✔️ Unconditionally [Book 2] | Jeon Jungkook

• 19 •

-- ∞ --

Hyun-Ji walked into the nursery to find her daughter already awake, bright-eyed and ready for the day.

Smiling once more.

The past week had been a tough one. Hyori had both a cold and an ear infection and refused to sleep in her bed for two additional nights. She was so miserable from the congestion that Jungkook indulged his Angel, but by the fourth night, he was ready to have Hyun-Ji to himself again. She was understandably busy with school work now, so bedtime was sacred to him, as it was the only time he had alone with her.

Hyun-Ji couldn't blame Hyori at all, though. She liked to fall asleep on Jungkook's chest too.

While she fought off her illness, Jungkook doted on her even more than usual. From giving her cuddles while he read his textbook to sitting in the bathroom with the shower turned to full heat so that the steam would help her to breathe better, anything to make her feel better is what he did. When they were home, he never left her side and Hyori clung to him so fiercely that Hyun-Ji wondered with a chuckle if he had become her favorite.

Favorite or no, when Hyori saw her mother coming for her, her legs flutter kicked and she cooed as if to say 'good morning, mommy.'

'I'm feeling much better.'

"Good morning, Angel!" Hyun-Ji answered happily.

She scooped her from her crib and planted kiss after kiss on her plump cheek. "Let's go wake daddy up for class," she said, tickled that the child was the one waking the parent up for school. Hyori babbled up a storm, and Hyun-Ji encouraged her to say 'mama' as they walked to the next bedroom.

"Wake up, daddy," she smiled. "It's your turn in the bathroom."

He mumbled an incoherent reply, and Hyun-Ji left to start Hyori's day with breakfast. She smiled down at her while she nursed, happy that she could finally breathe properly again. It was hard trying to feed a fussy, hungry child that couldn't breathe through her nose.

Changed, clothed, and ready for Areum's arrival, Hyun-Ji carried her daughter on her hip and went back to check on Jungkook. It wasn't like him to linger in bed quite this long. He still hadn't made it to the bathroom yet.

She gently sat down beside him and stroked his hair at the back of his head, the only part of him exposed from under the mountain of blankets he'd covered himself in. "We're going to be late if you keep sleeping in," she smiled.

"I'm up." His groan was muffled by his face being planted into the pillow. How could he even breathe like that?

"You're not up."

He groaned as he slowly came to sit and brought the blanket up to his neck. "I'm up," he said, his eyes still closed. "I just need five more minutes..."

Hyun-Ji took one look at him and gasped. His eyes were puffy, his face unnaturally pale, and his nose a vibrant red.

"Baby!" She brushed his fringe away from his face and as she feared, it was hot to the touch.

No wonder Hyori was feeling better. She had shared the wealth with her favorite person and now Jungkook was sick.

"Hm?" He said, his voice heartbreakingly small.

"You're sick."

She moved her hand to his cheek and he shivered from the coolness of her touch. "I'll be ok once I get moving."