Body And Soul

56. Moving On

Seven Months Later

Laylin sat in a chair near the window in Jungkook and Taehyung's hospital room, looking at the letter in her hands. She had received it in the mail a week ago and needed to reply to it soon, but she hadn't brought herself to reply yet. After all, a lot of things had changed and yet had remained the same the last few months.

After Yoongi's confrontation with Mrs. Kim, Mr. Kim had been utterly remorseful for his wife's behavior. Though he wasn't necessarily innocent himself for how he treated his son in the past, he had agreed to doing something for the betterment of his sons for once in his life. He had given permission to dissolve the contract that Taehyung was bound by. Mrs. Jeon hadn't needed any persuasion at all. As Yoongi promised, he drew up a new contract with the record executive for a joint relationship so both companies could benefit moving forward. The Kims were not a part of the new contract at all.

Jungkook and Taehyung had remained in their comas, but remained stable. Thankfully there hadn't been any sort of negative change in their conditions. Laylin had had to go back to work, but she coordinated times with Yoongi, Jimin, and Hobi to make sure that Jungkook and Taehyung were never alone in the event they did wake up. Sometimes Laylin would come to the hospital after work and Yoongi, Jimin, and Hobi would all be there, having turned the room into a makeshift recording studio. Whenever Yoongi came, he would sneak Yoongles inside with him as he always kept the cat by his side like family. Seokjin and Namjoon popped by for visits more often than naught with food from the fish restaurant to make sure they were all properly fed. To Laylin, it felt like they were now all one big family. It would be one big happy family if Jungkook and Taehyung would wake up.

She looked up from the letter in front of her with a sigh and over at Jungkook and Taehyung's still forms. Their hair had been recently cut since it had been getting on the long side. The vibrant hair dye in their hair was even starting to show shades of their normal, natural color.

'When will you go back to normal too?' thought Laylin as she looked at them; her heart aching for Jungkook.

Jimin suddenly entered the room then, interrupting Laylin's thoughts. She hadn't been expecting him so early and so she hadn't had time to hide the letter from his view. As he turned his head to say 'hi' to Laylin, he saw her blushing and trying to vainly hide the letter she'd been holding.

"What's that?" asked Jimin as Laylin sighed and put the letter back on her lap.

Jimin walked across the room to her, sitting down beside her as she handed the letter over to him. There was no sense hiding it from him. She sat with her hands folded in her lap as Jimin read the letter before looking over at her.

"Laylin, why would you hide this? This is great news!"

Laylin knew that Jimin was right. It was great news. She had been given the opportunity she had always wanted to be an editor. She had applied on a whim because she wanted something to be hopeful about. She never thought that she would be offered the position. If circumstances were different, she would have said 'yes' instantly. However, the opportunity required her to move to a different city that was far from where she was. She couldn't do that. Laylin wasn't aware that her eyes were filling with tears until her feet blurred from view. Jimin shifted to grab a clean tissue from his pocket, handing it over to her. Laylin took it appreciatively.

"Why are you crying?"

"Because I was selfish to apply when - if I got it - I knew I would have to leave. I just never thought I'd get it and I..."

"Laylin," said Jimin, interrupting her babbling by placing his hand gently on her shoulder. "You're not being selfish to apply for something you have always wanted to do."

"But I would have to leave them..."

"Laylin, Jungkook and Taehyung wouldn't want you putting your life on hold for them," said Jimin softly, "And they wouldn't be alone even if you did go. We're all still here, and you want to bet we'd reach out to you immediately if they woke up."

"And I would book the first flight back here in a heartbeat," said Laylin.

Jimin smiled softly, nodding.

"I'm speaking for Jungkook and Taehyung here," said Jimin. "Say 'yes' to this opportunity. Life has to go on, but going on with your life is not betraying or abandoning them."

Laylin nodded as Jimin wiped the remaining tears off her cheeks. With Jimin sitting beside her, she called the number on the letter to let them know that she would accept the opportunity that had been offered to her. When Hobi and Yoongi showed up later that day, they all insisted on celebrating. Once visiting hours were over for the day, they went to Seokjin family's restaurant to celebrate it properly. Laylin tried to put a smile on her face though her heart was breaking the entire time. She missed Jungkook more with every passing day. Without him, she didn't feel complete.

"To Laylin and her new opportunity!" said Seokjin as he stood up, looking towards her as she sat in a place of honor at the head of the table. "May it be everything you hope for!"

Laylin gave a tight smile to the table as they all raised their glasses in cheers. Even Mrs. Jeon had made the drive in to celebrate the good news. If the group was honest with each other, they all needed something happy to cling to after waiting in the unknown for so long. Even though there was a hole, it gave them all the strength they needed to keep moving on.