On-Way Passage || ᴠᴍɪɴ

Extra 5

Jimin's grandpa had been hospitalised.

When Jimin received the phone call, it was late at night. His colleagues were getting ready to go home, and Jimin, who was about to tidy up his lab and leave, had instead received a call from one of his grandpa's neighbours.

His grandfather had collapsed at home just as the neighbour had dropped by that day; otherwise, he would not have been discovered. The neighbour had immediately called for an ambulance to transport Jimin's grandpa to the hospital.

Jimin's mind was in disarray when he hung up. Dropping everything he was holding, he ran out the door.

"Where are you going?" Taehyung called out to him when he passed through the corridor.

Jimin looked over his shoulder and saw that Taehyung had just gotten up from his desk, his laptop still turned on.

"My grandpa suddenly collapsed." Jimin only realised how shaky he was when he opened his mouth.

Taehyung frowned. "Is it serious? Where is he now?"

"He's been taken to the hospital," said Jimin.

"Are you heading there now?" asked Taehyung.

Jimin gave a nod. He didn't have time to waste talking here with Taehyung, so he turned to leave.

Taehyung trailed behind him; they exited the labs one after another and descended the dimly lit staircase.

"How are you planning on getting there?" Taehyung asked from behind Jimin.

Jimin didn't stop for a single beat, his gaze fixed on the stairs as he jogged down. "I'll take a taxi."

Taehyung followed Jimin all the way to the ground floor. As soon as Jimin stepped out of the laboratory building, he said, "Let me drive you."

Jimin stopped in his tracks and turned back to Taehyung.

Taehyung stood at the bottom of the stairwell, his back to the dim light. Jimin couldn't make out the man's expression; all he could hear was Taehyung's calm voice repeating, "I'll drive you."

Jimin nodded. "Thank you."

Even as he sat in Taehyung's car as it sped out of town, Jimin was filled with a mixture of fear and anxiety.

He reached out and pressed the button to open the window. His face was hit by the summer night breeze that still retained some of its daytime heat, causing Jimin's breath to catch.

It was then that Jimin realised that the car's air conditioner was still on. He hurriedly closed the window.

As the car window rolled upwards, Taehyung suddenly said, "It's fine."

"Hm?" Jimin didn't understand what he meant.

Yet Taehyung didn't clarify, and Jimin didn't ask again, both men falling silent.

When they arrived at the hospital, it was late, well past the hospital's visiting hours.

Jimin went to see his grandpa. At present, the man seemed to be in rather good spirits. He claimed to have been sleeping at first, but Jimin's sudden arrival had woken him. He also flatly refused to let Jimin spend the night to accompany him in the hospital.

Since Jimin had missed the registration time for overnight visitors, he was asked to leave the ward by a nurse on night duty. He stood in the garden after leaving the inpatient ward and looked up at the upper floors.

From where he stood, there was no telling which of the rooms belonged to his grandpa.

When Jimin turned his head, he abruptly discovered that Taehyung was right next to him. He thus said, "Thanks," and after a brief pause, asked, "Will you be heading back?"