s mother’s heart coming from the heart monitor. Beep… Beep… Beep…

It was too loud that it pained not only her ears but also her heart and mind and every bit of her body from the inside. She inhaled as much air as she could, her sniffing sound to follow suit and a few tears rolled off her cheeks. Her hands immediately rose to wipe at her eyes.

“You should go get some food,” Taehyung said after a long time. Chaeyoung turned her head towards him, gazed at his side profile for a few seconds before she looked down at her lap.

“I’m fine,” she managed, voice was too soft but a little louder than a whisper.

“I don’t wish to see you fall sick as well, Chaeng.”

“I’m not going to fall sick, Tae. I’ll be fine.”

There was a deep sigh next as he slowly held his mother’s hand delicately. Chaeyoung watched his thumb rubbing softly against the almost colorless skin of the woman and she suddenly craved the warmness that had always radiated off of his mother. Seeing the woman in this situation literally broke Chaeyoung’s heart to pieces, her eyes hadn’t stopped releasing tears and her shattered heart hadn’t stopped praying for miracle to take place.

“Just go, Chaeyoung,” Taehyung said, his voice weary. “Don’t argue with me, please. Not here, not now.”

She threw a brief glare at him though he wasn’t looking at her direction. “What about you? You hadn’t even drink.”

“Don’t mind me,” he said simply and fell quiet next as he placed his head onto the bed, facing his mother while his hand continued on caressing the woman’s hand. Chaeyoung really wanted to argue more, because Taehyung was putting his own health aside just to be there for his mother yet insisted to tell her to not let her stomach be empty. But then, Chaeyoung took that as a cue for her to leave him alone with his mother for some time. She hesitated as she stood up, glancing at the poor lady on the bed a few seconds before she went out of the room.

Instead of going to the cafeteria, Chaeyoung sat on one of the seats at the waiting area where it was totally empty. She leaned her head back against the wall behind her and closed her eyes. After a few moments, she dropped her head and stayed in that position for the next minutes. Her eyes were shut tightly for a long time, she cried silently with her fingers the strap of her bag.

She wished she knew what to do, she wished she knew how to make things right, she wished she knew how to cure the lovely lady. Mrs. Kim did not deserve to be tested this way.

Chaeyoung cried for a long time. It was to the point that breathing became something difficult to do when she needed air because she was holding it, not trying to let any sound out even when she was alone in the waiting area.

The hallway was empty except when the nurses and doctors walked by. Every footstep that she heard was reflecting how quick the people were walking.

When people walk so fast like those nurses and doctors, it means only one thing; they are chasing the time. And when people chase for time, it means that at that moment, time decides to show them how fast it can go. It does not wait.

In her mind, Chaeyoung cussed, realizing how time could be cruel if it decided to go by quickly in this situation.

For a few minutes she was there, she suddenly regretted her decision to sit there when all the people that walked past her were walking so fast, the suffocation that she felt inside of her was overwhelming until she heard slow footsteps approaching her.

Chaeyoung felt someone taking a seat right beside her. She didn’t realize that her hands were shaking until she felt someone else’s hands taking hold of hers. And though she knew she was crying, she didn’t realize that her face would be so wet until that particular someone wiped her face with a warm hand.

She knew who it was but then when she opened her eyes slowly, blinking a few times to rid the tears that were blurring her eyes to see, as soon as she saw that face of that person, she was powerless to stop her eyes from pouring more tears, her body became weaker than she had been and her voice cracked when she did speak.

“Jungkook…” she muttered his name and fell into his open arms, her face was buried into his chest, her hands clutched on his shirt. “Jungkook…” she repeated, crying into his chest even more when she felt him her head gently.

“I’m here,” he said softly, rubbing her back with so much tenderness. “I’m here, Chaeyoung.”

“I don’t want her to leave, Jungkook,” she softly said, her voice was muffled but somehow, Jungkook could catch everything she had just said.

“She won’t leave you,” he said, trying to assure her. “She won’t leave anyone.”

“I know that she’s not my mother, but I love her just as much as I love my own mother.”

“I know.” He caressed her head and she felt him placing his chin on top of her head. “I know you do.”

“I don’t want to lose her.” She lifted her head from his chest and stared into his worried eyes. “I don’t want her to leave Taehyung. I don’t want that to happen.”

Jungkook cupped her face then, used his thumbs to continuously wipe her teary eyes. “You won’t, okay? You will never lose her. She will not leave Taehyung. Trust me, she will never leave him, you, or anyone.”

Knowing that what he was saying was truly impossible given the situation that they were facing at that time, she looked away and asked, “How can you be so sure?”

He was quiet for a while until she turned to look at him for an answer. “You never actually lose someone precious to you. Once they’re in your life, they will always be.”

*

Jungkook held Chaeyoung for a long time as she cried until she grew tired and finally fell asleep on his lap. But it was only for a few minutes before Jennie and Namjoon appeared and although the two didn’t make any sound when they approached them in the waiting area, Chaeyoung jolted awake and panic suddenly attacked her as she turned to her left and right, asking what happened to Taehyung’s mother.

“She’s still fine, Chaeyoung. Calm down,” Jennie said as she held Chaeyoung’s arms firmly. “We were just from there and –”

“Has she woken up?” she asked quick, cutting Jennie off.

“No,” Namjoon answered for Jennie.

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