—what kind of monster
is he really?

OCTOBER 11:
JEON JEONGGUK

==

"jung hoseok?"

his eyebrows furrow in confusion as the nurse taps the edge of her thick-framed glasses upwards, resting on the thin bridge of her nose.

"yes, that's right." she looks up and frowns. "he told me that he was a friend of yours. correct?"

jeongguk leans back into the starchy pillow of his bed, taking a deep, irritated sigh. over the past few days he's been admitted into the hospital for, he can't count how many students from college—some he's spoken only once or twice to—have come to send him "well wishes".

he likes to think it's because they have some shred of concern over his well being. that, of course, is irrational. it's just the same thing for these students, and even him—wonchol.

hating someone, apparently, is a great thing to bond over.

jeongguk suspects that hoseok is another one of these students, desperate for his attention, desperate to give his own. he really doesn't want to deal with that at the moment, however. especially not when he's being released this evening, and especially after the lengthy interrogation the police had forced on him earlier.

"tell him i'm tired," he responds, barely touching the thick bandage over his bicep. "or, i dunno. make something up, i don't want to see anyone right now."

"if that's what you would like," says the nurse, a slight annoyance in her tone (to which jeongguk's scowl deepens). "oh, i almost forgot to add. hoseok wanted to talk about...ah, what was it—a white shirt and black pants, i think?"

"what? what does that—"

jeongguk stops. he stares. he waits an entire minute before opening his mouth again.

white shirt, black pants.

and hell, he doesn't have anything to lose, does he?

"let him in, then. i've changed my mind."

==

jeongguk licks his lips of the thin sheet of sweat developing on the skin, swallowing hard and wrenching his eyes open.

"so. what you're saying is, i'm not insane."

"well," hoseok shrugs against the wall and manages an impish grin, "unless us five are, then i guess that's right."

and finally, after what feels like hours of discussion, of contemplation, of complete and utter confusion, jeongguk's lips finally stretch into—into a grin, something that's been foreign to him for the past ten or so days now. he swings his legs over the hospital bed and rakes his fingers through his disheveled hair, eyeing the cast on his arm (god knows if he can stand being in this stuffy building for a day longer).

"god," he manages a feeble laugh, "i never thought i'd be so happy to know that other people can see that monster of a guy like i can."

jimin thickly swallows from the corner of the room.

"yeah," namjoon—jeongguk is pretty sure, though he's still learning each individual out— says, cracking a smile. "i know how it feels, bud. trust me. i can't imagine how you've been feeling these past days."

"hasn't been easy, that's for sure."

"i can imagine." seokjin steps from his position against the wall and exhales. "my god, jeongguk, how'd you stay sane? if it weren't for meeting the others, i would have become a disaster by now."

"i...i don't know, really. i kind of tried to push it away from my mind, y'know? think about everything but...taehyung, was it?"

"yeah," jimin lowly replies, and jeongguk darts his eyes to his secluded figure by the window. "taehyung. that's his name."

"ah, yeah. really, i haven't slept well in ages, it feels like."

"even we still don't," hoseok quietly replies, lip tucked between his teeth. "like we said—all that investigating we've done, especially with that recent graveyard thing and yoongi getting injured; it really takes a toll on all of us."

all jeongguk can do is solemnly stare, and he hates it.

he wants to comfort them, but—what's the use? he, out of all of them, should know how pointless their situation is. it's not like the police can help them. it's not like the detective agency can help them. it's not like the people around them can help them, no, they're on their own and it's horrible.

and yet. and yet, hoseok bursts into a smile and laughs a melody into the stuffy air and says in a voice of sunlight, "but that's how it is: high risk, high reward. and god, although that was dangerous as hell, it was worth it. we at least have some insight on the situation now."

jeongguk blinks. then, he smiles back.

"you don't know how grateful i am that you guys are here."

"c'mon, don't thank us yet," namjoon laughs, shaking his head. "we haven't done a thing yet."

