ᴀʙᴅᴜᴄᴛᴇᴅ

Chapter 23

Everyone had returned to their dorms with the necessary security required.

Everyone except Yeonjun had been discharged and were sitting with their members.

Jungkook was tossing and turning in his bed. He couldn't sleep because of the nightmares he would have to experience. He bit his lips. He was frightened of sleeping alone but didn't want to burden the others.

He thought about how Taehyung might be surviving. The kidnappers were ruthless so he was feeling even more guilty for leaving his hyung there. It had been days, but the police couldn't track down the kidnappers.

He felt a tear fall from the corner of his eyes as it trailed down his cheek and then fell on the pillow. Slowly, a wet patch started forming on the pillowcase. He would always get nightmares after that terrible experience. He couldn't bring himself to eat. The regret and guilt had been eating him alive.

He heard a creak. A small ray of light illuminated his dark messy room.

"Jungkook?"

That voice...
That was Jin.

Jungkook quickly rubbed his eyes so that his hyung wouldn't have to take tension because of him. They already were quite tensed because of Taehyung and the kidnapping case. He just couldn't bring himself to burden them anymore.

His back was facing Jin as he laid there and pretended to sleep. He heard soft footsteps coming towards his bed. He went completely still as the bed dipped besides him.

"Jungkook... I know you are not sleeping. You don't need to pretend..."

Jungkook knew he couldn't fool his hyung, then also he had tried. His hyung knew him so well that he could tell whether Jungkook was pretending or not.

He slowly opened his eyes to see his hyung in his pajamas, looking tired and sleepy.

Jungkook didn't dare to speak first since he knew he voice would crack.

Jin looked at him with fondness in his eyes. He patted the maknae on the head and started caressing over his cheek. Jungkook nuzzled into his touch. There was such a huge difference between the caressing of his hyung and the kidnappers. On the thought of the kidnappers, he shuddered.

"What happened Jungkook-ah? Why are you still awake? It's late", said Jin.

Jungkook looked at the clock on the wall which was at that moment illuminated because of the light from the doorway. The time was 2:00 am.

Jungkook had not known that so much time had passed since he was thinking about the whole thing. He couldn't see the clock in the dark but thanks to the dim light, it was visible.

"Jungkook speak to hyung... What are you thinking about?"

He looked at his hyung. As Jin started asking him constantly, he couldn't stop himself. The dam broke. Jin immediately took him in his embrace. The latter cried into the former's arms.

Jin patted his head and back while rocking him back and forth a little.

"Shh... It's ok Jungkook-ah. I am here. We are here for you. Everything will be fine"

Jungkook felt deja vu at that moment. He remembered when his teen self used to be comforted by his eldest hyung. After he got more mature, he had stopped crying and cuddling.

Oh... How much he had missed it...

At that instant, he wasn't Jeon Jungkook of BTS and the heartthrob of Army but the maknae of his hyungs, a human, a person who feels emotions.

"Hyung... H-Hyung... I can't do this anymore... It i-is my... fa-fault that Tae hyung... is w-with the k-ki-kidnappers... M-My own fault..."

Jungkook just sobbed into Jin's chest. Jin continued rocking him as he spoke.
"Jungkook-ah it's not your fault. None of us are to blame ourselves. Those bastards are the ones who are at fault. Not you... Never you..."

Jungkook's sobs gradually ceased into small sniffles as the time passed.

"H-hyung?"
"Yes Kook-ah", replied Jin.
"Why were you up so late? And not only that, you also came into my room today. Why?" Jungkook looked at his hyung with his teary doe eyes.

Jin wiped his tears.
"I actually woke up to get water for myself. But I thought of checking all of you. So yeah... I was here", replied Jin.

Jungkook hummed as the other slowly ruffled his hair.

"Hyung... You won't leave me right??"
"No Kook-ah. I would never."

Jin kissed the crown of his head as he resumed rocking him. He hummed a lullaby his mother would sing for him in his childhood.

Slowly, due to exhaustion and the soothing voice of his hyung, Jungkook fell asleep. Jin stayed still and silent as Jungkook slept. He slowly and carefully checked his face. Jungkook looked like a child inside a grown up's body.

Jin slowly laid Jungkook down as he maneuvered the latter in the position which was the most comfortable for the both of them. Jin had tears in his eyes. He never showed his own burdens and tensions to others, but behind their back he always cries. He had lied to Jungkook.

He wasn't up to get water for himself or something. He had a horrible nightmare in which all of the members were killed brutally. He had woken up immediately as cold sweat covered his body. He had ran to every single room to check on the members to reassure himself. That is how he had entered Jungkook's room.

He couldn't believe Taehyung was still in the grasps of the kidnappers. He didn't know what would happen next.

He shook his head a little as he came out of the daze. He realised that he hadn't switched off the lights and hadn't closed the door either. But seeing the maknae sleeping, clutching onto Jin's shirt, he didn't have the heart to leave him there. Jin just closed his eyes as he let sleep overcome him.

But they both didn't know that one person was standing at the doorway, hiding behind the wall, softly gazing at their interaction.

It was Suga.

He slowly wiped his own tears as he carefully closed the door and switched off the lights to go to his own room.