FREVOR

33

Jin ah pov:

I woke up to the soft light filtering through the curtains, casting a gentle glow in the room. Stretching out, I realized it was already late morning. A glance at the nearby alarm clock told me it was 10 AM. I had slept continuously from 7 PM. Damn.

As I moved towards the balcony window, Taehyung entered the room quietly. His expression was a mixture of concern and something else I couldn’t quite place.

"How are you feeling?" he asked softly.

"I’m okay," I replied, though I wasn't sure I believed it myself.

"Come down and have breakfast," he said. "Or I can bring it up here if you prefer."

"No, I'll come down," I said. "I just need to freshen up."

He nodded and left the room. I went to the bathroom and, after a few minutes, returned to see another set of clothes laid out for me. I changed and stepped outside my room.

As I descended the stairs, I saw Niki sitting at the dining table. His face was pale, mirroring how I felt inside. I didn’t have the energy to engage much. I simply hummed in response to Taehyung's and Niki's attempts at conversation.

The breakfast was laid out perfectly, but I could barely taste anything. My mind was lost in a fog of grief and exhaustion, making everything feel distant and muted.

I finished my breakfast mechanically, barely registering the taste of the food. Niki had retreated to his room, and Taehyung had gone out, saying he had some matters to attend to. Left alone, I wandered back to our room, seeking the solace of solitude.

I sat down by the large window, staring out at the garden below. The vibrant colors of the flowers seemed almost mocking in their cheerfulness, a stark contrast to the numbness inside me. Memories of my mother began to flood my mind, vivid and bittersweet.

I remembered one sunny afternoon when I was about eight years old. We were in our small garden at home, planting flowers together.