BLOSSOMED | SEOKSOO FF ✔️

PART 16

When Seokmin's eyes fluttered open, the dim light of the hospital room burned into his vision. For a moment, there was peace-a fleeting second of confusion as he tried to place himself. But the peace evaporated when the reality of his surroundings settled in.

The sterile walls, the smell of antiseptic, the IV needle in his arm-it was suffocating. His breathing grew shallow, panic bubbling in his chest. His head whipped to the side, catching Jihoon's tired figure sitting stiffly in a chair.

"Hyung," Seokmin croaked, his voice raw and hoarse. "Why am I here?"

Jihoon sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Seokmin, you need help. The doctor said-"

"Help?" Seokmin's laugh was sharp and hollow, like shattering glass. "You think locking me up in some loony bin is going to fix me?"

"That's not what this is about," Jihoon replied firmly, though his voice trembled with exhaustion. "You're not okay. You've hurt people. You need therapy, treatment-something to stop this spiral."

"Stop this spiral?" Seokmin echoed, his tone swinging between sarcasm and anguish. He yanked the IV from his arm with a wince, blood dripping down his hand as he pointed a trembling finger at Jihoon. "Do you think this is easy for me? You think I want to be this way?"

Jihoon stood abruptly, his patience thinning. "No one's saying it's easy! But you can't keep pretending everything's fine when you're clearly falling apart, Seokmin! And we both know where it started."

Seokmin's face twisted into a mixture of fury and desperation. He climbed out of the bed with jerky, unsteady movements, knocking over a tray in the process. The clatter echoed in the room, but Seokmin didn't care.

"Falling apart?" he spat, his voice breaking. "Do you think I don't know that? Do you think I don't hear their voices in my head every second? Jisoo's cries, his sobs-" He clutched his head, nails digging into his scalp as he laughed bitterly. "I know what I've done, Jihoon! I live with it!"

"Then fix it!" Jihoon snapped, his voice rising with frustration. He took a cautious step forward, hands raised as if trying to calm a wild animal. "If you're so haunted by guilt, do something about it!"

Seokmin's laughter turned hysterical, his body trembling with the weight of his emotions. "Fix it? Fix it, you say? How do I fix something that's already broken beyond repair? How do I make amends to someone who probably wishes I was dead?"

"By taking responsibility!" Jihoon's voice cracked as he yelled, the pain and helplessness spilling out. "Admit you need help, Seokmin! Admit you can't do this alone!"

But Seokmin wasn't listening. He staggered backward, his movements erratic as he knocked over a chair and sent a lamp crashing to the floor.

"I'm not crazy," he whispered, his tone venomous yet pleading. "I'm not like those people you see in hospitals. I'm not some hopeless case, Jihoon!" His voice rose into a shout, his fists clenched at his sides. "I don't need to be locked away!"

"You're scaring me, Seokmin," Jihoon admitted, his voice trembling. He hesitated, then stepped closer. "This... this isn't normal. You need help, and it's okay to admit that. It doesn't make you weak."

Seokmin shook his head violently, his eyes darting around the room like a cornered animal. "Weak?" he echoed, laughing bitterly. "I'm already weak, Jihoon. I'm nothing. A failure. A monster." He let out a broken sob, his knees buckling as he collapsed to the floor.

Jihoon rushed to his side, kneeling down but keeping his distance. "Seokmin, please..." he said softly. "Let us help you. Let me help you. You can't keep living like this."

Seokmin's head snapped up, his face streaked with tears and contorted with anguish. "Help me?" he snarled, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "You think you can save me? You think a few therapy sessions will undo everything I've been doing for past eleven years."

Jihoon stared at him, his own tears welling up. "No," he admitted.

"Eleven years... four months and seventeen days.. Will it undo all..."

Jihoon's voice quiet but firm. "It won't undo the past. But it can help you move forward. It can stop you from hurting yourself-or someone else like Jisoo."

Seokmin froze at those words, his manic energy deflating as a look of realization crossed his face. He buried his face in his hands, his shoulders shaking with silent sobs.

"I don't deserve it," he whispered, his voice muffled. "I don't deserve to move forward. I don't deserve forgiveness."

"That's not for you to decide," Jihoon replied gently, reaching out but stopping short of touching his brother. "But you do deserve a chance to be better. For Jisoo, for me, for yourself."

For a long moment, Seokmin didn't respond. The room was silent except for the sound of his ragged breathing. Then, without warning, he let out a scream-a guttural, heart-wrenching sound that seemed to tear through the walls.

Jihoon flinched but didn't move. He watched as Seokmin's anger and despair bled out of him, leaving behind a hollow, broken man.