Detach

3. When It Rains, It Pours

"I can't believe the museum is in danger of shutting down by the end of the month if we can't secure funds," said Mirae as she walked outside with Hoseok after listening to Miyoung's tirade.

"She says that all the time."

"I think she's serious this time though," said Mirae. "I mean, the museum is becoming more and more packed up by the day."

Mirae sighed as she walked with Hoseok down the sidewalk. The sky overhead had unleased its storm during Miyoung's so now everything was just coated in a layer of rainwater. It was as if nature itself was mourning the museum's impending closure.

As Mirae walked with Hoseok, cars passed by on the slick streets. Water from the storm had pooled up against the edges of the sidewalks, sending little mini showers their way every time someone passed. Most of the cars were courteous of them though, slowing down as they passed so as not to splash them. Unfortunately, that was not such the case with one car. Hoseok saw the speeding black car first and tried to grab Mirae to yank her out of the way, but he was unfortunately too late. The car went flying through a puddle of water, sending a tsunami like wave Mirae's way and soaking her from head to toe.

"YOU JERK!" shouted a dripping wet Mirae as she moved her hair out of her face.

Hoseok was trying to console Mirae when he looked up and noticed the car that had sped past him and Mirae had come to a stop. The car had its blinker on as a man in a business suit stepped out and onto the curb. Mirae and Hoseok watched the man as he approached, soon coming to a stop a few feet in front of them.

To Mirae, he looked like he had come off the cover of some sort of magazine. Everything about his appearance was perfect from the broad shoulders of his suit jacket down to the shiny black dress shoes on his feet. Mirae locked her eyes with his dark brown ones. She was about to dismiss it all as an accident until he opened those perfectly sculptured lips of his.

"Watch where you're walking next time."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me," he said. "If you see a car coming, you should move over. I only stopped to make sure you weren't hurt, but I see you're fine. You're just being overdramatic."

"Overdramatic?! I'm soaking wet!"

"Yes, and last time I checked, being a little wet didn't kill anyone."

Scoffing at the man's dismissive words, Mirae bent to cup her hand into a nearby puddle. As Mirae tried to splash the man in front of her with the water, Hoseok got in the way and ended up getting wet instead. It left the man smirking in amusement at the scene.

"Fix your aim next time," he remarked as he turned on his heels to walk back to his car.

Mirae was seeing red at this point, having to be held back by Hoseok to keep from chasing after him. She watched the man get back into his vehicle without looking back before he drove off down the street.

"Why did you have to get in the way?" she asked Hoseok as she looked at him as he removed his grip from her.

"Because you splashing him wouldn't have solved anything. You needed to be the bigger person. Besides, you would have regretted it later."

"Maybe..."

"You would have," said Hoseok with a chuckle. "Now lets go get dried off before we get sick. We can't afford to get sick right now."

Mirae nodded, looking down the road where the car had driven off. Even though it's taillights had long since vanished from view, that haughty smirk of his haunted her memory as Hoseok led her away.

- x - x -

The moment Jungkook arrived at his father's mansion, both his fiancée Choi Yuna and his father's nurse were there to greet him. Yuna moved to hug him, crying into his shoulder. Rubbing one of his hands on her back in an effort to console her, Jungkook's attention turned to his father's nurse as she locked eyes with him. He could see the sorrowful apologies for him in her eyes.

After managing to get Yuna off him, Jungkook followed the nurse down the hall to where his father rested. The grand bedroom had already become a glorified tomb. The equipment clustered by his father's bedside had yet to be detached from his body and it made his father look like he was also a part of this tomb. He looked more machine than human as Jungkook stared down at his pale face.

Jungkook felt numb as he stood there. The passing of a father for some would have been a tragic thing, but for Jungkook, it felt like his father had died years ago. The father that played ball with him and doted on him died the moment the company had taken off the ground. Having been given the choice between family or fortune, his father had chosen the latter. Money had been able to appease his mother who was able to jet set around the world like she had always wanted to and his younger sister Jiha never got to experience what a life loved by parents was like.

Unlike Jiha, Jungkook had — and like his dreams — he had been robbed of it. Now he was stuck with the nightmare of it all and his father got to be at peace like always. Tears pooled in the corners of Jungkook's eyes from the frustration of it all as his hands curled into fists at his sides. His reaction was misconstrued as the nurse moved to lay a gentle hand on his shoulder. It was a gesture he immediately shrugged off.

Turning on his heels, he left the room and breezed past Yuna who stood in the doorway. He moved down the hallway where echoes of his suffocating past reached his ears. He soon came to a standstill in front of the window at the center of the family room. The theater red curtains had been parted to let what little sunlight there was outside stream into the room and highlight the wealth like they were actors in a play. Beyond the window was the well-tended garden where the shrubbery had been arranged in such a way that it was like a labyrinth of sorts laid out around a grand white fountain in the center.

The rain that had fallen from the sky not even an hour ago was still semi-splatted against the window like bugs on a windshield as the grandfather clock sent its chorus of ticks down the hall. Jungkook kept his hands clasped behind his back as he continued looking out at the smoke gray world.

'Why does everyone seem to get to live the life they want, but mine is dictated for me?' thought Jungkook.

The ticks making up the background noise of his thoughts was soon replaced by the sound of Yuna's heels clicking down the hallway. Turning from the window, Jungkook turned to see her standing by the door. Seeing the pitying look in her eyes just sent his already agitated self over the edge.

Today had not been kind to him.

"Jungkook, I..."

"Can't you see I want to be left alone?!" Jungkook snapped. "Why can't everyone..."

Jungkook's words fell flat as he half staggered then, reaching to place a hand on the window as his head began to ring out. He screwed his eyes shut as the pain from his headache enveloped him, trying vainly to slowly but steadily count to three in order to keep from passing out. The ringing in his ears from the headache kept him from hearing Yuna approach him from behind him. Yuna barely managed to put her arm on his waist before he fell sideways onto the carpet, having passed out completely.