Jungkook gazed at Suga, his eyes locked onto his, no surprise evident on his face. He took a deep sigh, his chest heaving with the effort. "Yes, you're right," he agreed, his voice laced with frustration. His grip on the ice pack tightened, his knuckles white with tension.
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.
"But when I think about the information in that file," he pointed to the resume file on the table, his eyes flashing with confusion, "according to her point of view, she's not entirely wrong either!" He let out a frustrated sigh, his shoulders sagging under the weight of his emotions.
Taehyung's voice cut through the tension, his suggestion laced with reason. "I don't understand why you're taking all the responsibility on your shoulders, Jungkook. You don't have to handle this personally. You can hand it over to the company." His face held a serious expression, his eyes filled with concern, his brow furrowed with empathy.
Jungkook turned to him, his eyes searching for guidance. "Well, that was the plan until now," he began, his voice laced with uncertainty. He pointed to the file on the table, his finger tapping against the paper.
"I was supposed to fill out this resume form, and then when she woke up from the coma, the company would talk to her family and settle the matter." He shrugged his shoulders, his eyes clouding with doubt. "But now that she's lost her memory, I'm at a loss."
Suga's voice cut in, his tone firm and commanding. "No need to change the plan, then. The company will handle the matter until Tae Hyun returns or she regains her memory. It has nothing to do with you, Jungkook."
His words were laced with a dominating tone, leaving no room for argument, his eyes locked onto Jungkook's, his gaze unwavering.
But before Suga's words could sink in, a firm voice cut in from the doorway, "That's not going to happen at all." The room fell silent as all eyes turned to the speaker.
Mrs. Lee stood at the door, her face straight, her gaze fixed on Suga. Her voice was laced with a hint of sarcasm, but more prominent was her stern tone.
"Mr. Min Suga, your little younger brother might not be at fault for the car accident or her memory loss," she began, her hands crossed over her chest. "But the way Jungkook blurted out in the VIP ward, about being the army girl's boyfriend..."
She walked into the office, her eyes fixed on Jungkook. "Now, that rumor is spreading like wildfire throughout the hospital."
Jungkook's voice rose in protest, "But it's not true!" He tried to clear the misunderstanding, but his words trailed off as Mrs. Lee's gaze remained unyielding, her eyes piercing through him like a sharp blade.
"True or not, who cares?" Mrs. Lee cut him off, her tone laced with disdain. "One of my friends told me that this news has already reached the media, and soon,"
she glanced at her wristwatch, her eyes widening dramatically, "within hours, they'll be here, clamoring to know about your mysterious girlfriend, 'Ms. Jeon.'" She emphasized the name with a sarcastic hand gesture, her voice a mix of anger and frustration.
Taehyung's eyes widened in shock. "What? How did the media find out about this?" he exclaimed, his voice laced with disbelief.
Mrs. Lee forced a tight-lipped smile, her sweet voice dripping with sarcasm. "Mr. Kim Taehyung, after being a celebrity for such a long time, you should know that rumors spread faster than a lightning bolt."
Her tone was like a scolding rebuke, making Taehyung feel embarrassed, and he quietly sat back, his eyes cast down in embarrassment.
"Then what are we supposed to do?" Suga asked, raising an eyebrow, his face a mask of neutrality.
Mrs. Lee mirrored his expression, her voice laced with sarcasm. "Why are you asking me?" She rolled her eyes, her gaze flicking to Suga before settling back on the group.
"I've already called your leader. He's handling her discharge, and Mr. Kim Seokjin is with the army girl, convincing her to accept an early discharge and clearing up the misunderstanding."
Taehyung's voice was laced with concern. "Will she be fine?"
Mrs. Lee's expression turned patronizing, her tone condescending. "To be honest, she'll be more than fine." She pulled up a chair, her movements deliberate, and began to explain, her voice measured. "You all know how rapidly she's healing physically, right?"
She glanced at the three of them, her eyes lingering on each face as they nodded in unison. "Well, she's healing mentally just as quickly."
The three men exchanged perplexed glances, their furrowed brows and parted lips conveying their collective confusion. It was astonishing enough that her fractured bones were mending at an incredible rate, but now Mrs. Lee was suggesting that her mental recovery was equally swift?
What did that even mean? Was she somehow... superhuman?
Mrs. Lee's gaze swept across their bewildered faces, and she seemed to read their thoughts. "Okay, let me explain with an example," she offered, her words snapping them back to attention. The three men leaned in, their eyes fixed intently on her.
"Jungkook, you suggested to Dr. Lee that they should speak to her in English, correct?" Mrs. Lee asked, her eyes locked onto Jungkook's nodding head. "Hmm," he murmured, his eyes never leaving hers, his brow furrowed in thought.
Mrs. Lee continued, her voice dripping with intrigue. "So, tell me, when the staff spoke to her in Korean, why didn't she ask them to switch to English, given that she doesn't understand Korean?"
