The morning light creates a warm glow in the hospital room, illuminating both Taehyung and Minji.

The girl groans as the sun rays hit her eyes, causing her to groggily sit up before her eyes move towards her best friend, the wounds from his accident now more prominent and visible than last night. She feels the tears threatening to fall from her eyes, but tries to hold it in. You have to be strong, she reminds herself.

Her back aches from the awkward sleeping position and she can feel the drool on her cheek, causing her to scrunch up her face with slight disgust as she wipes it with her shirt. She gets out of her chair to stretch before her eyes widen as she realizes that she spent the whole night in the hospital.

She fumbles with her movements as she quickly pulls out her phone, feeling a pit in her stomach as she glances at the time in the corner which indicates that it's a little after six in the morning, but that's not her main concern right now. Her focus quickly shifts to the notifications that are on her screen, indicating that multiple people had been trying to reach out to her last night.

17 texts from Jin
12 missed calls from Jin
5 missed calls from Namjoon

9 texts from Namjoon
4 texts from Jimin
2 texts from Yoongi

She groans as she unlocks her screen and goes straight to her contacts. Her finger hovers over Namjoon's name, debating on whether or not to call him this early in the morning. Fuck it. She chews on her bottom lip as she hears the line ring, pacing the room as she waits for him to answer his phone.

"Hello?" Namjoon answers, his voice groggy on the other end as Minji takes a deep breath before speaking.

"Hi Namjoon oppa," she whispers. She can hear the movement on the other end of the phone as he sits up in his bed, now more alert upon hearing his little sister's voice.

"Minji, where the hell are you? We've been so worried-"

"I know, I'm sorry," she replies, her voice threatening to break. "I'm at the hospital right now-"

Namjoon feels the panic coursing through him as he quickly rushes out of the bed, using his shoulder to hold the phone against his ear while he frantically tries to put on some jeans. "Shit, are you okay? Why the hell didn't the hospital notify us?" he seethes, clearly frustrated at the fact that no one bothered to call him to let him know that his baby sister was in the hospital.

He freezes when he hears her small voice calling his name, stopping his rant as he listens to her.

"It's Taehyung," she breathes out. Namjoon feels slightly relieved knowing that Minji is fine, but there is a slight pain in his chest knowing that this is hurting her since he knows how important Tae is to her.

"Damn," he breathes out, sitting on the edge of his bed. "Is he okay?" he inquires.

Minji stares at Taehyung, listening to the steady beeping of the machines in the room before a tear strolls down her cheek. She sniffles before turning away from him. "No," she croaks out. "He's in a coma Joon," she whimpers.

Namjoon sighs heavily as his hand combs through his hair. "Shit, I'm sorry Mi," he mutters. "Are you okay? Do you need me to come get you?" he inquires.

"I'll be fine, I'm actually getting ready to come home, so I'll be there soon," she mumbles.

"Are you sure? I can come get you," he insists, worried about her driving when she's clearly upset, but she declines his offer.

"I'm fine," she says, trying to convince herself as well as her brother. "I'll be there soon, okay?" she says while he hums in response. "Hey, Namjoon?" she calls, hesitating with her words before she finally asks the question that's on her mind. "How's Jin?"

Namjoon sighs, laying back on his bed as he stares up at the ceiling, recalling the way that Jin was frantically pacing the living room last night when Minji didn't show up after her shift. She was always home on time, so the fact that she was twenty minutes late was a reason to be worried. He called multiple times and started panicking when various scenarios ran through his mind on why she possibly didn't come home. Namjoon had to talk him down from calling the cops to file a missing persons report.

"You know Jin, he's always worried about you," he replies, hearing the way that she sighs heavily. He knows that she's nervous about coming home now since Jin will definitely scold her about her disappearance. "Don't worry Mi, I'll make sure to talk to him, okay?" he suggests, trying to ease her mind as she hums in response, letting him know that she'll be home soon before hanging up the call.

