august || Taejin ✔✔

7. Hallucination?

"Are you okay?" Namjoon asked, noticing Jin was unusually quiet. "Tired?"

Jin gave out a lazy smile before sipping on his Americano. "Well, yeah. The chairman's grandson had his checkup today. It went well. The child was nice. I'm just tired."

Namjoon's dimples appeared. Leaning back so he could get a better view of his boyfriend, "Maybe you're still adjusting. I'm happy that you got that clinic. That's what you wanted, right?"

Jin sighed. Indeed, it was. "I sometimes regret dreaming and when you got it, you'll realize you want the other one more. You know, I told myself that being in an ER is very stressful. It is draining everything in me. Physical, emotional, mental. I said I want to have my clinic and focus on checkups, stuffs like that. But now, I miss being in the ER. But since I have this clinic now, I guess I have to enjoy it. I mean, this is my job. I can still go to the ER anyway. I just miss being there throughout the week."

Namjoon chuckled admiring Jin's cute expressions while explaining. "Jin, just be thankful for all the opportunities coming your way. At least, you have. While me, my fucking boss wanted to eliminate me. So I guess I'll be jobless again soon."

Jin stopped sipping on his cup and stared at his boyfriend. Surely, Namjoon never had a stable job. Just like Jimin, Namjoon didn't like school. They were classmates in high school. They met again when Namjoon brought his nephew to the ER and he was still a medical student. They caught up and eventually, date. And it all started there.

"It's fine. I know you can find another. I know it's hard but you can. You're smart, hardworking, employers will surely like you."

Namjoon shook his head, regrets filled his eyes, and smile, "I wish I listened to my mom and study college. Maybe I'm not like this."

"That's not true. Look, just forget about your boss and let's try to submit your resumes tonight. How about that?"

Namjoon's face suddenly lighted up, "Can I stay with you tonight? I miss you."

Jin nodded. But at the back of his head, he knew couldn't bear to sleep with Namjoon anytime soon.

***

The Next Day

"Successful?" Jimin asked with a smile while inline inside the hospital's cafeteria. Jin just answered with a confused expression in which Jimin rolled his eyes in return. "Did you sleep with Joon last night? I mean, he stayed again after a few weeks of being out and about."

Jin sighed, he knew how much Jimin wanted him to move on from Taehyung and to tell the truth to Namjoon. "I can't, I'm sorry. I still see him whenever Joon tries. I just can't. And you know being out of town is part of his job."

"Whatever. You cannot recover from that unless you will confess it to Joon. Anyway, that's your life. All I can offer is advice. It's still up to you if you will take it or not. Have you taken the pregnancy test?"

Jin nudged Jimin on the arm as some heard him and looked at them. "None of your damn business." Jimin snarled causing the people in line to look away.

After ordering and was about to pay, Jin put out his wallet but froze once more. His cash card wasn't in his wallet. Jimin took out his own and tapped it on the machine before settling down on the table on the far corner of the cafeteria.

"See? Your forgetfulness is surely because of your guilt! It's stressing you out."

Jin put his chin on his palm as he took a deep breath. He felt drained and stressed. But for him, he's not forgetful. Perhaps, just clumsy.

"So? How's your PT?"

"Negative."

Jimin chuckled. "Maybe he used condoms. Stop worrying about it. I guess you won't get pregnant."

"I don't know. I'm still uncomfortable about it. I will check again later to make sure."

Jimin held Jin's hand. Rubbing it with his hand to ease Jin's worries, "If my hunch is right and Taehyung discovered you used to work for his grandfather and he learned that the chairman fired you, and he's the..."

"Stop that nonsense."

"...the reason why the chairman is suddenly nice to you. I can feel it in my bones. I'm sure he will pay a visit soon."

Jin's mouth fell open. He couldn't grasp how Jimin could say all of that or where Jimin's ideas were coming from. "Visit me? For what? Look, everything is just a coincidence. What would he say to the chairman? Oh, grandpa, my driver took home the wrong person for me to have sex with. To compensate, please rehire him again. Do you think he would do that? Do you think the chairman knows the shits he's doing behind the camera? He will stay quiet for sure because he knew that what he did to me was completely wrong!"

Jimin tried to control his laughter. Though he knew Jin was right, he couldn't help not to tease him. "Relax, alright? If you're that angry, why don't you file a complaint? Oh, of course. You won't do that because you're not even sure if you're just hallucinating!"

"I'm not hallucinating! Jungkook even apologized on behalf of his brother."

"Brother. Did he even mentioned the name of his brother?!"

Jimin's question suddenly made Jin speechless. Realizing everything, Jungkook surely did not mention the name of his brother.

"See? He did not. We're not even sure if Taehyung is his brother. Change topic. From now on, stop buying a damn cash card. You're just wasting your money because you always lose it. I still don't know why but I am sure what happened is still stressing you out."

Jin stayed quiet. He still wasn't sure why he kept on losing his card. Perhaps, Jimin was right. He was so occupied with work that it's stressing him out. His mind was always somewhere. At the same time, he was wishing that Jimin was wrong about Taehyung.

***

Jin could feel his heartbeat up to the tips of his fingers and toes. He could not imagine that minutes could feel like forever. After several minutes of waiting, "Negative." Jin let out a deep breath as he threw the stick in the trash bin. He looked at himself in the mirror and wondered if Jimin was right, "Was I hallucinating that night?"

Closing his eyes, trying to remember what had transpired that night. He just remembered calling a man Namjoon but in his head, he was seeing someone else. He was sure, or was he, that it was Taehyung. But Jimin could be right. Jungkook never mentioned the name of his brother.

He wished that he was just hallucinating that night. His eyes widened when some weird thoughts came in his head, "Or... or... Was it Jungkook?" Jin opened the faucet and washed his face. Trying to brush away the thoughts. "Impossible. He mentioned it was his brother. Damn! Jimin made me go crazy. Now I didn't even know who I slept with that night. If I get pregnant, shit, I wouldn't know who the fuck got me. This life is shit. I swear I will never get drunk again. Wait... Am I talking to myself? Gosh, Jin. You're just overthinking."

Walking out of his clinic's toilet, he sat down behind his desk and made several turns on his swivel chair. He wanted to get rid of all the weird unnecessary thoughts in his head. A knock on the door made him opened his eyes and straightened his sit.

Suddenly, Jimin's head appeared from the door with a big wide smile on his face. "Someone wants to see you. You don't have patients by the way and I will not accept anyone until he leaves." Not allowing Jin to talk, Jimin opened the door wide and let the visitor in.

He was in a cap and mask covering most of his face. He was tall and have built. Jin swallowed as soon as the man's scent hit his nose. The man smelled really good, he thought.

"Good afternoon, sir. What can I do for you?" Jin smiled. Still curious of what the man wanted.

Removing the face mask out, the man smiled but the one from Jin quickly faded. "Hi, Dr. Kim. Nice to see you again."

***

🙃