The three men exchanged perplexed glances, searching for answers in each other's eyes, but only finding their own reflections. They turned back to Mrs. Lee, their faces urging her to reveal more.
Mrs. Lee's expression turned dramatic, like a storyteller about to reveal a plot twist. "Because, she herself didn't even know that!"
She fixed her gaze on Jungkook. "When you spoke to her in English, her mind found it familiar and she picked it up without even realizing it!" Jungkook's eyes widened as understanding dawned, and he nodded enthusiastically.
Taehyung and Suga's eyes narrowed, their faces intent, as if piecing together a puzzle.
Mrs. Lee let out a small chuckle, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "You didn't teach her the entire English language, right? You just said a few sentences in front of her, but she recalled the whole language!"
Her expression turned serious, her voice filled with awe. "The same way, if someone tells her even the smallest detail from her past, she'll eventually recall it, along with other details too."
She leaned back in her chair, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "That's how rapidly she's healing mentally!"
"Is it normal?" Suga interrupted, his deep voice a stark contrast to the excitement that had filled the room. His face remained impassive, a mask of neutrality.
Mrs. Lee's smile was tight-lipped, her eyes glinting with amusement. "Mr. Mean," she teased, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
Suga's expression remained straight, his correction swift. "It's Min."
Mrs. Lee's response was laced with unpleasantness. "Yeah." She paused, her tone shifting to a professional cadence. "We've run every conceivable test, and she's a normal human being, just like us. Not. A. Super. Human. At. All!"
Her words were enunciated with precision, each syllable dripping with sarcasm, her eyes gleaming with a knowing glint.
Jungkook and Taehyung exchanged a perplexed glance, their eyes widening in unison as they found Mrs. Lee's behavior odd, especially towards Suga.
Jungkook cleared his throat to get her attention, his voice cautious. "Ah, Mrs. Lee, even if we take her with us for now, how long will it take for her to recall her memory?"
Mrs. Lee turned to face him, her expression intent. "It might sound weird, but she can recall everything right now if someone states it to her with some kind of proof."
The room fell silent, the three men staring at her with wide eyes, their faces mirroring the same question: how could they possibly tell her anything about her past when they had no idea who she was?
Sensing their concern, Mrs. Lee continued, "I know you all have no idea about who she is or her identity, but the team from your company is working on it, right? So, any information you get, you must tell her. Who knows, which piece of information will lead her to recall her memory!"
She shrugged her shoulders, her expression matter-of-fact. "And one last thing, till you find her identity or any clue about it, I recommend you all give her accompaniment. Right now, the only thing we know about her is that 'she is your fan, an army girl."
Taehyung's murmur was laced with reluctance, his anger still simmering. "But I don't want to do that!" His eyes narrowed, still resentful of the fact that she had slapped his friend, Jungkook.
However, Mrs. Lee's ears caught the faint protest, and she rose from her seat, her movements fluid. "Well, it's up to you guys. Anyway, I was here for the file that caused this 'boyfriend-girlfriend' misunderstanding to her."
She plucked the file from the table, her eyes scanning the contents with a practiced gaze.
Her brow furrowed as she noticed something odd - there was no signature, neither Jungkook's nor the staff member who had filled out the form.
Her eyes narrowed, her voice barely above a whisper. "Jeon Apple? Such a strange name!" The file seemed to hold more questions than answers, and Mrs. Lee's curiosity was piqued.
Taehyung, who was standing beside her, overheard the name and his eyes sparkled with a sudden realization. He glanced at the apples he had bought that morning, and his gaze snapped back to the file.
With a sudden burst of energy, he shot up from his seat and strode over to Mrs. Lee. "Wait a minute, let me see it," he requested, his eyes scanning the file with a newfound intensity.
Jungkook's curiosity was piqued by Taehyung's sudden behavior. "What happened, Hyung?" he asked, his voice laced with concern.
Taehyung's response was hesitant. "I think I know... I mean, I'm not sure..." He trailed off, his eyes still fixed on the file.
Suga's curiosity was also piqued. "What do you know, and what are you not sure about?" he pressed, his voice firm but gentle.
Taehyung's gaze snapped up to Mrs. Lee. "Ahh... wait. Is there any CCTV in her ward?" he asked, his eyes burning with a sudden intensity.
Mrs. Lee's response was thoughtful. "Umm... well, she was shifted to the VIP ward after she woke up from the coma. So, there was CCTV in her previous room to monitor her movement 24/7 while she was in a coma."
Taehyung's face lit up with excitement. "Great!" he exclaimed, his eyes shining with anticipation. "Look, I'm not sure, but if my guess is right, then we'll find the answer in that CCTV footage."
The others looked at him with questioning eyes, but he just urged them, "Don't look at me, let's just check it out."
With that, he grasped Jungkook's hand and strode out of the room, followed closely by Suga and Mrs. Lee. The tension was palpable as they hastened to uncover the truth hidden in the CCTV footage.