Once Again

59

Jin felt something inside him shrivel and curl into a fetal position when Jungkook reacted strongly to the name Kim Seokjin.

So he does know me, Jin thought to himself. It seems he knows me even before I met Taehyung.

To be honest, Jin doesn't remember the name Kim Seokjin but he had seen it on the nametag in the vision of himself wearing the green scrubs. When he was contemplating how to get Jungkook to be honest with him, he had had the idea to say the name out loud to the other man to gauge his reaction.

Jungkook's reaction had been quite satisfying but now it added even more questions in Jin's mind. Still, there was one question that he was afraid to address. One question that would destroy his world if he asked Jungkook and the man said yes.

Jungkook, are you the reason I killed myself three years ago?

So Jin pretended not to notice Jungkook's shocked eyes, and busied himself with grabbing paper towels and making his way to the still frozen man while avoiding the shards of broken glass on the floor.

"Jungkook-san! You're bleeding!"

He pulled Jungkook over to the other side of the kitchen island, sat him down on one of the tall stools, and began dabbing at the bloody cuts on the man's feet. He felt, rather than saw, when Jungkook finally stirred to life. He flinched when the other tried to touch his face.

"Jinnie..."

Though the name was said in a hushed whisper, Jin still heard it, and it made his heart hurt. He remembered hearing Jungkook calling him that at the waterpark after the pool accident but he had dismissed it as a hallucination brought on by shock because when he heard the name on Jungkook's lips, it had caused an intense longing in his chest.

"Jinnie please..."

Jungkook whispered as he tried to touch Jin's face once more but Jin quickly moved away. He went over to the kitchen sink, and opened the cabinet door below to pull out the under-sink rubbish bin. He threw away the bloody paper towels before washing his hands clean.

"I need to wash your cuts and disinfect them, Jungkook-san. Wait here while I fetch the first aid kit."

"Jinnie..."

There it was again — that name. And the feeling he felt before was back.

Jin unconsciously rubbed his chest to ease the intense longing at hearing Jungkook call him by that name. He didn't want to feel this way. It made him feel guilty and ashamed towards Taehyung so he ran from the kitchen to the bedroom that he had woken up in. He locked himself in the ensuite bathroom and took a deep breath as he gripped the marble sink and stared at himself in the mirror.

"Who are you? Are you really Kim Seokjin?"