Damned Royalty

Chapter 18

Days passed and Jinhyun's condition waivered by the hour. You thought for a moment you'd lost him, then you thought he'd make a full recovery. Then the status would change again. One thing for sure was that he had gone missing days ago, and that when he was found, he was beaten to the brink of death.

His parents were, of course, devastated and desperate for answers. So were your parents, and your friends, and you. You were going crazy trying to figure out what had happened. The incident put an even bigger strain on your life at home – your father terrified to even let you leave to go to work or to the hospital, nonetheless, meet Jimin. But you found your way to all those places regardless of their protests.

"So, there's been no change?" Jimin asked after you had given him the full update after you arrived at his apartment from visiting the hospital for the fourth time that week.

"I don't even know anymore," you sighed. "The doctors say so many things, I'm so twisted and exhausted from it all."

"Then why go?"

"Because, Jimin. He may not be my boyfriend anymore, but we were together for seven years. He's a good guy. I still care about him."

Jimin grimaced at your statement. He didn't like that you still carried Jinhyun with you. If it were up to him, he'd be out of your horizons entirely.

"Not like that, Jimin. Don't be jealous."

"I'm not. It's just... have you really thought about how he ended up this way? In a neighbourhood he shouldn't have been in – after missing for days?"

"What are you saying?" you pressed, a little snap in your voice.

"I'm just suggesting, perhaps he's not as good as you think he is."

You pursed your lips, holding yourself back from launching a comeback towards him – but he was right. Why was Jinhyun in Guri? No one seemed to have those answers.

"Can you find out?" you finally spoke.

"Find out what?"

"What happened to him? Can you ask around. You must have some connections." He sighed and you saw his shoulders tense. "Please, Jimin. We need to know what happened."

"Why? It's not going to change anything."

"Are you kidding me? He was beaten to a pulp! Someone needs to pay!"

He closed his eyes and pressed his palms into the counter of the kitchen – lost for a moment in strained thought.

"I'll take care of it," he whispered.

"What do you mean, you'll take care of it?"

"I said I'll take care of it," his voice rose an octave. "This is my neighbourhood. I'll find out what happened, and it'll be dealt with." You shut your mouth. Jimin hadn't raised his voice to you like that before and it sent a shiver down your spine. You didn't know what "take care of it" meant, but you knew it was probably best that you never found out.

A few more days passed, another surgery passed, and Jinhyun's rocky condition began to improve. The doctors insisted that all you could do for him at the moment was talk to him, encourage him, and wait for him to wake up. You tried your best to be there as much as you could, just waiting alongside his parents and the other occasional visitors. Then finally, the day arrived.

"He's awake! You should be here!" you got the call at work from Jinhyun's mother. You rushed to your father's office, letting him know of the news, then returned to your office to pack up your things, giving Jimin a quick call to update him.