"So... we're combining groups?" Jake questioned. "Like right now?"
Nobody dared to breathe as they waited for an answer.
"Correct."
(Tragedy strikes Be:Lift when the company's partner suddenly pulls out of their contract. Quickly going bankrupt, the...
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TW: references kidnapping, death, and homophobia
~~~~~
Aftermaths and Bubble Baths || 4/4
"You are not Jungmin."
"I am not."
Confusion flickered on the tired woman's face before being replaced by relief. She sat on the floor, huddled against a wall while hugging her knees. Heeseung watched as Daniel crouched in front of the glass barrier that separated them from the sasaeng.
They were at a psychiatric ward just an hour outside of Busan. The police had decided to send BTS's driver as far from Seoul as possible, fearing that the disgruntled public would follow through on their death threats before she could be brought to trial. Daniel had insisted they stop by after their talk with Jungmin's father.
"Mrs. Choi..." Daniel whispered. "I'm really sorry for your loss."
The woman shook her head. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. You're not Jungmin."
Daniel nodded, speaking gently to the older woman. "Then why did you... Why did you do what you did?"
The woman stared at the ground, still hugging her knees. "Three years ago, I caught my husband cheating on me. He'd been in love with one of his childhood friends for as long as I could remember. She finally reciprocated. From that day on, Jungmin was all I had."
She closed her eyes. "After I lost Jungmin, I knew I had to do whatever I could to get him back. To get my family back. I... I don't know what happened after that. I'm sorry."
Daniel slowly nodded, standing up and turning towards the exit. "Thank you for speaking with us."
"Daniel."
He stopped.
"Have- Have this." The woman bowed her head as slipped a singular rose through an air hole of the glass barrier. "Please."
The boy dryly swallowed before taking the flower. "Thank you."
He followed Heeseung out the double doors, waiting until they swung shut to whisper, "She seems... different."
"That's because she's bipolar." The nurse glanced at Daniel. "We found it deep in her medical records. She was in a manic state when she kidnapped you and Jin-ssi. She's just now coming out of it."
"A manic state?"
The nurse nodded. "Also sometimes referred to as a manic episode."
Heeseung sharply inhaled.
~
"What's a manic episode?" Ni-ki asked.
"It's a period of time when someone has an elevated mood and excessive energy," Jay answered thoughtfully. "When someone's in a manic state, they act weird, like they're super happy for no reason. They get really mad really fast. And when they talk to you, it's like something's off, but you can't quite tell what. At least, that's what it was like for me. I was pretty young, so I don't know how accurately I remember it."
