SWEETHEART

Chapter-33

HI

Taehyung froze, his breath catching in his throat.

"H-Hyung?" His voice was shaky, a whisper of disbelief. "What happened? Oh my God, what happened to you?"

Jeongguk winced as he stepped forward, the pain evident on his face, but he tried to smile, albeit weakly.

"I'm fine, really," he said, his voice strained, though his attempt at reassurance only deepened taehyung's panic. "It's just a little accident."

"No, no, no..." Taehyung's eyes welled up with tears. "You're not fine! Look at you!"

He rushed toward the elder, hands trembling as he gently touched Jeongguk's arm, his fingers grazing the bandages. The pressure from his touch seemed to make him wince even more.

Jeongguk let out a sigh, sinking onto the couch, his energy fading. "I-" He paused, as though collecting himself. "I was on my way home, and there was this woman-she ran out into the street, right in front of me. I... I swerved to avoid hitting her, but I... I lost control for a second. The car rolled a little, but she was okay. I couldn't just leave her there." His voice trailed off, the weight of his words hanging in the air.

Taehyung's breath hitched. "You saved her... and you got hurt?" His chest tightened as he fought to hold back the tears.

Jeongguk nodded, his eyes softening as he reached out to touch taehyung's arm. "She was in shock, but she's okay. I wasn't going to let her get hurt. But... I didn't realize how badly I'd been hurt until after."

The floodgates broke. Taehyung's tears came rushing, uncontrollable, as he knelt beside Jeongguk, his hand clutching his, unable to believe he was sitting there, injured but still so calm, trying to shield Taehyung from the fear.

"Why didn't you call me?" Taehyung sobbed, his voice cracking. "Why didn't you let me know? I've been going crazy here! I didn't know what to think-why didn't you call me, hyung?"

Jeongguk looked at him, guilt and tenderness mixed in his eyes. "I didn't want you to worry. I didn't want you to be afraid. I knew you'd be upset. But I should have called... I should have let you know, I'm sorry. We couldn't go for shopping either."

"Hyung! Look at you..how could you talk about shopping. Yeontan isn't as eager to buy things for himself."

Yeontan , innocently looked at his parents and let out a small bark confirming taehyung's statement. Jeongguk ruffled his fur with his other hand.

Taehyung leaned forward, his forehead resting against Jeongguk's chest as he cried, letting the weight of his fear and relief pour out. His hand shook as he pressed it over the bandages, as though trying to reassure himself that Jeongguk was truly here. That he was alive. That he was going to be okay.

"I thought... I thought bad things..hyung" Taehyung whispered through his tears, his voice barely audible. "I thought you were never coming home."

Jeongguk squeezed his hand, pulling him into a tender embrace despite the pain it caused him. "I'm right here," he murmured. "I'm right here. I'm sorry I scared you."

Taehyung's tears mixed with the quiet of the room as he clung to him, the sound of his sobs the only thing breaking the silence of the night.

As the intensity of the moment settled, he gently pulled away from him, wiping the tears from his cheeks. His heart was still racing, but the warmth of Jeongguk's presence steadied him.

"Let me take care of you," Taehyung whispered softly, his voice trembling but filled with love.

Jeongguk nodded tiredly, his eyes soft as he gave the younger a small smile. "You always do."