Jin was standing outside Namjoon's door, listening in on the call. He hadn't slept all night, and when he heard his younger brother's voice, he couldn't help but press his ear against the door to hear the conversation. From what he could gather, he knew that he was on the phone with Minji, and that she was at the hospital visiting someone. Jin's eyes were glossy as he felt a slight pain in his chest knowing that his little sister was turning to Namjoon instead of him. He knew their relationship wasn't always the best, but he hoped that she would be able to turn to him too. He clears his throat before wiping his eyes, raising his hand to knock on Namjoon's door.

Namjoon sits up on the bed before inviting him in, giving Jin a small smile as Jin waits for him to speak.

"Taehyung is in the hospital, so that's where she was," Namjoon informs him, causing Jin to frown. "She said that he's in a coma," he adds while Jin looks at him with wide eyes.

"Why didn't she tell us?" Jin asks while Namjoon shrugs.

"I don't know Jin, maybe she was just trying to process everything and didn't even think about anything else. But please, when she comes home, go easy on her," he replies. "She's going through a lot right now and is very emotional, she doesn't need a fight with you added onto her list of concerns," Namjoon comments while Jin narrows his eyes at him.

"I'm just worried, Namjoon," he quips. "She has to know that she can't just stay out all night without te-"

"I know Jin, I was worried too, but just for today, let it go," he pleads while Jin sighs, staring down at his feet.

"I can't," he mumbles before looking back up at Namjoon. "I'm going to go get breakfast ready," he utters before leaving the room, causing Namjoon to groan before laying back down on the bed.

---

As soon as Minji steps foot through the front door, she is hit with the smell of eggs, onions, peppers, and rice. As much as the scent gives her comfort, it doesn't help ease the nauseous ache in her stomach as she takes off her shoes and trudges to the kitchen.

Namjoon is sitting at the counter with Hoseok by his side, the two of them going over the curriculum for the semester and making adjustments to lessons. They both teach the same literature classes at the same school, and since it's their first year, they want everything to run smoothly. When Namjoon hears the soft footsteps, he glances up to give Minji a reassuring smile, waving her into the room.

Jin is too focused on finishing up the food that he doesn't even notice the new presence in the room until Hoseok greets her. Jin quickly turns off the stove before turning around, staring at his little sister, noticing the dark purple bags under her eyes and how puffy they are.

"How are you?" he quickly asks, his throat dry as he speaks. He wipes his sweaty palms on his jeans, trying his best to hide his nerves.

She glances at him, shrugging before taking a seat in the last stool next to Namjoon. "I'm fine," she mumbles. "Namjoon told you, didn't he?" she asks while Jin nods.

"He did," he confirms. "Why didn't you call us? Or at least text, or something?" he pushes, ignoring the warning glance that Namjoon shoots him as he spews out the questions.

Minji groans lightly, feeling the annoyance building at his pestering. "I'm sorry, I forgot, okay? It's not that big of a deal," she mutters while Jin's eyes widen at her words. Of course it was a big deal. She didn't know how worried both him and Namjoon were last night when she didn't come home. Of the two, Namjoon was more level headed, but both of them stayed up until almost two in the morning just waiting for a call or something.

"Not a big deal? You just don't get it, do you?" Jin starts, his voice raising with each word as Minji glares at her oldest brother. Hoseok and Namjoon exchange looks before nervously glancing between the oldest and youngest Kim, sensing the tension that's growing in the room.

"Jin," Namjoon calls, the warning in his voice clear. Let it go. Jin then turns his anger towards his younger brother, shaking his head adamantly.

"No, Namjoon, something needs to be said," he tells him before turning back to his little sister. "You have no idea how worried sick the both of us were and how we've been up all night waiting just to hear that you're okay," he lectures. "I can't believe you are so reckless sometimes! You have a phone, it's not hard to pick it up and at least send a text so that we know that you're not dead in an alley somewhere!" he scolds her.

"I'm sorry! I can't change the fact that I forgot to text you both last night! I already apologized, so I don't know what more you want from me!" she shouts back, anger and frustration taking over her emotions. There's too much on her mind at the moment, and this isn't helping her at all. She can feel the tears in her eyes, but they remain locked onto Jin's. "You're not dad, so just get off my case," she growls, causing Jin's eyes to widen as he feels a slight pain at the shot. As soon as the words leave her mouth, Minji feels the guilt settling in her stomach and regrets saying it, but it's too late to take it back now and she's too stubborn to apologize for it.

