Mingyu watched Jungkook from a
distance, giving him the space he needed to acclimate to his new room and life. Despite the overwhelming urge to reach out and address the myriad of topics swirling in his mind, he decided that distance was key for now. The silence that enveloped the house felt both heavy and thick, pressing down on him as he paced the corridors, losing track of time.
After two hours of meandering through the house, that self-imposed distance proved to be too much for Mingyu.
He hesitated at the half-open door, peering into the room where Jungkook sat on the edge of his bed, gazing off into the void. The young man seemed lost in thought, wrapped in a cocoon of uncertainty. Mingyu felt a rush of concern wash over him, wondering if he should step inside or retreat.
With a resigned sigh, Jungkook broke the silence by lifting his arms in a gesture of mock surrender. "See? No knife," he stated dryly, rolling his eyes as he caught sight of Mingyu's troubled smile creeping through the narrow gap of the door.
"But in your place, I would eliminate anything sharp in the house."
Mingyu chuckled lightly, trying to lighten the mood.
Jungkook's eyebrow shot up in an arch of disbelief. "Or I guess you already took care of that, didn't you?"
With a playful flourish, Mingyu moved into the room confidently, dismissing the earlier tension. "Now..." He grabbed a chair and set it down across from Jungkook, plopping himself down with an exuberant grin that belied the seriousness of the situation.
"You are creepier than I am," Jungkook remarked, crossing his arms defensively.
Mingyu couldn't help but pout, playing up the drama. "I'm still waiting for an apology, you know?"
Jungkook shot him a pointed look. "You're not gonna get any. From my perspective, you still owe me. And don't you dare start acting like a victim now."
"Did you want to kill me?" Mingyu asked, feigning innocence.
"... No." Jungkook hesitated, his gaze momentarily drifting towards the bookcase tucked away in the corner by the window. He stood abruptly and walked over, feeling a pull towards the familiar spines of the stories he once cherished.
Mingyu raised an eyebrow, intrigued as he watched the boy at the bookshelf, absentmindedly running his fingers along the spines of the books. The room was filled with an unspoken tension, and the silence felt almost overwhelming.
"I'm sorry..." Mingyu whispered, his voice soft. "I wanted to be there for you, even if it might have been too late." His words carried heavy meaning, and Mingyu felt a pang of sorrow for the struggles the boy was facing.
Jungkook looked away, taking a deep breath before changing the subject. "I have to do something... I need to make some money." His voice was firm, but there was a vulnerability beneath the surface that Mingyu noticed.
"What for?" Mingyu asked, his brow furrowed in confusion as he tried to understand what Jungkook was planning.
Jungkook paused, looking down as he gathered his thoughts. "When I left... I took some money that wasn't mine. I wouldn't have made it here without it. Now, I need to return it." There was an obvious guilt in his voice, revealing the internal conflict he was feeling. "She works so hard, and I can't just forget about that..."
"There's no need for that," Mingyu cut in, standing up with a surge of emotion. He felt a strong urge to protect the girl they both cared about.
Jungkook looked confused. "What do you mean?"
"Didn't you ever think about why the money was right next to your things?" Mingyu's voice was steady but intense. He looked Jungkook in the eyes. "That money was meant for you. Y/N knew, deep down, that you would leave eventually. She wouldn't want you to feel like you had to pay her back; everything she did came from the heart. If you even think about giving her that money, it would hurt her feelings and make her sad."
Jungkook stepped back, feeling the impact of Mingyu's words hit him like a wave. A heavy realization settled in his chest, making him uneasy. "She knew that... I intended to leave her?" His voice shook slightly as he bit his lip, struggling with a mix of emotions.
Mingyu continued, his gaze steady as he sensed the conflict raging within Jungkook. "How long have you been awake?"
Jungkook was taken aback by the question, pausing to search his feelings for an answer. "I think... about two years? I felt her presence, even when I was unable to respond. I could hear her voice, bringing me back to reality." He stopped, his eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "But the last three weeks i was fully awake."
Mingyu's interest piqued. "How did you know it had been that long? What kept you from losing track of time?"
Jungkook furrowed his brow in thought. "It was her. She would talk to me, keeping me connected to everything happening around me. It felt like she understood I could hear her-like she was waiting for me to wake up. She loved to tell stories and share memories, and...
