BEFRIENDING DEATH ᵗᵃᵉᵏᵒᵒᵏ

Existential Crisis

JEON Jungkook wakes up confused.

The annoying sound of his alarm is missing, replaced by a steadily slow beeping sound. The room isn't dark like how he usually wakes up to, it is bright and everything's white. It looks clean and sterile unlike his room back home. The sheets grazing against his skin is unfamiliar, a little more comfortable than his back home.

Jungkook tries to sit up, but his body just won't let him. He feels this sudden urge of tiredness rule over his body every time he tries to move, but he knows he can't stay still any longer. He needs to figure out just about everything. So he sits up, blatantly ignoring the excruciating pain in his head. After calming down with deep rhythmic breaths, he finally takes his time examining the room.

Everything around him is austere. The bed he's lying on is placed just perfectly symmetrical to everything else in the room. A couch and two armchairs are right in front of him. Potted plants sit at every corner of the room and little table lamps fill up every drawer and dresser. The curtains on the huge glass window allow the light blue sky to show just enough for Jungkook to figure it's almost noon.

Groaning, he squints his eyes shut trying to remember what exactly happened to him that has led him to this expensive-looking hospital room. He groans once again when he realizes how much this room would cost. I didn't even ask to be in this fancy room, he mentally whines.

"Everything's going to be okay." Jungkook had heard someone said that in his ear last night, but who? All he remembers is that he was dead. He knows he was dead; he saw himself lying on the floor all bloody and pale, but he can't seem to remember what happens after that. It's like a huge blank is left in his memory right now and Jungkook is anxious on filling in the blanks.

The brunet rubs his eyes sleepily before reaching his feet down to leave the bed. As his toes touch the cold, marble floor, a shiver runs down his spine. Ignoring the chills, Jungkook makes his way towards the huge LED TV on the other side of the room, not forgetting to bring his IV stand along. Once he's standing before the TV, his reflection on the black screen successfully creeps himself out.

He is dressed in a white hospital gown that emits the smell of detergent all too well. His face is pale, his lips chapped, and his eye bags are a little too swollen for his liking. His hair is a tangled mess of brown locks and his arms show sleep lines as a trace of the deep sleep he just woke out of. He finally notices how his veins on his arms are too visible, almost prominent. His fingers trace the wrist he remembered cutting yesterday, which is now wrapped in bandages. Was it really just yesterday? How long have I been out anyway? Thousands more questions replace one another in his head but before he even gets to stop his thoughts, a knock on the door interrupts the silent stillness of the room.

Three people came in; a doctor and two nurses, all women. They look confused for a second to find the bed empty but once the doctor's eyes meet Jungkook's, a wide grin takes over her face.

"Hi, there!" Her voice sounds strangely cheery, contrasting to the dull atmosphere of the hospital room. "I'm Dr. May and what are you doing out of bed?" She says as she lends out her two hands towards Jungkook. She didn't even let Jungkook form a response as she continues, "Come on, let's get you back to your bed." One of the nurses rushes to help Jungkook with his IV stand while the other simply tidies the bed.

"It's alright," Jungkook tries to reject the nurse's help but stops himself as he realizes it won't make any difference.

As the three of them make their way to the bed, Dr. May rests her arm on Jungkook's shoulder. "Mr. Jeon, you are a very lucky man. It really is a miracle you're still alive, young boy. I'm not supposed to say this, but we still haven't really figured out what happened to you." A laugh escapes the doctor's red-tainted lips earning a puzzled glare from one of the nurses.

"What do you mean?" Jungkook asks, feeling perplexed more than ever. He complies when the nurse asked him to lie down. The other nurse pulls a chair for the doctor to sit on and then goes straight back to standing perfectly still with her arms together.

Dr. May displayed a soft smile, "When they found you, you were as good as dead, but then all of a sudden your heart starts beating again." The doctor says.

"They? Who's 'they'?"

"The emergency team, of course."

"Wait, how do they even found me?" His eyes trail off to the floor as he tries to remember the particular night, "I didn't call the hospital. . and I was alone,"

"Everything's going to be okay." Jungkook could've sworn he heard someone said that the night he killed himself. He knows because no one has said that to him in a very, very long time. Was it just one of the medics?

"I-I think." Jungkook quickly adds.

"Well, someone must've called because here you are now; alive and healthy. A little bit pale, but you're fine!" Dr. May laughs for the nth time. She just seems so. . . happy and it's bothering Jungkook slightly. Probably because he's upset, being put back in the world he had tried to escape more than once. Jungkook's eyes follow the doctor as she goes and opens the curtain in one swift motion. "You know, you're supposed to be locked up in a suicide room by now because of a suicide attempt but thank god you don't have to go through the horror of having someone watching you 24/7."

"W-What-"

"Unfortunately, Mr. Jeon, we weren't able to contact any of your family or friends," She sits back down with a squeak of the chair. "But a kind, amazingly hot man with the name Kim Taehyung-"

They were interrupted when the nurse standing near the door suddenly broke into a pit of coughs. Her face is instantly red, frantically fanning herself in a poor attempt to cover it.

"Is she okay? A-Are you okay?" Jungkook sits up slightly, concern filled his thoughts and the doctor along with the other nurse are just as concerned.

"I'm fine. Just choked on my saliva. It happens sometimes." She manages to say as she regains her composure.

"Anyway," Dr. May says, changing back the topic. "Mr. Kim paid for all of your treatments and medications. Do you know this man?"

"No."

"Are you sure?" He nods. "Well, get to know him then! He paid a good amount of money for your stay in here."

That reminds Jungkook. . . "How long exactly have I been staying here?"

She checked the clipboard for a brief moment before seeming to count with her fingers. "You slept for two whole days. Thank god you actually woke up today or something must've gone wrong."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. Totally serious."

Jungkook gulps. His throat feels dry all of a sudden. I've been out for two days. I missed work-Damn it! I missed work. Humpty-dumpty is going to kill me.

"This man; Kim Taehyung, can I see him?"

"Why yes, of course. We'll let him know you're looking for him. Now," Dr. May pats her laps and stands up, clutching her clipboard in her pale arms. "Get some rest, Jungkook. If you need anything just press the red button right there, okay?" She points to the nurse call button.

Jungkook doesn't know what's more uncomfortable: knowing a stranger paid all of his medical bills or Dr. May calling him by his first name.

He manages a small 'thanks' just as the three people in white exits the room. Then it is quiet again. Jungkook enjoys the silence for a bit more. Resting his head back on the pillow, he finally starts wondering again: What happened? Whenever he tried to think of what could possibly happen the night he died, nothing made sense to him. Even the doctors couldn't explain. What brought him back? Who brought him back? Why? How?

One thing that Jungkook's sure of, though, is that whoever brought him back to life is going to pay.