"I swear, Dad spoiled you too much growing up," Jin grumbles out.

Namjoon stands up, stepping closer towards Jin before speaking in a hushed tone.

"Jin, not now-"

"No! I'm tired of trying to be careful all the time!" he yells, causing Namjoon to take a step back, his shoulders slumping in defeat as he stands frozen to his spot. "We always have to be sensitive around Minji and be careful not to hurt her feelings, but what about me, huh? What about you? She needs to know that she's not the only one who feels things, she's not the only one who gets hurt, and I'm tired of sitting back and just taking it!" he exclaims, breathing heavily before he turns towards Minji. "I get that you're worried about your friend, but we were worried about you too, and you could've at least had the decency to call and let us know that you were okay. Just because you're going through a tough time right now doesn't give you the right to act like a selfish little brat," he seethes.

That's all it takes for her to feel the weight pressing on her chest, the tears threatening to spill as his words hit. Yeah, her and Jin always argue a lot and fight, but it was never this bad. They both said hurtful things and now it was going to be harder to repair their already fragile relationship. She tries her best not to cry and stands up to face Jin, a stern expression on her face. "You know what? I'm not doing this right now, I have a class to get ready for," she grits before stomping out of the room, slamming the door shut as she gets into the bathroom. She starts to hyperventilate as the tears now stream down her cheeks. She presses her hands on her lips to muffle her sobs as she slides down to the floor.

Breathe, Minji. Breathe.

She tries her best to calm her fast heart beat, trying to take deep breathes as a small headache forms due to the crying. It takes her a while, but when she's finally calm, she forces herself off the floor before taking a shower.

Once she's done, she trudges to her room with the towel wrapped tightly against her body, shivering slightly as she feels a slight breeze on her arms as she walks across the cool floorboards. She immediately notices Namjoon sitting on her bed, turning towards her to give her a small smile before patting the spot next to him. She feels the tears coming again and bites her lip to stop herself from letting out a sob as she rushes to sit next to him.

"You okay?" he asks, his voice low as he observes her features and notices all of the emotions behind them.

"I just don't get why he's always like that," she whispers, fiddling with her fingers while Namjoon nods.

"I know he can be harsh sometimes, but you have to understand things from his perspective sometimes Mi," he says, watching as she wipes her tears before looking up at him, her eyebrows furrowed. "You know that things have been hard for him since mom died," he mumbles.

"I know, but it's been hard on all of us. We lost her too, Namjoon, she was our mother too," she replies. "It's still not right for him to act like that," she argues while Namjoon agrees.

"I know, but Jin lost more than that, Minji. After mom died, Jin had to step up, and that's a lot of responsibility for a fourteen year old year old to take on. Dad was working three jobs and Jin was the one who had to take care of us. He was the one who had to be a parent and make sacrifices in order to make sure we were fed and safe, and he's always going to feel like that is what he's supposed to do. He didn't get to hang out with his friends and go to movies or participate in school activities like you and I did, he was always too busy looking after us. He not only lost her, but he lost his childhood too," he rationalizes while Minji feels the guilt consuming her entire being. She never really thought about that before, she just always argued with him because she thought he was being over-dramatic and unreasonable about things. "I know it may seem like he's always being mean to you, but he's worried about losing you too," he adds.

Minji feels the cool tears streaming down her cheeks as she looks down at her hands. She wishes that she had texted them yesterday to let them know where she was. She didn't like fighting with Jin and she really didn't mean to worry them, but she was lost in her own thoughts that reaching out to them completely slipped her mind. "I should probably apologize to him, right?" she asks Namjoon, her voice breaking slightly.

"You do what you feel is the right thing to do, but for now, I recommend that you give him some time to cool off and get ready for your class," he suggests while she nods before wiping her tears away.

"Thanks Namjoon," she mumbles, looking up at him as he stands up. He gives her a small smile before ruffling her wet hair. She scowls at him while he chuckles in response.

