His Boxy Smiles

Chapter 28

They were reluctant to leave.

They didn't want to leave.

How could they possibly leave?

How could they leave Taehyung in the hospital by himself?

They were scared to. He died after all.

Taehyung's doctor have told them that he's healing process was excellent and that he was healthy- although his vulnerable to illnesses. But what if something bad happens while they were in the dorm? What then?

Furthermore, Taehyung had been having nightmares. He tried to hide it from them and they never asked about it but they knew.

Without the boy's confirmation, they just knew. That he was going through more than just his physical injuries.

So how could they leave him like that?

How could they possibly do that?

Taehyung insisted they go though.
Without thinking of himself, he insisted that they go home.

How could they say no to that? The boy was trying to be strong for them.

So they had to make it possible against their will, with a heavy heart.

They were practically kicked out of the room too.

Not wanting Taehyung's bravery to go in vain, they left with a promise- no, an oath- that they'll be back the next morning.

The worry didn't dissipitate as they reached the lobby on their way to the exit. In fact, it grew more strongly and scary by the second.

They hadn't realize that they'd missed seeing more than just white walls, smelling more than just medicine and steralized things, and tasting more than just hospital food when they stepped out of the building and into the world.

They breathed the air with so much comfort and relief. The weather was good too. Something that almost made them believe that nothing could possibly go wrong.

Almost.

They knew better than that. Painfully better.

Their manager had offered to drive them back to the dorm.

The ride was in a comfortable silence. Some too tired to have a conversation about anything. They just listened to their manager talking about what was next.

Their comeback date had been pushed for obvious reasons. Bang PD-nim had also kindly emphasized that the boys need not work while Taehyung was recuperating. They, too, agreed with that wonderful decision.

As their manager kept talking, the boys could feel reality coming back to them. They couldn't help but be overjoyed about that because reality meant that Taehyung was fine and that everything will be back to normal soon. No hospitals, no worries for the other, no fear of losing the other- none. But it also brought about questions on what normal meant to them.

What exactly was normal to them? What was normal before Taehyung's accident?

That remained unanswered.

But isn't normal reality?

Yes, it is.

So what do they mean by normal?

Those questions swirled around their minds.

One thing was for sure- normal with Taehyung and everybody else certainly wouldn't include taking things for granted.

That was guaranteed.

Maybe coming back to the dorm was a good idea after all. Because it gave them time to think and reflect on certain things. There were so many things Taehyung's accident had brought to their lives- in just a span of two weeks.