A does of salt • jjk + pjm

Chapter 6: euphoria

Jungkook throws on his suit jacket and straightens out the cuffs of his sleeve. He looks in the mirror and tightens his tie one last time giving himself a full body scan to make sure he looked polished and clean for the funeral.

It wasn't required that he, or any of doctors attend a patient's funeral. Some went, others didn't. Really, it was just a personal preference. Jungkook, Jimin, and their residents who were on we're care team had briefly discussed about who would be attending and who wouldn't. With the way Korean funerals were, most of them would probably drop by whenever it fit their schedule, as the typical funeral lasts three days. Today was day 1 of Ari's funeral.

That was the most Jimin and Jungkook had talked other than about wrapping up all the necessary paperwork on Ari's death. Her death and their incident in the storage room already being two days ago.

They hadn't once discussed what happened, nor did either one of them really make an effort to. If Jimin was avoiding him before their storage room incident, he was even more actively avoiding him now as though Jungkook was the Plague of Darkness. But it's not like Jungkook was trying to talk or run into Jimin either. What could they have to say? It was clearly wrong of them to do what they did for so many reasons and Jungkook can't believe they really acted so irresponsibility and in the storage room of their workplace after a patient's death. Frankly, he was disgusted with himself and by Jimin's active avoidance, he was sure Dr. Park was too. Perhaps it might be the first thing they'd ever probably agree upon:

they fucked up.

Unfortunately for Jungkook, the second he had left that storage room that day, he could not get Dr. Park Jimin out of his mind. Just last night he had jerked himself off while thinking of the heart surgeon. He found himself replaying the obscene images of Jimin against the wall begging for cock, of his thick, plump ass welcoming his cock inside, of his luscious lips moaning into his mouth...

Jungkook shakes his thoughts off and runs his fingers through his hair, ruffling it and then trying to make it neat again.

Now was not the time to think about all the ways in which he'd love to take Jimin again. Now was not the day. Or ever, really. Jungkook face palms and groans, disappointed in himself.

He finally takes a deep breath and leaves his place to head over to the funeral.

When Jungkook arrives at SMC, instead of his usual route walking toward the hospital's main entrance, he walks over to the left toward the jang rae shik jang (funeral home) building detached just off of SMC's main building. Most funeral homes in Korea are part of the hospital as they are a sub-entity still ran by the hospital.

When he enters the building, the air is laden with the smell of death and gloomy sounds of crying fill his ears. There were always multiple funerals going on in these large hospital-run funeral homes so Jungkook makes his way through the somber halls until he finds Ari's name in Chinese character embossed on a wooden plaque outside the mourning room's entrance. There are also rows of floral wreaths lined up against the wall, all with her name written on the wreath's white ribbon.

Jungkook suddenly stands there just staring at her written name. He's reminded of his fellow soldier's official military funerals. They were a bit different than that of civilian funerals. He remembers the faces of his comrade's parents crying and screaming of grief at the loss of their son... Where would his fellow soldiers be now if they were still alive? If he could have saved them? He's lost in his thoughts of memories of his military brothers and survivor's guilt when another funeral guests taps him to ask if he's going to please move along or not.

Jungkook apologizes and gets in line, shaking the dark thoughts off of his former military life. When it's his turn at the small table outside the mourning room, he signs the guestbook, takes out an envelope from inside his jacket pocket, writes his name in Chinese characters vertically on the envelope and slips his donation of 150,000 won into the gift box.