broken ghosts

part nineteen

"Let's now begin this trial against Jung Hoseok."

-

— 51 days before

Morning were the worst. You could think falling asleep would be the worst because you know you're about to face your nightmares and you are alone, thinking again and again about the demons haunting you until late at night, but mornings are worse.

Waking up in a cold bed. Opening your eyes to see an empty room. And suddenly, as sleep fades away, everything hits you again. It hits you harder than at night when you think about what hurts. It hits harder because you were in such a peaceful state of mind and suddenly, everything is back. The pain, the sadness, the emptiness. And you're left there, lying in an empty bed, gazing at the ceiling as you feel like suffocating.

It hits harder because you realize it wasn't just a nightmare and you have to go on with your day as if it was. As if nothing had happened and you weren't broken. As if the smile on your face had ever been real.

-

— 41 days before

This day, you had been informed the police managed to link Hoseok to a house in a forest near your city. It made everything more real. Your nightmare, the three years spent locked in there, the guilt of Hoseok. It all felt more real.

JUNGKOOK'S FOCUS

3:47am
Jungkook was sleeping on Taehyung's couch, as he had been doing for a month. He still wasn't sure about his relationship with Soyeon so he just let her have the apartment for now while he stayed at his best friend's place.

This night, he was woken up by his phone ringing next to him. At first he thought about ignoring whoever was calling, but then the anxiousness about what happened to you came back to him as usual and he checked who was calling. When he read your name on his phone, his heart missed a beat and he immediately picked up, trying to keep his breath calm.

"Y/N ?" he whispered, his heartbeat echoing in his ears while you stayed silent. That's only when he heard you sniffling he understood why you called.

Years ago, you promised each other to always pick up the call when one of you would be too sad to even say anything, and just wait until you would eventually fall asleep. And with what happened the day before, he understood why you would call at 4am and not say anything, your words stuck inside because of your sadness.

He shifted to a comfortable position, his phone next to his ear, and he listened to your silence without saying anything, just letting you know he was there by the sound of his calm breath.

He hoped he was still important enough to calm you down just by knowing he was there for you in the middle of the night. He hoped you were listening to his breath and that made your tears stop and your heart less heavy. He hoped he was still your comfort place just like he used to be, before.

-

— 31 days before

You went to the police station to talk about what would happen the next month, how the trial would go and how you should prepare to it. After finishing your meeting with an officer and your lawyer, you waited for the elevator to leave the place.

When the doors opened though, you froze looking inside the elevator. Hoseok was staring at you with wide eyes, dark bags under his eyes and surrounded by two officers holding him in place. You stayed still, unable to say or do anything in his presence.

"I never meant to hurt you," he whispered just before the doors closed again, turning your blood cold. You remained paralyzed for a few seconds even after the elevator left, your whole body feeling cold suddenly. When finally you came back to your mind, you took the stairs on the verge of tears, Hoseok's face haunting your mind.