A Love That Will Last Forever || Taehyung x Reader

L

Hyerin hasn't come by in three days and you were starting to get worried. It was unusual for you to go a day without seeing her, never mind three. It was today that you finally decided to ask a nurse about the younger girl.

"Miss Kim? Well, she went home two days ago but was admitted back in this morning," the nurse informed you.

"Went home?" you inquired.

"Yes, she goes home quite often. Sometimes it's only for short periods, like this time, and other times it can be as long as a few months. It really depends on what her condition is like," the nurse answered.

"Did something happen for her to come back then?" you asked. What if she had gotten hurt? Despite knowing the girl for two weeks now, Hyerin had never told you why she was actually in the hospital. Although you couldn't blame her—it's not like you had told her your own issues yet.

"I know you're concerned but it really isn't my place to tell you, I apologize. I think it'd be best if you ask Hyerin directly. After all, I'm sure she'd rather tell you herself about what's going on with her rather than someone else tell you," the nurse said with an apologetic smile.

"No, no, I completely understand. Thank you for the help, anyways."

"I could bring her in for you if you'd like? Granted she's feeling up to moving around," the nurse offered. Feeling up to moving around? What was that supposed to mean?

"That would be wonderful, thank you," you replied with a smile.

The nurse nodded before exiting the room. You really hoped Hyerin would be willing to come. For all you knew, the girl could've fallen and broken her legs or something worse. You glanced over at the orchid the girl had gifted you with. One of the petals had fallen off so you reached over to pick it off the table and stuffed it into the pot. Before moving back into a comfortable position, you caught yourself staring at the orchid longingly. Hyerin's words suddenly floated through your mind.

"Whenever you miss me, just look to this flower. You may not believe it, but I'll know when you need me if you tell it."

You shook your head, feeling silly that you were actually debating whether to talk to a plant or not. Apparently you were more desperate to see the girl than you originally thought.

"Miss (L/n)?" You looked at the door to see that the nurse had returned. "Miss Kim has come to see you."

You weren't quite sure what came over you, but suddenly you were jumping to your feet and stalking over to the door. Behind the nurse was Hyerin, looking the same as she did when you had last seen her. The nurse slipped out of the room as Hyerin came closer to you. You two stared at each other in silence, your breaths being the only sounds to fill the quietness.

"Where have you been? Are you okay? Did you get hurt? Why didn't you tell me you were going home?" You bombarded the brunette with questions. You felt a bit guilty, but you were unable to control the outburst.

"I'm so sorry, (Y/n). I would've told you I was going home but it totally slipped my mind. I promise it won't happen again," Hyerin said, her head hanging low as if she were ashamed.

"No, don't apologize. I'm sorry, I'm making it sound like I'm upset about this when I'm not. I was just really worried when you hadn't come to see me and thought something bad might've happened," you said, stepping closer to wrap your arms around the girl.

Hyerin looked up at you with an unreadable expression before slowly pulling away from the hug. She grabbed your hand and pointed to your bed.

"Let's go sit down. I don't think I've ever seen you up for this long and it's freaking me out," she said with a small giggle.

You nodded and allowed the girl to guide you back to the bed. After you both took a seat at the edge, you waited patiently for Hyerin to speak. It seemed like the girl wanted to say something and you weren't going to push her this time.

"So before I tell the story about what happened, I think you should know about my condition first," Hyerin began and you nodded. "I have a severe case of coronary artery disease. Basically, it's where I have a bunch of plaque on my inner artery walls and this can cause problems with my blood flow. My father's side of the family is known for having heart problems and such, so it's not really that surprising I ended up with this. I come in and out of the hospital frequently depending on the severity of my symptoms."

You stared at the girl in shock for a moment, unable to find your voice. "S-So, did something bad happen this time?"

Hyerin looked up to the ceiling with a thoughtful expression. "I mean, I guess? I went home and everything was pretty normal at first. But then this morning I woke up with really bad chest pains. They're called angina and I get them every now and then, but for some reason they felt really bad today. They definitely aren't the worst that's happened to me, though. I mean, a couple of days before I met you I had suffered from a heart attack."

"Oh my God," you whispered, covering your mouth. This young girl had to deal with heart attacks? At her age? The girl was seventeen, how could life be so cruel to her?

"Ah, it's not like they're a regular thing. The heart attacks aren't common and I've only had a few before."

"It doesn't matter, you're still too young to be going through this!" you exclaimed.

"(Y/n)." Hyerin grabbed onto your wrist gently, giving a reassuring smile. "It's okay, it doesn't bug me so you shouldn't let it bother you."

If only her eyes said the same.