A sudden silence fell over them. Mingyu raised an eyebrow. "You don't like her, do you, Jungkook? Is that why you ran away?"
Jungkook's face darkened, irritation flashing in his eyes. "We're not talking about this. I don't want to discuss her."
"Why not? Is it because you already miss her?" Mingyu teased, trying to lighten the mood. "It's only been a day since you saw her. You're telling me her name doesn't affect you?"
Jungkook glared at him, annoyed. "Stop digging into my feelings."
"I can't help it," Mingyu chuckled. "After all, she was talking to you for nearly two years. You must be used to her voice by now."
"Enough!" Jungkook snapped, frustration bubbling beneath the surface.
Mingyu watched him closely, sensing the storm of emotions hiding behind Jungkook's calm exterior. "But seriously, why did you act like you were still asleep for three weeks? Why didn't you show her you had woken up?"
A heavy silence lingered as Jungkook closed his eyes, his breath hitching. "I couldn't," he whispered, his voice trembling. "I... I couldn't bear to see the disappointment in her eyes." The pain in his words was clear, as if just thinking about it was suffocating him.
Stop making decisions for her. Don't you think you deserve comfort in a place that feels like home? It's time to stop running away from everything and chase after something you're not even sure is real. Let go of the tendency to overthink everything and let yourself imagine a brighter future. Some people genuinely care about you-have you ever thought about that? No one has to take care of you; she chose to do it because she wanted to. Similarly, I'm not required to let you into my home; I do it because I choose to. Your condition won't drive a wedge between us. She will always see the real you and will never be disappointed in who you are."
"I'm on the run from the police, and I have no choice but to hide my identity to avoid being recognized. Can you imagine how I felt seeing my face all over the news? Being forced to hide it's overwhelming. They want to capture me, treating me like just another criminal, someone dangerous who needs to be locked away. Anyone who tries to help me risks going to jail themselves."
Mingyu couldn't help but smile while Jungkook frowned, their different emotions creating a tense moment.
"So, you care about Y/N and little me, huh?" Mingyu teased playfully.
"I don't care about what happens to little you; that's exactly why I'm here," Jungkook said, challenging Mingyu's earlier comment.
Jungkook raised an eyebrow in surprise at Mingyu's straightforwardness while Mingyu instinctively wrapped his arms around himself, feeling a chill in the air.
"How are you feeling?" Mingyu asked cautiously, unsure of how deep to go into the topic. "I mean, how..."
"We're not here to discuss how I'm doing," Jungkook cut in sharply, becoming more restless as the weight of the conversation loomed. Mingyu could feel his discomfort but chose to change the subject.
"Alright, let's drop that for now. But I need clarification on something-Y/N told me that both sides of you seemed to disappear at the same time when you woke up."
Jungkook sat in silence, his thoughts a turbulent storm raging beneath the surface. He couldn't bring himself to talk about his illness; the mere mention of it felt like a weight bearing down on his chest. For just a fleeting moment, he yearned to escape the confines of reality, to forget that he was different from others. He wished desperately to stop feeling like an outsider, a freak in a world that seemed so vibrant and carefree.
As he closed his eyes, he tried to focus on his breath, on the rhythm of inhaling and exhaling. Yet, even that simple act was tainted by the all-consuming fear that often invaded his mind, wrapping around him like a dark, suffocating fog. He felt the familiar grip of anxiety tightening, threatening to pull him back into the depths of despair. In that moment, he longed for normalcy-just a few moments of peace, where the darkness wouldn't claw at the corners of his consciousness, and where he could breathe freely without the shadow of his condition looming overhead.
"Nothing changed, isn't that right? No self-love, no self-acceptance. From what I can see, there is no trace of it. That's why you left. " Mingyu tilted his head and frowned, noticing Jungkook's lost expression. "You do know that everything that had happened wasn't your fault, right? "
"I don't need words of encouragement and pity coming from you. Please don't waste your time with this unnecessary thing, because it would be for nothing. Those therapies... save them for someone else. For me, it will not work. "
"Let me hypnotize you. "
Jungkook's eyes widened at Mingyu's sudden suggestion.
