Enveloped with Love! (Taekook)

CHAPTER LI

August 17, 2022 - Seoul - Jeongguk's residence

"W-we have a kidney for you, Gguk-ah..."

Everyone was stunned. It was not surprising. In fact, Taehyung thought he had misheard the man. Woosung gasped, both his hands flying to his mouth to cover it and Jeongguk was numb.

He breathed with difficulty. Not again.. No... Not when they're so close to the end. His mind was whirring at full speed, afraid of being happy, afraid of hoping...only to be let down just like all the other times before.

And this time it would be horrible because they had all accepted the inevitable end.

Closing his eyes and breathing through his nose, Jeongguk fought for some calm.

"H-how?"

It was all he could manage. How can this be? After all this time? The last time he checked, he was at the back of the list. So unless this is some freak miracle of the universe, this was surely some terrible misunderstanding.

"Yi-Jun."

"WHAT?" Woosung was shocked.

"Who?" Taehyung was confused.

And Jeongguk felt like his whole world tilted off its axis.

Kang Yi-Jun, Jeongguk's ex boyfriend from six years ago who had so harshly dumped Jeongguk after finding out he was sick.

Jeongguk was dumbfounded. How could this happen? The man had tried relentlessly for the past many months and Jeongguk had ignored him and avoided any contact with him like the plague. His mailbox was full with his emails, lying unopened because what would he even say to Jeongguk?

Was this why he was trying to reach out?

"Jeonggukie's ex boyfriend from college." Jungmin answered Taehyung who looked taken aback at the information.

"Jungmin, h-how? Did he offer to donate? When did he even-" Woosung shot question after question, so Jungmin quickly explained.

"I got a call from his parents yesterday. Yi-Jun was battling severe depression for almost a year now. And apparently he tried to get in touch with you Gguk-ah but couldn't reach you, I guess. It's terrible how badly he was struggling. He..uh...he tried to kill himself!"

Gasps followed that news and Jeongguk could only listen with wide eyes, his heart beating with a force and speed new to him, making him feel as if he would pass out. He knew he should sit down but he was frozen at his spot.

"H-he hung himself but was unsuccessful somehow. Ended up being paralyzed and in a coma. Doctors declared him brain dead a couple days ago and his parents called asking if we would accept his kidney in case it matched. He wrote a note before he... He apologized to you, Gguk-ah. He was miserable thinking how much he had hurt you at such a hard time and expressed his last wish to repent to you somehow. His parents are hoping their son's last wish would be fulfilled if you accept the kidney..."

"I asked Dr. Jung to make the necessary checks and it's viable, Jeongguk... It's a very good match as per Dr. Jung and he thinks it would work!"

Jeongguk listened numbly. He didn't know what to feel. Should he be happy? Relieved? Guilty?

This is why he was reaching out? To apologize? Would he be alive now if Jeongguk had responded to his attempts at contacting him? Was he somehow responsible for Yi-Jun's pitiful state?

Yes, at a point in his life he had hated the man with a passion. Especially when all his dreams were crushed, his lowest points when he had struggled to paint... times before Taehyung came into his life and he felt miserably alone, he had hated the guy for leaving him the way he did!