Doppelgänger✔️

Danger

"Taehyung I strongly advise against you leaving. At least not for another 24 hours.."

The brow of the doctor at Taehyung's bedside creased hard as he regarded him with serious eyes. The air was tense and thinning within those four walls, seeming even smaller now that it was filled with the heavy presence of his grandmother.

And something else he chose not to acknowledge.

Taehyungs older sister Jia shifted uncomfortably on her feet from the corner, her arms crossed as she watched her grandmother and the broad-shouldered doctor square off.

"We don't have 24 hours to waste. The mark will only continue to spread." Halmi shakes her head. Taehyung's shoulder twitched in response to her words, a subtle reminder of the burning itch now creeping up his neck. He reaches up to scratch it vigorously, making everyone in the room frown.

The doctor sighs.

"The mark? Maam..." he begins, only to be stunned silent when the petite woman rounded the bed and stopped directly in front of him.

"Discharge my grandson now, please. Get up Taehyung. We are leaving..." she pulls back the thin sheet covering Taehyung's legs.

"Halmi..maybe we should think about this.." Jia finally speaks, having been silent since Jimin excused himself to give the family privacy. Her eyes were wide and rimmed with red due to being awoken suddenly and speeding to Seoul in the middle of the night. She was exhausted needless to say.

"No Jia. This isn't the place for him. They don't have what he needs. Only I can help him now..." her grandmother mumbled as she gently pushed at Taehyungs back, encouraging him to sit up weakly. Just as she pulls his arm over her shoulder, the doctor steps forward.

"Maam...with all due respect. Taehyung isn't a minor and you arent his medical proxy. You cant make this kind of decision..." He places a gentle hand at Taehyung's other shoulder, urging him to lay back.

Taehyung glanced between the doctor and his grandmother with wary eyes, then over his shoulder at a dumbfounded Jia.

Halmoni stares up at the doctor with her eyes coming together in slits, a challenge in her expression and her stance. Then suddenly the tension in her shoulders begins to thaw and she smiles.

"You're very right Doctor. It is Taehyungs decision. I shouldn't overstep. Of course, be should stay and allow you to do whatever tests you must conduct." She bows her head slightly in submission.

"But you see...I lost my son, his father several years ago. In a hospital much like this one and..." Halmi pauses as she begins to sniffle. Taehyung lifts his head when he feels his grandmother's shoulders shuddering beside him.

"..and I just worry about his children more and more now. I want to keep them close to me. Surely you understand Doctor. Especially if you are a parent yourself..." she lifts her trembling chin to meet the sympathetic eyes of the white coat towering over her.

The doctor lets out a sigh as he frowns at the sudden shift in her stance but doesn't question it, choosing to nod his head as he backs away from the bedside to give her some distance.

"All is well. I understand you're worried about your grandson's well-being. But he is in good hands and we will figure this out together." He smiles, almost arrogantly. He places a gentle hand on Halmi's shoulder as he spoke.

"We'll be back to take you up to CT to get a scan and then we'll administer some more tests." He looks to Taehyung, who nods wordlessly before turning to leave. Jia steps aside slowly as he passed her. She eyed her grandmother suspiciously, finding it odd that she suddenly had a change of heart about getting Taehyung out of there.