"No problem Mi, you know I'm always here for you," he says. "And if there's anything that you need, just let me know, okay?"

"Okay," she replies.

---

Minji drags her feet through the halls as she heads towards room 205, where her graphics design course is. Why the hell did I sign up for an 8:00 class? She holds a warm cup of coffee in her hands as she trudges into the room, a couple of students already in there. Her eyes scan the seats before they zoom in on the person sitting at the back.

The young boy sitting in the back has his grey hoodie up, covering his coconut head as a notebook sits on his desk, already prepared to take notes for the day. While he waits for the professor to arrive, he doodles in the margins, an eye and random swirls ink the page as he focuses on shading in the eye.

Minji walks up towards the back of the room, dropping her bookbag while the boy jumps slightly, glancing up at her with wide eyes while she plops down into the seat next to him. He observes her features and notices how puffy her face is, and her eyes indicate that she didn't get much sleep last night either.

"Damn, you look like hell," he comments, causing her to whip her head towards him before narrowing her eyes at him.

"Thanks Jeon, I definitely needed the confidence boost this morning," she sarcastically replies, causing him to sheepishly apologize, not wanting to make matters any worse.

"So what's going on?" he inquires, setting his pen down to show her that she's got his full attention.

She sighs heavily as the past twenty-four hours go through her mind. "Well, Tae's in the hospital and I got into a fight with Jin this morning," she shares while he takes in a sharp breath, now understanding her appearance this morning.

He knew how close she was to Taehyung because the two of them had such a special friendship. They met when she had freshman orientation since he was involved with helping guide the new faces through the campus along with Jimin. Tae took it upon himself to take her in under his wing and help her navigate her way through her first year since the two of them got along so easily. Their friendship just came naturally and he was one of the few people she felt comfortable with at the time. Both of them were a bit quirky and childish, which is why they shared a lot of similar interests, like their love for fast food and video games.

Minji lets out another sigh before taking a sip of her coffee, groaning as she leans back a bit in the chair in an attempt to stretch her back.

Jungkook continues to observe her before clearing his throat. "How's Tae doing?" he inquires while she frowns, thinking about her best friend laying in a hospital bed.

"He's in a coma and the doctors aren't really able to do anything for him now except monitor him closely," she mumbles.

"Damn, I'm sorry to hear that Minie," he says, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "I'm sure Taehyung is going to be fine, he's a fighter," he reassures her while she simply hums in response. "So what happened with Jin?" he asks, knowing that she probably just needs to rant to someone right now and get everything off her chest.

She pouts as she thinks back to the argument this morning in the kitchen. "He was pissed that I didn't come home last night, so he got upset at me because I didn't call him or Namjoon to let them know that I was at the hospital. I was being pretty stubborn and said some mean things to him, and he threw them right back. Everything is just such a mess right now," she groans, leaning forward to rest her head in her hand while Jungkook gently strokes her back.

"I'm sorry Minji, do you plan on talking to Jin about it?" he asks while she nods. "Well, at least that's a start. Look, I'm sure everything will work itself out in the end, with both Jin and Taehyung," he encourages, not knowing what else he could say or do in order to comfort her.

She sits up again before glancing at Jungkook and smiles. "Thanks Kookie, I really needed that," she says while he grins at her, nodding as he shifts his attention back to his drawing. She watches him as he skillfully continues to sketch in his notebook, taking a sip of her coffee.

Instead of feeling a warmth through her body from the coffee like she expected, she shivers as she feels a cool breeze against her skin. The hair on her neck stands up as she hears her name, causing her to look back even though she knows there's no one there since she's in the last row. She glances around the room at some of the other students, trying to figure out who was trying to get her attention only to see people either slumped in their seats half asleep or texting on their phones.

Weird, maybe I'm starting to lose my mind.

A/N: Hello!! I've been stuck on this chapter for the past couple of days and finally managed to figure things out. I'm hoping to update this book once a week, haven't set a schedule yet, but I want to make sure to try and be consist, so hopefully I can follow through. 

Please let me know your thoughts and what you think so far! Thanks for reading :) 

Make sure to stay safe and take care of yourself!

-Emily xx