"I tried to do that with one of them. But he had no clue what had happened on the night your parents were killed. I tried to catch the other one, but he always hid. Later, Y/N told me that he couldn't remember anything either. So, you are my only hope. You were drugged, yes, but under hypnosis, maybe... "
"No..." Jungkook's voice cut through the tense atmosphere as he shouted at Mingyu, his frustration clear. He gripped the hem of his shirt tightly, crumpling the fabric in his hands as if he were trying to hold back a storm of emotions swirling inside him.
Before Mingyu could respond, Jungkook abruptly turned and rushed into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. He sank down onto the cold floor, pulling his knees to his chest and resting his forehead against them. The rapid pounding of his heart echoed in his ears, a frantic rhythm that mirrored the chaos in his mind.
His feelings were all mixed up-anger towards the situation at hand, a deep sense of shame weighing heavily on him, and an overpowering fear settling in his stomach. Above it all was a feeling of self-hatred that was hard to shake off, pushing him to want to hide away from everyone.
"I don't want to know. Please... Just leave me alone," he thought desperately, longing for some peace and quiet.
Outside the door, Mingyu's voice cut through the thick silence, sounding soft and worried. "Jungkook? Please open the door. I promise I won't do anything you don't want. I'm just really concerned... Please." Although his tone was sincere, Jungkook could hardly focus on it, his mind too clouded with distress to really hear Mingyu's concern.
Flashback
"Baby boy, are you in there? Open the door, honey, or I swear I will give it to you twice as hard. "
End of flashback
"I thought this would help you," Mingyu said softly, his voice laced with concern. "Bringing you back into your past, I believed it might lead to some kind of progress. Only by confronting your fears can you truly move on. Think about it: if you can't accept what has happened to you, you'll forever remain trapped in this stage of your life. You need to embrace that painful part of your past, or else you'll be stuck in this cycle, unable to move on and live your life.
"You will never grow, Jungkook. Is this really alright for you? "
"Don't you want to fight a little? If not for you... Then, for her. "
"Why do you think I would do anything for her? Stop bringing her up all the time. " Jungkook yelled, frustrated.
"Because she is your weakness. "
"It's not true. She is nothing. She is just pissing me off all the time with her stupid existence. "
Mingyu let out an exasperated groan, frustration evident in his voice. "Cut it out. Stop pretending in front of me, and stop lying to yourself. Deep down, you know you care about that girl more than you like to admit. This is the first time you've felt something so intense, so raw, and it's turning your world upside down. You're frustrated, and I can see you're wrestling with self-loathing because you don't believe you're worthy of her affection.
For the first time in your life, you've actually fallen in love, and it terrifies you. You're facing this overwhelming feeling that you can't quite grasp, and instead of embracing it, you're hiding behind a mask of indifference. It frightens you so much that you even went so far as to beg her to sedate you, to numb those feelings that are threatening to consume you. You little coward.
She shared with me how you reacted after seeing that other guy, someone you perceived as a threat, and it was crystal clear why you acted the way you did. You know it too; the way you responded was all rooted in jealousy. You can't deny it anymore. It's time to face the truth."
Jungkook groaned in frustration before getting up.
"You know nothing about me. " Jungkook opened the door and glared at Mingyu. "It's so easy for you to talk and pretend that you know what the fuck I feel or think. But the truth is that you are just one ignorant little being who had a dull, pathetic life, just like the majority of this stupid planet. I hate all of you. Foolish people who think they know the correct answer for everything.
Leave me the fuck alone. If you won't, I will leave your house and never return. "
Mingyu sighed. It's no use. He doesn't let me in. Then his eyes suddenly light up.
"How's your relationship with people? "
Jungkook raised an eyebrow, not understanding what this weird guy in front of him was referring to.
" Not too good, right? At least, it seems that way to me. "
"What the fuck are you saying? "
"I am trying to say that I forgot to tell you something important. "
Jungkook tilted his head at that.
"Tomorrow, my cousin will live with us for two weeks. Please take good care of her. She is the same age as you. "
Mingyu grinned.
Jungkook blinked two times as the new information sunk into his brain.
Then he smirks.
"I will so kill her. "
Hey, the first chapters have to be boring. XD
If you find it interesting, please give it a vote. A comment? Anything. I will so appreciate it ❤