SOLDIER | K.TH

Fear in Two Ways

YOUMIN

"Taehyung?"

His eyes flash open from under the darkness of his cap. I blink at him, while he pushes his hat down lower.

"Are you okay?"

And he seems more loose, too. I'd almost got him twice— during the last hour we'd been training. And it was impossible to usually catch him off like that.

"Yeah. Focus."

I stop worrying by the time he knocks me off my feet again.

"Ah."

"Up." He motions, and I can't help but notice the shadows under his deep set eyes— only get deeper. "You lost your balance."

I plant my feet into the ground.

We exchange a few hits back and forth, but he sweeps my legs out from underneath me and I go toppling on the mat.

"You're not concentrating, Youmin. Concentrate."

I can't concentrate because of him.

"Y-Yeah, sorry."

And I'm about to shuffle back up the most unexpected thing happens.

He collapses onto me.

His eyes look completely unfocused now as he catches himself heavily on the ground. And my mouth just drops open in shock to how close we are.

"Fuck."

His body crumples on mine. And I just stay there, frozen like a deer caught in headlights as I swallow. He'd fainted— fainted.

"Hey!" I yelp, quickly scrambling out from under him and sitting up on the floor.

"Taehyung!"

My heart racing, I hurry to check his pulse and breaths liked I'd learned in class.

My forehead creases in confusion.

It's slow.

Shouldn't it be...fast? It should be faster than what I'm feeling right now, because he'd lost consciousness. I didn't understand.

I need to find a medic.

But I can't just leave him alone in the training room, because something could easily happen. And there was no way I could get him there either.

"Hello?!"

I cup my hands around my lips.

"Help—"

But then I stop. Fear starts to climb up in the back of my throat, and I peek my head out the door.

There's no one in the halls, being almost nine at night.

And I don't know what to do.

"Hello!" I call again, glancing nervously back at Taehyung. He's still motionless, and I yell louder.

"Youmin..."

"Stop the damn yelling, please."

A furious blush coats my cheeks as I scramble back over to him. His eyes are slit open, face paler than usual.

"Are you okay?"

He gives me a bitter look. "If only you'd let me sleep last night. This wouldn't have happened then."