𝙐𝙣𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚 ❤ (𝙹𝚒𝚔𝚘𝚘𝚔 💜)

13) Echoes of Kindness

After talking to Taehyung, I didn't feel lighter. But I did feel... less like I was drowning.

The hospital corridors were quiet in the late afternoon, with only the occasional nurse passing by or a distant monitor beeping softly. I knew where I was headed without even checking.

Room 307.

Grandpa Jeon's room.

He had that effect on me-a strange magnetic pull. A comfort I couldn't explain. It wasn't just because he had this grandfatherly warmth. It was because he listened. He smiled. He never made me feel like I was too much or too messy. And today, I needed that.

I knocked gently before peeking in.

He was sitting up in bed, flipping through an old newspaper and munching on a cookie like a mischievous kid.

"Back already?" he said with a smile that crinkled the corners of his eyes. "Didn't I see you run out of here like your tail was on fire this morning?"

"I needed to clear my head," I said as I stepped in. "And I think it just got more tangled instead."

He patted the chair beside his bed. "Then come untangle it here."

I smiled weakly and sat down.

For a few seconds, we said nothing. The quiet was comfortable.

"You know, I was almost your roommate," I joked after a beat. "Back in the resting area."

He chuckled. "You should've. I could use a partner in crime. Maybe then the nurses wouldn't catch me sneaking cookies."

I let out a small laugh.

"You don't look okay, kid," he said gently, after a pause.

"I'm not," I admitted. "Everything's just... collapsing."

He nodded thoughtfully. "Let me guess. College? That strict professor of yours? What's his name again... Jeon... something."

I snorted. "You're really good at pretending you don't know your own grandson."

Grandpa smirked. "Ah, you caught me. Old age, you know. Makes it easier to lie."

We shared a small chuckle, but it faded quickly.

"I fought with him again," I said quietly. "Well, not exactly fought. He just... confuses me. He's so cruel sometimes. And then he turns around and does something kind. And then denies it. He acts like he's made of steel."

Grandpa sighed and leaned back against his pillows.

"That boy," he said softly, "was made to grow up too fast. He had to wear armor before he even understood what fear was. Lost his parents too young. And now... he doesn't know how to take it off."

I looked at him. "But he makes it so hard to care."

"Exactly," Grandpa smiled. "That's his way of protecting himself. If people don't come close, they can't leave. They can't hurt him."

I swallowed hard.

"Don't be fooled by his coldness, Jimin," he continued, his voice warmer. "Jungkook's heart is bigger than he knows what to do with. But no one taught him what to do with it."

I blinked, suddenly feeling the sting in my eyes. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because," he said with a meaningful look, "you're the only one he ever looks at like he's confused. Like something's out of place in his perfect world."

I stared at the floor.

"Maybe he hates me."

"Maybe," Grandpa said, "he hates how you make him feel."