ARRANGED LOVE

Chapter 31

It was eight in the morning. Taehyung was woken up by the sound of his cell phone ringing, and Jimin was still sleeping. Taehyung quietly slipped out of bed and took the call out in the corridor of the dormitory.

"Morning," Taehyung greeted, seeing it was Ji Sang who had called. "It's early."

"It's not early," Ji Sang countered. "I sent you a message at six, and you didn't answer for ages, so I gave you a call."

"What's up?" Taehyung prompted.

"That medicine you asked me about late last night, Estazolam? It's a benzodiazepine," Ji Sang said. "Do you know someone who's on it?"

"The little troublemaker from before," Taehyung said.

Ji Sang huffed a laugh on the other end of the line. "Even the brave will fall prey to your wiles. You tricked him into going home with you, huh?"

"He's just visiting, I haven't done anything," Taehyung said. "What's that medicine used to treat?"

"It's a sleep aid, usually used to treat insomnia caused by depression or anxiety," Ji Sang said.

Insomnia?

Taehyung instantly thought back to the trip home from their variety show shooting. On the plane, Jimin had woken with a start, gasping for breath.

Truth be told, Taehyung was worried. His heart ached at the thought of it.

Was this why Jimin still insisted on breaking the engagement?

Though, recently, Little Park hadn't brought up the engagement at all.

"But the way he is now..." Taehyung hesitated.

"He doesn't seem depressed, right?" Ji Sang said. "It's perfectly normal for symptoms like insomnia to remain even after a mood disorder has passed."

"I see," Taehyung said.

"Take good care of your little friend," Ji Sang said. "Insomnia can be caused by many things. Depression or anxiety, or it could be a side effect of other conditions or treatments. It's a bit complicated. When you get a chance, let me meet that little star you've abducted."

"Sure, I will."

Taehyung thanked Ji Sang, hung up, and quietly opened the door to his dorm room again.

Jimin was already awake.

When he woke, he didn't see Taehyung. He stumbled out of bed, still bleary and sleep-addled, and went to wash his face and brush his teeth. When he was finished, he claimed Taehyung's bed as his own territory.

He bundled up the covers and pushed them up against the wall, freeing up the space on the bed so he could stretch and practice his splits while grabbing his phone to place his order for Taehyung's birthday present.

Once he finally confirmed the order, he gave his phone a satisfied smile.

Taehyung would definitely think this present was a nice surprise. Jimin had spent so long picking it out, after all.

When Taehyung came back inside, he was just in time to see Jimin, still dressed in a set of oversized pajamas, doing the splits on his bed with perfect form and tufts of disheveled hair sticking out all over the place. Jimin was still holding his phone, grinning proudly at the screen.

Taehyung stood in the doorway for a moment and just admired Little Park's... full range of flexibility.

"Hey, good morning," Jimin greeted, putting away his cell phone.

"You don't want to sleep some more?" Taehyung asked. He thought of the call he'd just had with Ji Sang and couldn't help but worry about Jimin's sleeping habits.