HI
The hospital doors slid open with a soft hiss.
Jeongguk stepped inside like a man walking into war.
His coat still clung to him, damp from the Florence rain. He didn’t stop at the reception. Didn’t speak. His eyes were red ... not from tears, but from the sheer force it took not to cry.
Chang-wook was already waiting by the corridor. “Boss-”
“Room.”
“End of this hall. Last one.”
Jeongguk didn’t look at him. Didn’t need comfort. Didn’t want words.
His shoes echoed sharply across the marble floor. The hallway smelled faintly of antiseptic and lavender. A cruel mixture of pain and softness.
He walked like he was chasing his own heartbeat ... fast, heavy, and full of fear.
And then—
He saw it.
The door.
Half open.
The lights dimmed.
And him.
Taehyung.
Small. Still. Curled slightly under the blanket like a child. Wires he didn’t deserve tucked around his fragile wrist. His cheek flushed unnaturally. His lips pale.
And that one hand... the one Jeongguk always held at night....lying helplessly on the bed.
Jeongguk stopped in the doorway.
Like the ground beneath his feet had vanished.
He stepped in slowly, quietly. As if waking a sleeping memory. The air in the room was warm, but he felt cold to his bones.
He sat beside the bed. His hand trembled before it touched Taehyung’s.
Warm. Thank God. Still warm.
He let out a breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding for twelve hours.
“Sweetheart…” his voice cracked on the first syllable.
No response.
Jeongguk swallowed hard. The lump in his throat had turned to stone.
“You scared me,” he whispered. “You really scared me.”
His thumb brushed over Taehyung’s fingers gently, like he could comfort him even now.
“You weren't supposed to go through this alone,” he said softly.
“Not like this. Not without me. Not while I was oceans away.”
His eyes scanned Taehyung’s face ... trying to memorise him all over again. The soft curve of his lashes. The stubborn frown between his brows that stayed, even in sleep. The way his lips were parted slightly, like he might mumble Jeongguk’s name any second.
“You’re still a kid. You still love Ramyeon and hot chocolate more than yourself…”
He leaned forward, took Taehyung’s hand in both of his, and kissed the back of it.
“And now… you’re carrying mine?”
The words were whispered like a secret prayer.
“You’re carrying our baby… and you didn’t even know.”
His eyes closed. A single tear rolled down.
Florence Hospital Room — Still night.
Taehyung’s eyes fluttered open. The world was blurry, cold, and too bright.
YOU ARE READING
SWEETHEART
Romance"I promise you, sweetheart. In this fucked up world of ours, we're meant for each other. Always have been, and always will be." Kim Taehyung ~ The Replaced Bride Of Jeon Jeongguk. A marriage saga.
