By Your Side || m.yg

11

"Jiyeon," a soft voice calls into her room. She sits up from her bed and looks towards the door that is cracked open a bit. She remains silent, in a mediocre mood today. The nurse steps in and hands her the meds. She looks at them skeptically, almost refusing to take them. Then she remembers Yoongi. He'd want her to take them, so she puts them in her mouth, swallows with some water and sticks her tongue out. The nurse's eyes are wide at how easy it was to get her to take them. She thanks her then scurries out. Jiyeon looks over at the window and looks up at the sky.

"One day I'll stand under that sky for real. Out in the streets of the city. With Yoongi..."

Later that day, she eats well and speaks briefly with her therapist. He seems tense around her, afraid that he'll ruin the new foundation of their sessions. She tells him that she took her meds today and that she's feeling fine. She pauses once she's said just that. Her therapist has to bite his tongue to not ask more questions, not to pry more.

"Is that all?" He asks as if he would at the end of a long session.

"Is Yoongi coming today?"

"If he sticks to his plan, he should be..."

She nods and leaves, heading to her room. Once inside, she climbs up to her shelf and looks outside at the few people that are out there. For a split second, she wants to meet them, but then she shakes her head. They'll only slow her progress.

She loses track of time and is only brought back to reality by a knock on the door. Yoongi walks in with a gummy smile bared. She smiles.

"Hi."

"How are you today?" He asks, taking off his coat and putting it down. He looks up to see the rope still around the beam. It irritates him but he doesn't let it show.

"Fine," she shrugs.

"Did you take your medicine?"

She nods.

"And talk to your therapist."

"Barely."

"It's a start. What have you done otherwise?"

"Looked outside."

"Do you want to go out there?"

She hesitates before shaking her head.

"Yeah you do," Yoongi teases.

"No I don't," she says. She sounds mostly convincing.

"You do, but you won't admit it."

"If I wanted to, I would have already."

"So why just stare? It's not that exciting."

"People wander, new faces and stuff."

"Sounds boring," he sighs, collapsing on her bed. He tucks his arms under his head as he lies on his back. He looks up at her shelf where her legs dangle down. She peeks her head over the edge and looks at him.

"Comfortable?" She asks.

"Yes," he nods.

"Long day at the office?" She jokes.

He laughs, "Kind of."

"What did you do?"

"Dance."

"That's it?"

"Yeah."

"Doesn't that get boring?"

"Only when we do the same song over and over again."

"How often do you do that?"

"More than I'd like," he admits with a chuckle. He looks at her face, which is full of intrigue. "Any more questions about my life? This is the first time you've taken interest."

"I've always been interested."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I just don't ask."

"Why not?" He sits up.

She pauses. "I figure it didn't matter because you wouldn't stick around."

He nods. "That's fair. So now that I've promised to stay, you want to know?"

She nods. "So what else do you do when you're at the studio?"

"Write lyrics, compose beats, learn choreography, eat, talk with the other members."

"Sounds like a dream."

"It's exhausting," he sighs. "Is Hobi still your bias?"

She shrugs. "I mean, I guess. I do know you better, obviously."

"And you think you knew him better than me before?" He looks at her, laughing at the thought that she 'knew' Hoseok before, probably only from his profile and answers and brief interviews.

"Well I only knew your name. And that was your stage name for that matter."

He smiles at the thought.

"Suga," she coos.

He laughs. "That's me."

"So, Suga, what's it like to be on a stage, rapping for tons of adoring fans?"

"It's something else, that's for sure," he smiles fondly. Without knowing it, she mimics his expression. But Yoongi takes note, however. "I like when you smile like that."

"Like what?"

"Like you are now."

She is now conscious of her expression. She smiles humbly now.

"Cute," he smiles softly, looking back up at the shelf she's still on. She turns pink, but only slightly. And idol thinking her smile is cute? It's a new concept to her.

"You smile now," she says. He breaks out his infamous gummy smile and it makes her heart beat quickly. Is he giving her butterflies? She shoves the thought away. "Sweet, Suga."

"Jiyeon?" He asks now.

"Yeah?"

"Don't call me that."

"But it's your name..."

"Stage name," he corrects. "The members don't even call me that, unless there are cameras around. My name is Yoongi, and that's what my friends call me."

"So I'm a friend?"

"You have been for a while," he states.