𝙐𝙣𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚 ❤ (𝙹𝚒𝚔𝚘𝚘𝚔 💜)

15) Struggle for survival

Jungkook stood in the doorway, still processing what he’d just seen. Jimin, sitting so naturally beside Grandpa, feeding him without any hesitation or hint of obligation.

“Why are you here, Jimin?” Jungkook finally asked, voice low but steady.

Jimin looked up, a bit startled, then gave a small, tired smile. “He needed help. And… I guess I just wanted to be here.”

Jungkook’s chest tightened. That simple answer was so unlike Jimin — no sass, no deflection, just honesty.

For a moment, the room was silent except for the quiet murmur of Grandpa eating.

Jungkook wanted to say something — maybe a warning, or a challenge — but the words caught in his throat.

Instead, he nodded curtly and said, “Don’t get the wrong idea. This doesn’t mean I’m letting my guard down.”

Jimin’s smile didn’t waver. “I’m not asking you to.”

The weight between them was heavy — a silent truce, maybe the start of something neither wanted to admit yet.

As Jungkook turned to leave, he glanced back once more.

“Just… be careful, Jimin.”

Jimin’s eyes met his. “You too, Professor.”

And with that, Jungkook stepped out, carrying a storm of thoughts he wasn’t ready to face.

What was Jimin doing to him?

This wasn’t the first time he’d seen him with Grandpa, but today… there was no reason. No excuse. No “returning a favor.” And yet he was here—gentle, attentive, like he belonged in that room more than Jungkook did.

Jungkook stopped in front of the vending machine but didn’t make a move. His reflection in the glass stared back at him—confused, conflicted, annoyed at the way his heart felt too tight in his chest.

Why did it bother him so much?
Why couldn’t he just accept Jimin’s kindness as it was?

Because it didn’t make sense.
Because it felt too real. Too honest.
And Jungkook had no room in his life for things that came without rules or structure.

He leaned against the wall, shutting his eyes for a second. Grandpa liked Jimin. That much was obvious. And worse, Jimin didn’t seem to want anything in return. No manipulation, no expectations.

Just warmth.

And that warmth was starting to burn Jungkook in ways he didn’t understand.

He returned to the staff lounge of the hospital, but he didn’t sit. He paced.

His mind had been circling around the same thought for days, but now it was loud — unavoidable.

Jimin can’t keep living here.

That tiny resting area wasn’t made for permanent stay. It didn’t even have proper ventilation, the walls were paper-thin, and the bed was barely a cot. It was meant for short breaks, not sleepless nights. Jungkook had passed by it a few times—pretending not to see the lump of blankets or the stray shoes in the corner. But he did. He saw it all.

And it pissed him off.

Not because Jimin was suffering.

But because he shouldn’t have to.

He’s reckless. Clumsy. Too trusting. And utterly infuriating. But still—
He didn’t deserve this.

Yet no matter how much he rationalized it, Jungkook kept repeating the same excuse in his head: