Jungkook's POV:
As I entered the room with uneasiness, the familiar scent of antiseptic filled my nostrils, a stark reminder of the clinical reality I was about to face.
The soft sound of her mumbling something under her breath echoed in the room. As she noticed my presence, she stopped her mumbling and looked at me, scanning me from head to toe.
Her gaze wasn't the admiring one like any other fan I had met in the past, but searching, demanding, full of pain and confusion.
I took a deep breath, trying to steady my racing heart. This was not the adulation I was used to; this was something raw, something real.
I approached her bedside, my footsteps barely making a sound on the pristine floor. Taking a seat beside her, my mind raced about how to start a conversation. Just then, I heard her voice, a fragile whisper, "You're Jeon Jungkook, right?" she asked me without looking at me.
I didn't know what was going on in her mind. "Y-yes," I said, my voice matching hers, barely rising above a whisper, as I feared that any wrong action of mine might trigger another panic attack.
She locked her gaze with mine. Her eyes, tearful and brimming with a tumult of emotions, searched my face.
She looked like a lost child, and I felt an overwhelming urge to protect her from the world. She asked me again, hope flickering in her eyes, "And you don't know me, right?" She looked at me as if waiting for me to deny it, but with a heavy heart, I dashed her hopes.
I nodded, and she closed her eyes, letting the tears she had been holding back fall freely. Her face held a look of disappointment.
Her expression showed pain, a sense of betrayal... It was the same expression she had at the fan meeting when I confessed about having a girlfriend.
My heart raced. What should I do now? Should I call Mrs. Lee? My thoughts were interrupted by her soft voice, "Then answer me..." She looked straight into my eyes, and I felt weak under her piercing gaze.
"When I don't remember anything-my name, my family, my friends... anything. But you. How do I remember your name?"
Her questions sounded more like accusations to me, as if she were blaming me for her not remembering. My heart clenched at her vulnerability.
If she hadn't lost her memory in the car accident, she wouldn't be like this! I quickly tried to explain to her, "Look, it's because... it's because I'm your idol."
Huh?" she blurted out, her voice a cocktail of confusion and rising anger. The word hung in the air, sharp and sudden.
I froze, realizing my blunder. She had lost her memory, how could she possibly remember that I'm her idol? The awkwardness settled like a thick fog between us.
I scrambled to correct myself. "No... umm... what I mean is... you're my fan," I stammered, each word feeling heavier than the last.
I regretted hearing my own words. I could feel the heat of embarrassment creeping up my neck. 'Fuck you Jungkook, Get it together,' I chastised myself, squeezing my eyes shut. How could I have been so careless, so utterly thoughtless?
Her gaze was unwavering, a silent challenge. I could see the muscles in her jaw clench, the slight tremble of her lips as she fought back the emotions that threatened to overwhelm her.
The air was charged with tension, the only sound our synchronized breathing and the distant beeping of the heart monitor.
Before I could even think of anything, I felt a sting of pain on my cheek, and my head snapped to the side. I touched my face in disbelief. I looked at her with shock as I realized that she had just slapped me!
In my whole life, no one had ever treated me like this. I had never felt such an insult that I forgot how to react! 'Should I hit her back?" Anger rose in me. But then I looked at her-she was still a patient.
'But why did she slap me?' I searched for answers in her eyes.
Her voice rose, laced with a fury that matched the fire in her eyes. "If you don't know me, then what the hell is this???" She hurled a file at my face, yelling at me with tears streaming down her cheeks.
The papers scattered across the floor like fallen leaves in autumn, each one fluttering down, a silent testament to the life she couldn't remember.
'What the hell is in this file that made her so angry?' I pondered, my gaze following the descent of the papers. But before I could gather them, she seized me by my collar with her left hand, her grip surprisingly strong.
"Tell me what you did to me?" she demanded, her voice cracking under the weight of her emotions.
My anger flared, a hot surge that threatened to spill over. Yet, how could I let it? She was a patient, her right hand and leg encased in plaster, a visual reminder of her fragility.
I balled my fists, the knuckles whitening, as I fought to keep my composure. The urge to react was powerful, but the sight of her vulnerability was a sobering anchor.
In her emotional fervor, she moved her injured hand, and a sharp pain shot through her arm. "Ahh.." she winced.
Instinctively, I reached out to help, but her yell stopped me cold. "Don't you dare touch me!.. Tell me why you're... pretending not to know me... even though YOU'RE MY BOYFRIEND?"
Her breathing became labored, each breath heavier than the last. But her words struck me with such shock that I forgot to call Mrs. Lee.
Boyfriend? When did I become her boyfriend? What's going on?
Her voice broke, tears streaming down her face as she grappled with the pain of her fractured hand. "Tell me... why can't I remember anything?"
She clutched at my sleeves, her sobs filling the room, and I could only look down at her, lost for words, my heart aching with her pain.
The commotion drew Tae, Dr. Lee, and Mrs. Lee into the room. They found her in distress, her fingers twisted in my shirt, pleading for answers. Her breathing was ragged, eyes red from crying.
Mrs. Lee and Dr. Lee rushed to her side, their hands gentle but firm, trying to soothe her, but the Army girl's cries only intensified, her breaths coming in sharp gasps. "I want an answer... to each question... tell me... why are you doing this to me?"
Tae's confusion mirrored my own. "What the f**k is happening here?" he muttered, moving to my side.
Mrs. Lee's attempts to soothe her were in vain; the Army girl's cries only escalated, her breaths coming in jagged bursts. "Tell me what you did to me?.. why can't I remember any..."
Her voice faded into a whisper, her breaths grew labored, and then, as if a switch had been flipped, she collapsed into unconsciousness.
What happened here?" Mrs. Lee asked me, concern etched across her features. Her eyes furrowed in worry as she sat beside the Army girl, checking her pulse.
Mr. Lee was busy monitoring the situation, but his gaze remained on me. Not just he, but my own friend, my brother, Taehyung was also looking at me, his eyes waiting for me to explain the things.
But I didn't know how to explain the situation to them, when I was still pondering on her words, trying to decipher their meaning. I massaged the temple of mine a little in frustration.
My eyes fall on the ground, and those papers come to my views, which The army girl throw on me moment ago. Without second thought, I bend down and picked them up. As I go through the detail given in that, my eyes go wide as I noticed the particular details.
[NAME: Jeon Jungkook
RELATIONSHIP TO PATIENT: Boyfriend]
'What the f**k is this!' I mumbled under my breath. Now I understand the reason behind her action. Her misunderstanding! Now everything become clear to me. But the question is, who filed this form???
"Jungkook...?"
Train of my thoughts suddenly got cut off by as Taehyung called me. I looked up to saw everyone staring at like I'm an alien.
I glanced at the army girl who was now sleeping soundly as the effect of medicine took over.
Taehyung tapping on my shoulder said, "Mrs. Lee is asking you, what happened here that she again got panick attack and why she-"
"Hyung, look at this," I cut him off and showed him the papers in my hands, "She thinks I'm her Boyfriend!!!"
I said without thinking twise and the soon after the sound of trey falling on ground heard from behind of me. I looked back and saw a nurse who was wearing shocked expression.
'F**k, how can i forgot that the topic about my girlfriend is hot topic nowadays. If it's gets out 'this army girl' is my girlfriend then her life will be in danger."
"Mr. Lee, we need to talk. We are waiting in your office." Taehyung said to Dr. Lee, to which he nodded and then Taehyung took my wrist and dragged me out of the room.
---
The sterile air in Dr. Lee's cramped office clung to the walls, suffocating like a heavy woolen blanket. Fluorescent light flickered overhead, casting a sickly pallor on the linoleum floor.
Suga's voice, sharp as a scalpel, sliced through the tension. His sarcasm dripped like corrosive acid as he confronted Taehyung, who hovered over Jungkook, applying an ice pack to the younger man's reddened cheek.
"So, you're telling me," Suga's hawk-like gaze bore into Taehyung, "that the army girl—freshly awakened from her coma this morning, weak and fragile—managed to slap Jungkook so hard that her handprint is etched on his skin?"
Taehyung's frown deepened, the creases on his forehead etching a map of frustration. "Are you implying I'm lying?" he retorted, handing the ice pack to Jungkook, who winced and pouted in pain.
Jungkook's eyes darted between them, caught in the crossfire of their verbal duel.
"Not you," Suga clarified, jabbing a finger at Taehyung. "But I suspect she is lying." The word 'she' carried a hint of anger, a storm brewing behind his eyes. His implication earned him questioning and confused looks from both Taehyung and Jungkook.
Suga sighed, the weight of responsibility settling on his shoulders like a leaden mantle. He leaned against the sterile countertop, his posture that of an older brother imparting hard-earned wisdom.
"Think logically, you idiots. How can a girl who just emerged from a coma—with a fractured leg and hand—possess such strength? She's either faking it or hiding something."
"But that's not possible," Jungkook interjected, his voice taut with anxiety. "Dr. Lee has been monitoring her round the clock."
"Jungkook," Suga turned to him, expression softening while his tone remained strict. "That car accident wasn't your fault," he said, nagging like the big brother he was. "You don't need to carry that guilt shit."
Jungkook's gaze shifted to the ice pack in his hand, its cold seeping into his palm. "Have you seen your face in the mirror?" Suga continued, his eyes boring into Jungkook's. "it's not red just because of that slap. But because you're angry from inside."
Suga knew him too well, like an old melody that played in the background of their lives. Jungkook had always been transparent. So, after sharing years, together, it's easy to see through his just by looking into his doe eyes.
Jungkook gazed at Suga, his eyes locking onto his, not surprised by the fact that Suga could see right through him. He took a deep sigh, his chest rising and falling with the effort.
"Yes, you're right," he agreed, his voice laced with frustration. His grip on the ice pack tightened, his knuckles whitening as he struggled to contain his emotions.
He let out his emotional turmoil in front of his brothers, his words tumbling out in a rush. "I'm angry as hell about that slap, no matter the reason. And I swear," his eyes locked onto Suga's, his voice cracking with frustration, "I hate her for that."
He sprang up from his seat, his fingers tangling in his hair as he paced around the cramped office, his agitation palpable.