SCARRED | TK

Chapter Eighteen

"And all the roads we have to walk are winding
And all the lights that lead us there are blinding
There are many things that I would like to say to you, but I don't know how

Because maybe
You're gonna be the one that saves me
And after all
You're my wonderwall."

Taehyung often had dreams in which Jimin appeared ahead of him, dressed in his usual medical attire he was so used to see him wearing. In his dreams, Jimin spoke to him calmly in that soft voice of his, while they strolled the hallways of the hospital, ate or watched movies together. Taehyung loved those dreams of his late fiance, but they all ended with Jimin laying on that hospital bed that he had grown to hate over time.

However, that night, as he laid under the night sky by Jeongguk's side, he and Jimin were seen sitting on the couch, cuddling and talking for hours about their future. Taehyung wished that that dream would never end, but at some point, a mischievous smirk which belonged to a different person flashed through his mind, making him break away from his fiance's embrace. Taehyung  couldn't remember what words Jimin whispered to him as he gave him one last hug before getting off the couch, but he could remember his feelings—shock, despair and hope. The doctor watched him walk out the door, but he didn't get up to follow Jimin, like he usually did in those dreams. Instead, he turned to look at the couch on which Jimin had been sitting, but his room no longer surrounded him.

Instead, Taehyung found himself in an open space filled with nature and, as he looked at the surrounding green trees curiously and discovered more and more flowers and animals, he began to laugh. He couldn't picture the last time his laughter had been so filled with joy and hope.

The feeling was somehow soothing.

And familiar. But it felt distant—like he had felt that way before, in another life. It felt oddly similar to those feelings of deja vu.

As he gazed around, Taehyung noticed a trail ahead of him, one that seemed to lead to a faraway hill on which a large tree could be seen. As he stared at the ground beneath his feet, he noticed a pair of footsteps that were already fading, showing him that, whoever it was who had walked that path, had passed it a long time ago. He curiously followed the footsteps, realizing that they seemed to lead him into a clearing illuminated by the sun. White flowers could be seen all around him, the bright rays caressing them in a way that seemed almost gentle. The scenery ahead of him, Taehyung realized, seemed to resemble how Heaven was supposed to look like.

In his dream, Taehyung crouched down to pick a flower, only to realize that he's seen those flowers before—those were the flowers that seemed to follow Jeongguk everywhere he went. He was on the verge of breaking one when a breeze of hair ruffled his hair, bringing with its refreshing touch a gentle voice as well.

It was familiar.

"Do not break them." The voice had whispered, making Taehyung stand up to glance around, searching for its owner.

He could see a person ahead of him, sitting in the middle of the clearing, on his knees, with his back turned to him. He was dressed in white clothes that seemed to be made of petals as well—gentle and fragile. His hair was brown and ruffled by the wind but there was something familiar about his silhouette.

And about the scars he could notice through the see-through shirt he was wearing.

Taehyung tried to walk towards him but, no matter how many steps he took or how fast he ran, he couldn't reach him. Exhaustion made him stop at one point and, as he fell on the ground, the man let out a giggle.