s o m n i p h o b i a

chapter 8

In a dark room, in cold sheets, I can't feel a damn thing.

After that day at the park, Jungkook still didn't come to school. Day after day, and eventually week after week of Jungkook being gone, Taehyung felt unbelievably worried.

Where was he?

Oh, the habits of my heart. I can't say no, it's ripping me apart. You get too close, you make it hard to let you go.

Taehyung went to the park every night after school, expecting Jungkook to show up. He saw the little girl there as well, and she would smile and wave at him, but she disappeared as well.

In fact, as winter drew closer, everyone around Taehyung seemed to disappear. His classmates left for the holidays, his parents went to visit family members in a different part of the country, and Jungkook was still nowhere to be seen.

The anxiety was absolutely crippling.

Jungkook didn't answer his phone, his house was always empty, and even Jimin seemed as if he had just shut down. He was no longer his laughing, hyper self. Instead, he never spoke in class, and he always avoided Taehyung.

I can't say no, it's ripping me apart.

One day, Taehyung couldn't take it any longer. While they were walking to their next class, Taehyung managed to corner Jimin, staring down at him with anger.

"Where is he?" He demanded.

Jimin shook his head.

Taehyung groaned, placing his fingers underneath Jimin's lowered chin, forcing him to meet his eyes.

"Where is Jungkook?"

Jimin looked absolutely terrified, his eyes fleeting from one corner of the hall to the next, as if to make sure no one would overhear him.

"They put him in Seoul's Mental Institute." Jimin whispered, not wanting to say the words out loud.

"His parents found out, and they took him there without a second thought. They think he's crazy."

And everything suddenly clicked into place, and everything made sense. Jungkook had been gone for so long, and seeing as he wasn't answering his phone, Taehyung wasn't exactly surprised when he found out.

"When are they letting him out?"

Jimin shrugged. "They diagnosed him with psychotic depression, and his parents won't let him leave until he's fully recovered."

"Shit."

Jimin nodded in sympathy. "Yeah, I know."

Taehyung let go of Jimin, taking a step backwards. "Are they letting anyone visit him?"

Jimin nodded again. "But I wouldn't go if I were you. He doesn't look like Jungkook anymore."

"I don't care. I need to see him."

Jimin shrugged. "Suit yourself." He started to walk away, but he didn't get that far before turning around to say something else to Taehyung.

"I have to warn you, looking at him will break your heart. It's as if the real Jungkook died when they took him there."

But Taehyung ignored him.

∆∆∆

Taehyung soon figured out that you could only visit patients on Friday, and so he scheduled an appointment for that coming Friday.

Jimin's words echoed in the back of his mind, but he chose to ignore them. He needed to see Jungkook as soon as possible, and it didn't matter if he looked terrible.

Taehyung convinced himself that he would still love Jungkook.

So the week flew by, and before Taehyung knew it, it was Friday, and he was on his way to the Seoul Mental Institute. It happened to be an overcast, rainy day, but Taehyung was positive that the weather wouldn't dictate the day's later events.

He would later find out that he was wrong.

Taehyung was checked in by a nurse, who gave him an green sticker that read VISITOR in white letters. He looked around the building, seeing that it was just as boring and grey as the sky outside. Taehyung knew that he would actually go crazy if he ever had to stay there for more then a couple days.

This just made him even more anxious to see Jungkook. Was he alright?

The nurse led him down a long hallway, white walls surrounding the both of them, until they reached a room filled with tables and chairs.

"Seoul Mental Institute doesn't get many visitors, so only Jungkook and a few other patients will be in here today." The nurse explained to him. Taehyung nodded, sitting down at an empty table.

"Jungkook will be right out."

The nurse left Taehyung alone in the cold, grey visiting room. Taehyung slowly started to realize that everything in the building was colored grey, even the nurse's uniforms.

Taehyung heard a pair of scuffling feet walking towards him, but he didn't turn around to look. He was too scared. When the person sat down in the chair across from Taehyung, he closed his eyes, not wanting to look even then.

Because something inside of him told Taehyung that he should've listened to Jimin's words.

"Open your fucking eyes." A voice snarled in anger. Taehyung complied, opening his eyes and slowly looking up.

"Oh my god."

Jungkook grinned. "This is what happens when you leave people behind, Taehyung."

∆∆∆

(Song - Habits of My Heart by Jaymes Young)