Save Me (Kim Taehyung College AU) ✔️

Chapter 16: Let Go

The drive to the hospital feels like an eternity. Both Jin and Minji move quickly through the halls once the nurse provides them with an update on Namjoon's condition as well as his room number.

Minji is relieved when she sees that he's conscious, a dimpled smile on his lips as she enters the room with Jin, Taehyung quietly trudging behind them. "You're okay," she breathes out as she rushes towards her brother. He lets out a light groan when she hugs him, causing her to quickly pull away as a small pout rests on her lips, immediately apologizing for hurting him.

Namjoon brushes it off, reassuring her that he's fine before glancing up at Jin. "I'm fine," he softly reiterates, hoping that his words will offer his older brother some comfort. He can tell that Jin's been crying, his puffy eyes and weary features a clear indication that he was distressed by this situation, and Namjoon couldn't help but feel guilty for being the cause of it.

"What happened?" Jin asks, clearing his throat as his gaze remains on Namjoon. Slow steps carry him closer to the bed, stopping right next to Minji as he continues to observe the injuries visible on his little brother's face.

There's a small gash on the side of his head, the fresh stitching an indication that the wound was deep enough for it to require medical attention. There is also a small cut on his lip as well as a minor bruise on the apple of his cheek. The small smile on Namjoon's face is quite an odd contrast to the rough wounds on his soft features.

Even though he still feels the slight pain throbbing in his head, he's putting up a brave front for both Minji and Jin. He honestly was going to be fine... besides his condition was the least of his worries. Right now, the only thing on Namjoon's mind was how to protect his family.

He was sure that whoever attacked him was going to go after Minji next since it wouldn't have been the first time that she was targeted. The police visited him earlier to take his statement. They assigned a patrol car in front of their house and offered to have an officer at the hospital, but even that wasn't enough to reassure Namjoon that they would be safe.

He clears his throat as his head falls back onto the soft pillows, eyes avoiding Jin's. "I honestly don't know, it just happened so fast," Namjoon admits, his voice barely audible. "I was walking to my car when someone came out of nowhere and just attacked. I blacked out after."

Taehyung's shoulder rests against the door frame, eyebrows furrowed as he mulls over the story. He knows that this was a planned attack, the details reminding him of his own accident. He was sure that the person who hurt him was the same person who stole Minji's drive, and the same one who attacked Namjoon.

Taehyung tightly shuts his eyes as he tries to recall the night of his own accident, but parts of it are still a blur.

He remembers getting on his bike, he remembers feeling so tired after classes and just wanting to get home... he remembers the sound of a car following closely behind, too close, and the way that his heart was pounding as he accelerated hoping to escape. He didn't bother looking back, terrified that if he did, he would lose focus and it would be over... not that it mattered anyway. The car accelerated along with him before he felt his bike jerk forward once, twice... The third hit caused him to veer off the road and straight into a ditch.

He wishes that he could've taken a good look at that car, or that he had at least stayed conscious enough to be able to make out the blurry figure that stood at the top of the ditch, staring at him as he lay there bleeding and in pain, leaving him there to die. He couldn't help but wonder how anyone had even managed to find him in the first place.

Taehyung is pulled out of his thoughts when he feels his whole body prickling, an unusually painful sensation coursing through him that still lingers after the doctor walks right through him, almost like the bad aftertaste that remains on your tongue long after ingesting something bitter. He feels his heart rate slowing down, his lungs constricting as he tries to catch his breath. No matter how tightly he clutches his chest, it still doesn't alleviate the ache he feels.