✔️ Unconditionally [Book 2] | Jeon Jungkook

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Hearing Jungkook's voice for the first time in almost two weeks woke Hyun-Ji from her light sleep in the early hours of the morning. It wasn't words she could decipher, but instead, an urgent moan followed by another. She quickly sat up in her couch bed and opened blurry eyes to see him looking around the room as if he was alarmed.

As if he was scared.

Nearly stumbling from her tiredness, she dashed over to his bedside. "Jungkook, baby, you're ok," she said, holding onto his hands that were once again reaching for the tubes in his body.

Feeling her skin against his, his eyes began to focus. With the sun only just beginning to rise, the room was still dim and Hyun-Ji began to regret turning all of the lights off before bed. He looked disoriented.

"I'm still here," she smiled, caressing his cheek as best she could around the oxygen mask covering his nose and mouth. Her other hand held his. Gradually, his breathing slowed, as well as the soft beeps of his heart monitor.

His contrasting eyes locked onto hers and he finally calmed completely. He blinked slowly several times, then his lips began to move to speak. Wearing the mask muffled his voice, making it inaudible, and he frowned in frustration.

His free hand slowly lifted in an attempt to remove it, but his movements were still lethargic. Seeing what he was trying to do, Hyun-Ji removed the mask for him. He was only required to wear it while sleeping anyway.

"Is that better?" She smiled.

Jungkook weakly smiled back, then his lips began to move again.

"An...gel," he murmured.

Hyun-Ji beamed. "Hyori? Yes, baby. She'll be here later this morning. Taehyungie has been taking care of her."

His smile fell and he slowly shook his head as he pointed at her. "You'...re Angel."

Hyun-Ji felt her heart swell. "I'm not an angel, Jungkookie."

He seemed to disagree. He nodded his emphasis, then began to point at himself. "I'm... dead."

His words instantly sent a chill through her body as flashes of him lying in the snow and covered in blood invaded her mind. She shook her head and held his hand tighter. Before she could refute him, he continued.

"This," he said, looking around the hospital room and slightly lifting the arm where his IV was placed, "...is hell."

Hyun-Ji was stunned into silence. It must be the pain medication he was routinely given that was causing his confusion.

Her brow knit together and she shook her head. "No, baby. You aren't—"

"You... protect me. Angel," he smiled. "Take me...with grandpa...grandma."

Her gaze followed as he pointed out of the window to the clouds that were now painted vibrant shades of pink and purple by the rising sun.

Jungkook grandparents, Haneul's mother and father, had died long ago.

Hyun-Ji looked back at his somber yet smiling face and tears began to prick her eyes. His expression was one that showed that he had finally accepted his fate and was ready to move on from this life to the next. She held his face between her hands and wiped away the tear that escaped his eye.

"You're alive, Jungkook. You're just in a hospital, and as soon as you're better I'm going to take you home. Ok?"

His brows lifted at her words and she could see him processing what she said. "I'm...not dead?"