The Wrong Soulmate (BTS OT7)

Chapter 3.3-Jin

The room was filled with never ending speculation of what could have possibly happened to Yoona the past four years and why she would have been returned now in this condition. I couldn't say for the others, but I know I was starting to feel increasingly guilty. She was our soulmate, we really should have looked harder for her. We were so caught up in our own implosion that we forgot that she might be hurting too. Sure, I know Joonie tried to find her, but we never should have given up. She never should have gone through whatever happened.

After several hours of warm IV fluids and snuggling under the blankets Yoona was beginning to show signs of consciousness. At first it was just some gentle head movements as she grimaced, but eventually it moved into more fitful motion, trying to get the covers off of her and free from Tae and Jungkookie's arms. I could hear both of them whispering to her trying to calm her and reassure her, but it didn't really seem to be working. It was clear that she was terrified.

Eventually she opened her eyes, and seeing Jungkook next to her, she launched herself at him, trying to get back into his arms, curled up as tight as possible into his side. All of us were surprised by her reaction, not the least of all Kookie. But he quickly pulled her even closer and returned to his gentle rocking and whispering sweet words of assurance.

Dr. Oh told us that Yoona was adequately warmed and it would be good to get her bathed. The doctor wanted to take a closer look at Yoona and noted that it didn't seem like she had been cleaned in a while. While each of us wanted to respect her privacy, we quickly agreed that one individual should be tasked with bathing her in the hopes that we could at least limit any awkwardness. Kookie immediately volunteered, clearly not ready to let Yoona go, but after a brief discussion everyone else agreed that I should be in charge of bathing Yoona. I could see Kookie's disappointment, but right now we just needed to do what was required. Taehyung crawled out of the bed to allow me access to pick Yoona up, then immediately slid back in to hold Kookie in his arms and offer him some comfort.

Seeing my two soulmates together was a beautiful sight, but at the moment I had other concerns to address. Jimin was tasked with finding some clothes to leave outside the bathroom and Dr. Oh would join me as I bathed Yoona so she could inspect her more closely during the process.

I could tell Yoona was very weak and she felt absolutely light as a feather. As I carefully undressed her it became obvious what we had missed when we looked away as we tried to change her out of her wet clothes. Yoona was almost skin and bones. She had lost an incredible amount of weight and each rib could be clearly seen poking out.

Part of the reason I'd been selected to bathe Yoona was because the group trusted that I could keep my emotions under control, knowing that each touch of my hands transmitted my feelings to Yoona. So I steeled myself as I continued to remove her clothes preparing myself for what else I would find. Yoona was covered with fresh bruises and cuts, along with many old scars all over her body. I could even hear Dr. Oh gasp in surprise when she saw our beautiful soulmate's condition. As I worked I gently spoke to Yoona, telling her what I was going to do next in each step of the process.

For her part Yoona offered no resistance, but also no assistance. When I asked her to lift her arm or move a bit, I went unacknowledged. But if I began to lift her arm she'd do her best to try to hold it in place for me, never offering any opposition. As more of her clothes were removed I noted that she began to jolt each time my fingers came in direct contact with her skin.

I set her in the warm water of the bathtub and began to gather my supplies, making sure I kept her supported since I wasn't confident she even had the strength to safely hold up her own weight. And as I cleaned her we fell into a pattern. I found each time I made new contact with her skin she'd flinch and then quickly look at me, seeming to need to reassure herself that it was still me. But if I slid my fingers over her skin without pulling away, she was less bothered.

I could see the doctor was giving her a thorough once over as I washed her, but she didn't say much. She asked Yoona a few questions but Yoona wouldn't even look at her so she returned to just inspecting her visually.

As we were nearing the end of the bath I knocked over several shampoo bottles with my elbow, the loud clattering filling the bathroom. Something felt odd to me. Even though I had jumped at the unexpected sound, Yoona seemed immune to it. And considering how jumpy she was about everything else, it seemed odd that the loud unexpected sound made no impression on her.

Yoona's eyes remained closed and she continued to relax into my hands, no sign of noticing at all.

The doctor seemed equally confused and quietly went to stand directly behind Yoona, giving a loud clap right behind her head. I shook my head at her, confirming that Yoona hadn't seemed to respond at all, either with her emotions through the bond or through even the tiniest physical response.

"Jin", the doctor looked at me with confusion on her face. "Has Yoona always been deaf?"