Nyctophilia // A Taekook Story

T H I R T Y - N I N E

"I used to work at Delta Hospitals with my girlfriend, but Eun-Hee called me one day and said, 'I need you to transfer to my hospital to take care of a patient.' I didn't understand why she asked me when there were so many other doctors that worked under her," Chanwoo explained, twisting a silver thread that was around his right wrist.

Taehyung's head was rested on Jungkook's shoulder. His eyes were a cherry red from crying, but they were also dried, thanks to the ravenette's cold thumbs. The three men were sitting at an outdoor table, Jungkook and Taehyung on one bench facing Chanwoo.

The blue-eyed male had apologized sincerely for making Taehyung cry, but the brunette had simply chuckled replying with, "It's not your fault. You don't need to apologize."

Jungkook kept rubbing circles on Taehyung's waist, his glare on Chanwoo never faltering even after ordering him to tell the boys everything he knew about Taehyung.

"But she's my half-sister, and she sounded so desperate. I was genuinely so worried because her voice kept breaking every time she tried to explain something to me," Chanwoo sighed sadly, reminiscing the past.

"When I got there, she looked like an absolute mess. Which isn't normal for her. Eun-Hee is the toughest person I know, so when I saw her so sleep-deprived with red, puffy eyes, I just couldn't get myself to say no."

Chanwoo continued, swirling his iced Americano with the dark green straw, "She said the entire operation was supposed to be a complete secret. No one was even supposed to know you were admitted to our hospital. We made your name 'Vante' on the records, so no one could trace you down."

"Who made that decision?" Jungkook asked coldly. "Who made the decision to keep Taehyung's medical records so private that even he can't access them?"

"I-I'm not sure, Jungkook. Like I said earlier, I was only helping out Eun-Hee by being his designated doctor. All of Tae's information, she kept that to herself. I tried to ask, but she just responded with, 'This is what the family wants.'" Chanwoo couldn't find it in him to look into Jungkook's eyes.

"What happened to me?" Taehyung whispered, his voice hoarse like the voice of a crying bird. The other two men glanced at him. "Why was I in the hospital in the first place?" The brunette lifted his head off Jungkook's tear-stained shoulder, boring his stormy eyes into Chanwoo's.

Chanwoo didn't look away. "You were in a car accident."

Pain ripped through Taehyung's skull like a drill penetrating into the ground. His breath was stolen from his lungs so fast Taehyung's throbbing head spun like he was in Wonderland. He gripped the wooden table in front of him, and slammed his eyes eyes shut as a tearing sensation gnawed at his entire body.

You were in a car accident. Car accident. Accident.

Colors blinded Taehyung's vision as he gritted his teeth, and voices were quick to follow.

"We already talked about this, Taehyung," a far too familiar voice sighed tiredly.

"We didn't talk about it, Min-jun. You decided for yourself without asking for my opinion. But that's not new, is it?" another voice—Taehyung's—spat.

The two men were sitting in a pristine car with coffee-colored leather as Min-jun—who sat in the driver's seat—drove the vehicle speedily.

"Kim Taehyung. Stop acting like a fucking bitch. We're not breaking up," Min-jun growled, his tan hands tightening on the steering wheel to the point that his knuckles turned a ghostly white. His sapphire eyes didn't leave the road as he talked.

"I'm so fucking done with you!" Taehyung threw his hands up, his thin, pale gold rings glinting. "Why don't you understand we're not good for each other, Min-jun? This—what we have right here—is not fucking love! Do you want to keep breaking each other apart with these lies?"