Unpunished/Vkook ff

Chapter 38: Truth

Jungkook's P.O.V

They rushed Mr. Kim to the hospital. We sat in the waiting room, walls pale, faces blue, and the air, heavy— as if I was breathing in a smoky cloud of anxieties. Mrs. Kim was holding her sons' hands, sending a prayer. Taehyung shut his eyes to join his mother. Dohyun was staring at them with tears.

"Your father had gone through so much," I told the little boy while rubbing his back. "I'm sure that was nothing he can't handle."

Though my words sounded confident and reassuring, when talking, my jaw kept shaking uncontrollably. The memory of Mr. Kim laying helplessly on the floor, body in an awkward position and eyes shifting around almost mindlessly before focusing on the stranger comforting his horrified sons, insisted on staying within my head. His wife's screams of panic, the cries, the begging for help on the phone, and the frozen, close to lost look on Dohyun's face, were all the same. The terror, I feared, could haunt me forever.

Never in my life did I think I'd have to witness such scenes. Never in my life did I think I'd be there when it'd happen. I couldn't fathom it'd affect somebody I'd care about; it seemed impossible.

And Taehyung had the misfortune to have seen it all before, then watch it all anew.

"Mrs. Kim?"

Said woman let go of the two and jumped up. "Please... Please tell me my husband is okay..." she pleaded.

"You can calm down. Our doctor has examined the injuries, and thankfully, they were all minor," the nurse said. "It was a harsh fall yet with no significant damage."

The mother sighed in relief. "Oh, thank you, Lord! Thank you!"

One of her sons did not rush to share the joy. Taehyung rested an arm on my shoulder, his other hand playing with his chin. "Odd..." he mumbled. "Miss, may you please tell us what had happened?"

"Your father fell off of his wheelchair, sir."

"I'm aware, but how?" he asked.

"According to Mr. Kim, he was trying to get up again."

The family exchanged a few bewildered glances, struggling to process. At last, Mrs. Kim had addressed the elephant in the room. "According to him? He'd told you that?"

Her oldest son followed suit. "Again?" he repeated the nurse's words.

"We understand he was trying to train himself to move and speak as there's no money for professional therapy. Mr. Kim's been told to be more careful, and I advise he'd have somebody near him during future attempts," said the nurse.

"He can talk?!" Dohyun seemed to had just caught on.

"Barley and slowly. We waited a while for him to structure a sentence... Did you not know that?" she questioned. They shook their heads. "Well... Your father is recovering, and these are great news, are they not? You can visit him, the room is over there, and... Excuse me, I've got to go."

The family began walking towards the door the girl had pointed at, and I joined them, keeping near Taehyung. He was following the others, Doh hopping cheerfully and his mother calm, only his head lowered.

"Why didn't he tell us anything?" Taehyung asked quietly. "Even if it's hard for him to say it, a single move, anything, could be enough."

"I'm sure there's an explanation, Tae," I said. "Aren't you happy?"

"I've been longing to have a conversation with him for years, yet he gave me nothing more than a blank stare. Could he listen? Hear me? All this time, I had no clue."