Blue and Grey || Taejin

Chapter 7

"I keep having these nightmares about you almost every night. It seems to have gotten worse now," Seokjin spoke to the motionless figure of his friend who lay under the pristine white sheets of the hospital bed, an IV supplying him the bare minimum to keep him breathing. Some of his bandages were opened and most the places seemed to be healing, except the long scar carved onto his face across his right eye.

"I've read our nightmares are just the reflection of our fears," Seokjin provided reassurance, more for himself than for Yoongi.

Seokjin reached forward to gently hold Yoongi's hand and gasped lightly at how cold it was. Out of instinct, Seokjin's eyes flitted towards the heart monitor which, to Seokjin's relief, was displaying even heartbeats.

"My parents found out about the vape, so I had to throw all of it out. I still had the option to take it again but....it wasn't just working, you know?" Seokjin sighed because he knew his words were futile but still it comforted him to imagine Yoongi listening to him like he had always done without objection.

The longer he stared at his friend's emotionless face, the more distant he felt from Yoongi. Seokjin averted his eyes and watched a dry petal fall on the floor from the small vase of flowers that were so withered that Seokjin could not identify their kind. If he wanted, he could stay at the ward for as long as he wished to since his university would not open any soon, but he knew he would end up indulging himself in dark thoughts, and break down ultimately. Sighing, Seokjin let go off Yoongi's fragile hand and walked away from the bed.

Seokjin exited the room after putting on the face mask and began to amble down the corridor when he passed by a familiar face. Dressed in a green oversized t shirt tucked into black shorts and a green bandana pushing his raven hair back, and bunches of blooming white chrysanthemums secured in his hand, Jung Hoseok, also known as one of Yoongi's other friends, strolled past him and entered into Yoongi's cabin after talking to the nurse near the door.

So that's who changes the flowers every week.

He didn't particularly dislike Hoseok because Yoongi had never complained about him, so Seokjin assumed he wasn't one of the leeches, but he didn't want to befriend him either because he felt like it would dilute his friendship with Yoongi if a third person joined in.

Seokjin inched towards the entrance and readjusted the face mask out of habit. He was about to step out of the hospital when something from outside caught his eyes.

Flash

Click

"Fuck," Seokjin cursed under his breath before lowering his head and briskly walking away from the hospital premises. He should had brought the car. What made him think he could hide his identity with a thin face mask?

He could not reach the mansion without being mobbed if he continued to walk; he could already sense the media staff being close behind him. The only way he could easily escape the situation was to blend into the small crowd of people at a bus stop nearby; Seokjin just hoped the bus could drop him near the area where he lived. Scanning his surroundings, Seokjin felt somewhat relieved that the man was nowhere in sight but he could not shake off the dread that was clawing its way up his throat.

He would be done for if the news reached his parents....

_______________

Seokjin gulped as his phone rang for the fourth time, the screen glowering at him with his father's name. Just after a few hours after he had arrived at the mansion, he found his masked face all over the internet.

"What is Kim Jungdae's second son doing at a public hospital ?"

"Kim Seokjin, son of business tycoon Kim Jungdae and Kim Yuri, using public transport instead of his family's luxuries . Is it a fallout in the family or a prediction of a downfall of Kim Enterprise?"