"but you have, christ, you've literally saved me from the brink of insanity, no matter how stupid that sounds. you realize i would have gone mad without you guys here? i don't have a very strong mentality, you know."

"jesus, never knew freshman kids were this cheesy," seokjin teases, and jeongguk responds with a quiet chuckle. "but that's what we're gonna do, yeah? it's natural that we stick together now. it's not like you're going to be dealing with this horrible situation alone now."

if that doesn't make jeongguk fall back in a sudden wave of emotion and a lump in his throat, god knows what does.

and then, jimin speaks.

"we're in this to save my best friend." he turns to jeongguk, disregarding the anxious looks the others throw him. "taehyungie's been through shit, and he sure as hell doesn't deserve more. so the only way all of this is going to stop is to get rid of that monster, stop any more destruction, and bring my buddy back safe. alright?"

jeongguk darts his eyes to the wrinkled sheets of his bed and furrows his dark eyebrows, jaw tense in nerve. yeah, wonchol was acting like a complete psycho, but...

but kim taehyung is the one who killed his girlfriend. kim taehyung is the one who exploded that subway and crashed those cars. kim taehyung is the one who landed that yoongi guy in the hospital.

and even if he is park jimin's best friend, nothing can deny the fact that kim taehyung is responsible for the havoc of this city.

"yes," jeongguk responds, calm and collected, "of course, jimin."

==

later that evening, at around seven p.m., jeongguk is released from the hospital with a loose black gauze around his bicep and five new contacts on his phone. the sky is dripping with red pollution, almost unsettling against the starkly black skyscrapers around him climbing into the clouds, and he releases a shuddered exhale into the air.

and god, he can't help but grin. namjoon, seokjin, hoseok, yoongi, even jimin—who cares if he's never met those men before today; all that matters is he's met them, and now he finally isn't alone in this apocalypse of circumstances.

and not only the emotional closure, but he's finally one step closer to figuring out just who—or perhaps what—that kim taehyung boy is.

and monsters can't touch him if he knows they're coming.

he's about to hail a taxi back to his apartment when he feels someone walk up next to him and release a sigh. jeongguk turns his head and is met with jimin, his light hair tucked messily under a red baseball cap and a thick scowl etched into his face.

"hey," jeongguk swallows harshly, "jimin. leaving too?"

"yeah. rest of 'em left a bit before me. i was just checking up on yoongi, but he's fine now."

"that's good to hear." the younger gives a brief smile, tucking his hands into the pockets of his jacket and squinting across the street. when jimin fails to leave his side, jeongguk finally shifts to face him, an eyebrow cocked in pre-irritation.

"something you need, hyung?"

"yeah, actually." jimin steps forward, fixating jeongguk with a blank stare. "don't think i didn't hear that distaste in your voice when you said taehyung's name."

"...what?"

"i know wonchol hurt you. and, like you said, i know his girlfriend died in the subway taehyung exploded. i get that. so i can understand why you have resentment to my best friend."

"i don't—"

"oh save it, kid, i saw your face when we told you i knew him personally. you think taehyung himself is a monster, don't you?"

jeongguk doesn't respond.

"i'm not going to ignore you, or something petty like that," jimin breezily says, narrowing his eyes. "but if you ever so try and put any harm on my best friend, i will fucking destroy you, jeon jeongguk. it isn't tae's fault. whatever has taken over his body is."

a pause of silence.

"so just remember," the lighter-haired all but growls. "you try any type of shit on my best friend, i will make sure you that is the last thing you do in this group. i'm trying to save my friend, not kill him. got it?"

jeongguk tenses his jaw, refusing to meet jimin's stare. finally, he curtly nods.

"alright."

==

and yall thought the only angst would be monster tae :)))
sorry for this late as hell update, exams are coming up and!! im screwed
but anyway have a great day & vote, comment, post some afflicted pick up lines, who knows
ily!!