Never The Same [BTS]

Deterioration: Part 1

A/N: You all are going to hate me after reading this update. Sorry.

—

After the announcement of Junghyun's death, the Bangtan Boys isolated themselves within the enclosed space, for the paparazzi was still waiting outside. No one spoke; no one did anything but sit and think and listen. They all listened to the heart monitor and life support machines "beep" on a rhythmic pattern, almost like a song. They always came right on the beat. 

1...2...3...4...

1...2...3...4...

1...2...3...4...

1...2...3...4...

Some machines beeped on every other beat, but all that mattered was that they were beeping and they beeped every anticipated moment. But if you've ever studied musical theory or play an instrument, you understand that notes in a song don't always come directly on the beat. And this kind of song's beat would be called syncopated, or off the beat.

Syncopation isn't bad, but in this case and this specific scenario that the Bangtan Boys and Yunji were in, it meant death, if it occurred. Almost certain death. An unexpected death. And when it struck, it made the worst possible chord.

"What's happening?" Suga asked with an audible quiver in his voice.

Everything was turning red.

"I...I don't know," Rap Monster merely whispered.
"This isn't good...," Yunji choked. "Oh, this isn't good! This isn't good!"

All the sudden, the song reached its most enthralling climax. Awful, cringeworthy chords blasted all throughout the song. The piece was ruined! It caused them to shake, shudder, and halted their breathing. Goosebumps covered their skin and their faces went pale. They were frozen in their tracks. The song fell into anarchy!  And it stayed that way as a long, high-pitched squealing monotone was emitted from one of the machines.

"Is...is this a flatline?" Jimin shouted in fear.
"Someone get the doctor!" Jin commanded.

With that shout, Yunji raced to open the door, but was almost hit by it flying open. She stumbled back in fear and was caught before she fell—by V. They all watched as doctors and nurses came flooding into the room, disconnecting chords, turning off the machines, and taking Jungkook away. And as they left the room and scurried down the hallway, the paparazzi followed, leaving nothing but empty space in the room.

The only thing left in the song, were seven steady, brooding beats. Each one was just as frightened and shocked as the other.

"What the hell was that?" Suga asked as they all calmed down.
"I don't know...but I've got a bad feeling about this," Yunji said.
"Is Jungkookie going to be okay?" V said aloud.
"It's...it's hard to tell, Tae," Jin embraced his dongsaeng. "But...I'm sure he'll pull through."
"He always does," J-Hope reassures V.

****

"Do you think this is our fault?" Mrs. Jeon asked her husband. "Do you think we let him go too soon?"

Mr. Jeon took a long, deep breath. He and his wife didn't bother to exchange looks; they knew each other's faces well enough. It was their sons who they couldn't recognize anymore.

"No," he breathed out.
"Do you think we should've stopped Junghyun from going so soon?" she asked.

Again, he breathed, but this time, he struggled to keep his tears from falling. And the wind graciously blew into his eyes, aiding him in restraining the tiny droplets.

"No," he breathed once more. "He would've had to go sooner or later."

Mrs. Jeon's eyes looked over at her husband's face. The wrinkles on his forehead and face were showing. Stress is beginning to show.

"Do you think—" she started.
"So many questions!" he interrupted her, a little aggressively. "Let's just stop questioning our fate."

Mrs. Jeon stopped.

"Fate?" she spat. "Fate? You call this fate?"
"Death is unavoidable," he simply said.
"So you think he'll die?"

Mr. Jeon looked up at her.

"We knew he wasn't getting better," he muttered, "...the last time we saw him, anyway."
"Do you think this is our fault?" she questioned.

Everything stopped.

"Yes..."

****

"How did we not see this before?" Dr. Mun scolded himself as he glared at the reports. "How did I...not see this before?"
"Some things like this are just...unexpected, sir," a nurse told him.
"Yes, but out of my years of working as a doctor, I have always been very meticulous in my work! How did I slip this one time? Especially on one of my most important patients?"

The nurse fell silent. Dr. Mun began to nervously pace around the small room. He began to feel the beads of sweat forming on his face. And although his face was awful at hiding his emotions, especially nervousness, his hands could remain steady throughout any natural disaster. The nurse followed his feet with her eyes.

"Should we tell them?" she asked.
"What is there to tell, Jihyun-ah?" he nearly shouted. "We can't just tell them that he may not make it!"
"Sir, please stay calm! We'll just...tell them like any other patient's family. There's no other way."

The nurse asked Dr. Mun to sit down at the table and take a deep breath. She knew he was frustrated; his career depended on whether or not Jungkook lived or not. Everyone in Korea and the world now knows that he is Jungkook's doctor.

"I had a really good friend in high school, sir," she started. "She was my best friend. She was bubbly, extroverted, and...had a 4-D kind of personality. As kind as she was, she still fell victim. The bullying was just...unbearable. And one day, she just stopped. She just stopped eating completely; it was uncalled for. And she was already so small, I couldn't comprehend why she would do that! And—"
"Jihyun-ah, where are you going with this?" Dr. Mun asked, somewhat irritated.
"Over time, the malnutrition and...mindset had just weakened her heart. And it just stopped and she was gone. You can't fix a weak heart if the person refuses to eat."
"Jihyun-ah, are you trying to tell me that you think Jeon Jungkook has...an eating disorder?"

The nurse opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She just gave Dr. Mun a disappointed stare.

"In this case...with the overdose and weakened muscles...he probably only has a few days left—at most," Dr. Mun murmured.

****

Suga gave Yunji his phone charger and she finally plugged in her phone. After a few minutes, it turned on and she could finally read some of her missed texts and calls. The majority of them were from her parents.

"My parents aren't able to come," she suddenly spoke in the silence.
"They're not coming?" Jimin asked.
"No, my grandparents need them to stay. They've been a little ill lately."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that."
"It's okay. I've kind of gotten used to it."
"Gotten used to what?"
"Disappointment."

Yunji took a deep breath out.

"Disappointment? What do you mean—" Jimin said.

Suddenly, the doors swung open and Dr. Mun, as well as Nurse Jihyun, entered the room with solemn stares. And although Yunji had numbed herself from all the pain and disappointment, nothing stops it.