form follows heart /jungri

viii. soft bones

a/n: done with finals but now bogged with grad applications and interns😭 big Sad! tip from a kinda senior college student: pls enjoy ur first two years🧎‍♀️

anyways rlly hyped for y'all to read this chap!!! 😘😘 (albeit a bit shorter one oops) ty for reading and commenting as always:) 😮‍💨

That night, Yerim was restless, turning and tossing with a fervor that didn't match her room's quiet darkness.

Part of her was occupied by her meeting with Thomas. The moment she saw him walk through the entrance, she was glad she had chosen a modern place to meet. With its gray, dark green, and brown furniture and decoration, his crispy shirt and even crispier pair of khaki pants fit right in. He greeted her with a firm handshake and also seemed to navigate the world with a positivity found only in golden retrievers.

Because of that, he was easy to talk to and naturally curious. At the same time, though, she wasn't sure if he was genuine or not.

When Yerim wasn't thinking about Thomas, she was thinking about Jungkook, to her dismay.

The man was relentless, both in how he ran the company and how he interacted with others, so she didn't think he was lying when he apologized. And she also didn't think he had said those criticisms all those years ago out of malicious intent. Admitting that, though, meant his question right before she had left was correct. Was it only his words? Even if he was her idol for a while, it wasn't like she knew him personally. Technically, he was a stranger. Maybe it was something else combined with him being her idol?

"Whatever," she muttered, mentally swatting away her thoughts.

To make matters worse, her nose was stuffy, and her head pounded. She hoped to all the gods out there that she wouldn't come down with a cold. With the two hours of sleep and maximum amount of stress she got last week, plus the rain and the accompanying shivering and sneezing, she wouldn't be surprised if she actually got sick. She couldn't afford it, though: her section had an important meeting this upcoming Tuesday.

Three days until her presentation.

She could make it.

Outside, the first bird started chirping.

Yerim groaned.

She had just unwillingly won the battle against sleep.

...

Three days later, Yerim didn't get better, but she also didn't stay the same.

"You are definitely not fine." Irene placed the back of his hand against Yerim's neck and immediately withdrew it with a yelp. "You're burning up."

Yerim swallowed against the mucus rising up her throat. "I'm fine."

Jimin shook his head, tsking. "You're literally croaking."

"I-" To her embarrassment, she had to clear her throat because she was, in fact, croaking. "-am not."

His eyebrows flew up. "And I saw your head bobbing up and down this morning."

Yerim closed her eyes, the light above her was too shiny and bright. It hurt her head. "I didn't get much sleep last night." She actually did, but it was a feverish sleep, full of sweat and shivers and nightmares of ghosts chasing her.

"I can tell Jungkook for you," Irene offered, placing a cup of hot water next to Yerim's resting head.

Yerim immediately sprung up, eyes widening and back stiffening. "No, it's fine."

"You can't even hold your head up. I don't think you're fine."

Swiftly shaking her head, she protested, "I'm being serious. I'm fine."