But Beautiful

part 33

The morning was flying by since he walked into the facility, with physiotherapy beginning and ending in a blur, doing patient intake for a new arrival, and helping the man with his first assessment at Dr. Yoo's side. By the time lunch rolled around, Jungkook was winded.

"Rough morning?" Sohee asked, patting the seat next to her in the staff cafeteria. "You look exhausted."

"Sort of," he replied, grabbing a snack and sitting down. "Long more than rough, but that, too," he continued with a laugh.

"You should eat something more substantial," she commented as she watched him take a large bite out of his apple. "Some carbs, some protein."

"Can't stomach the thought right now, actually," he admitted, taking a few sips of water. "I'll make up for it with supper. How has your morning been?"

"If you say so..." she trailed off, giving him a stern look. "You need to take care of yourself." Taking a few bites of her lunch, Sohee answered, "my morning has been nice. Laid back, actually. I spent a lot of time with Jiyeon, listening to her talk about the visit she had with her father. She was really happy, so it made me really happy. I can't imagine being so young and being alone in a place like this."

"Do her parents visit infrequently?" Jungkook queried.

"They're working on moving closer. She was injured on a class trip to the Grand Canyon as an exchange student, while her parents still lived full-time in Korea. They've been having temporary stays in the states but it's been hard for them to move their entire lives across the world."

"That must be doubly hard," Jungkook replied, a frown on his face. "Moving houses is a lot, let alone moving countries. I hope they can arrange things successfully and are able to visit their daughter more."

Sohee gave him a gentle smile, her eyes soft as she did. "You're a sweet person, Jungkook. Now, tell me what's been going on with you and Taehyung."

The resident took a deep breath, heartbeat increasing in speed as he thought about him. "Things have been going alright. We had a little bump in the road for a brief time but things seem better than ever now. With any luck, he'll open up to speaking more often and getting into talk therapy. I heard the new psychiatrist is nice, but I haven't met her yet. Do you know anything about her?"

"Speaking more? As in he's already spoken?" she asked, eyes wide.

"Yes, a few times. Not in front of anyone, but he has."

"What did he say? What was the first thing you heard from him? Oh, how exciting," she gushed, turning her body to the man and giving him her full attention.

"Ah, well," Jungkook began, cheeks warming as they colored red at the reminder of the first thing he heard him said. "He said, 'Jungkookie'," he explained, leaving out the rest of his first mini conversation with Taehyung.

"Oh, my god, that's so cute! He called you by a nickname, that's so adorable. What's his voice like?"

Remembering the first time he heard his voice caused his skin to break out in goosebumps. "I didn't expect him to sound the way he did," he started, adding, "his voice is very deep. Deep and warm, has this subtle rasp, maybe from disuse, but yeah, it's so nice. Captivating, really. I want to listen to him more," he rambled, wondering when the man would speak to him again.

Sohee raised an eyebrow, watching him talk with a look that made Jungkook nervous, a look like she knew what he was feeling. "Sounds like it's a really special voice," she replied. "I'm glad you've gotten to hear it, and I hope you hear it more. I haven't had many interactions with him since I don't often work with the patients who belong to the psychiatric department, but I've seen him a few times, and heard about him. You've really seemed to make an impact on him, and I think that's so special. I don't know if you believe in destiny, or fate, or karmic inevitability in general, but I think if that exists, the two of you are a product of it. Makes me happy