¤ One Moment More
Mindy Smith ↲

Give me
Just one part of you to cling to
And keep me
Everywhere you are
It's just enough to steal my heart and run
And fade out with the falling sun

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Jungkook was engaged.

Jungkook was engaged to Kim Taehyung.

One day, however many years down the road it took, Taehyung was going to become his husband.

To say Jungkook was thrilled would be a massive understatement. He had no words to describe how he felt. He wasn't sure if such words even existed.

When everything happened yesterday, when he was teasing Taehyung about proposing, he seriously wasn't thinking they'd actually get engaged. They were so young and there were so many questions about their futures. But Taehyung's words - about their love, about always being there for each other - resonated with him and he knew.

Taehyung was his future.

Wherever life took them, Taehyung was always going to be his constant. As long as he had the elder by his side, he'd never want for anything else. They would be happy and safe and surrounded by love and support.

How did he get this lucky?

Jungkook was engaged. Saying it now, over and over and over in his head, still felt surreal. He had a fiancé. He was a fiancé.

It didn't matter to him how long they spent as an engaged couple. One year, five, or ten . . . He wanted to enjoy each and every day he had at this stage in their relationship. And realistically, neither of them were ready to be married just yet. They didn't know what the next two months looked like, let alone two years. Their immediate futures were so uncertain, yet both Jungkook and Taehyung were so certain about one thing - each other.

So maybe they wouldn't get married for a long time, until they lived in their own home and had secure careers. But that was okay. Knowing that they were engaged and committing to each other was way more than enough. It was right. Neither of them needed any additional time or life experience to realize this was it. Both acknowledged that they'd known this fact from the very beginning.

And now, here they were.

Jungkook never knew a love like this could exist. Sure, he saw the amazing and strong partnership between his parents, but he never expected to find the same thing for himself. But the fact that he did . . . It was no small miracle. It was something that deserved to be celebrated.

And they would celebrate it, though it'd have to wait for the time being. Both Taehyung and Jungkook agreed that Juyeon came first right now. They wanted to give her all of their love and attention, to celebrate this beautiful blessing with her. But once she was a little more settled after the surgery, they'd announce their own exciting news to their family and friends.

Without a doubt in the world, the entire Jeon family was going to be so thrilled for Jungkook and Taehyung. Jungkook could already picture Juyeon, clapping and jumping as she took credit for the entire thing. She'd tell everyone how she was the one to make it happen. Jungkook's parents would have tears in their eyes once they learned of the engagement; they loved Taehyung so much as well and already considered him a part of the family.

Imagining their faces was nearly making Jungkook bounce with excitement, but he knew he had to reign it in for now. Once Juyeon was released from the hospital and was feeling better, Taehyung and he would tell them all.

The two had talked briefly last night, quickly checking in with each other about the rest of their days. Jungkook relayed how sore he was at work and how Namjoon definitely noticed his inability to walk normally. He laughed while recounting their friend's knowing expression, though the elder male luckily didn't comment on it to him.

Taehyung didn't have much else to report outside of his final preparations for his presentation. He couldn't talk for too long, saying his stomach was really off, but he kept repeating over and over how happy and excited he was. That he couldn't wait for their future.

Jungkook didn't keep him on the phone for long after that, knowing how miserable it could be to experience stomach issues. And especially since Taehyung needed to be bright-eyed and ready for his presentation, he wanted to allow the elder to get to sleep early. So he gave him a loving goodnight send off, using the word fiancé as many times as physically possible.

Once he'd hung up from his fiancé, he tracked down Juyeon and said he was going to sleep in her room. He'd tucked himself in next to her, petting her head softly before she got up and ran out of the room. She slammed the bathroom door closed and remained there for quite some time.

In order to prepare Juyeon for her surgery, she was prescribed magnesium citrate, a solution that would help clear out her bowels. This step was necessary for a successful operation, so Juyeon was in and out of the bathroom all afternoon and evening as the solution took effect. She came back to bed shortly before midnight, utterly exhausted.

Jungkook soothed her into a deep slumber, holding her as he remained wide awake. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep well that night, not as his worries for the next day consumed him. But, with Juyeon safely in his arms, he at least felt a little better.

Come morning, he slipped out of her bed to get ready, letting her sleep until the last possible moment. She wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything before the procedure, so it didn't make sense to wake her until they had to be in the car. He ate a small meal himself and packed a couple of personal belongings, knowing he'd be at the hospital for a while today.

And now, just after seven in the morning, the entire Jeon family was at the hospital. They had to arrive super early to run final tests and to get Juyeon fully ready. She had a round of dialysis, a physical, and then received the results of one final cross-match test. Once she was cleared, the Jeon family was brought to a preoperative care center where Juyeon was prepped before the surgery. They met with the surgical team and anesthesiologist, then a nurse started an intravenous line in Juyeon's arm.

It was hectic and a lot to witness, though so far everything was going according to plan. There was nothing to do but wait for the surgery to begin.

When nine o'clock came - the scheduled start time of the transplant - a nurse came into the room and explained things were delayed by an hour or so. Apparently there was some sort of mix up with the operating rooms, so now the whole team needed to wait until another was made available.

The Jeons focused on distracting Juyeon during that added time, wanting to do whatever they could to take her mind off of the impending ordeal. But, as she told them time and time again this morning, she wasn't nervous. She said she felt a sense of peace and knew everything was going to work out exactly as it needed to.

Almost an hour and a half later, the surgical team announced everything was ready to begin. The Jeon family crowded around Juyeon, giving her reassuring words and head pats. By this point, Jiho was openly crying and Jaewoo was doing his best to control his own tears. Jungkook had a painful lump in his throat, this scratchy and burning feeling, though he tried not to fixate on that. He told himself he could break down later if need be, but he had to remain strong for his sister now.

And - true to Juyeon's form - as she was rolled away by the nurses, she sternly ordered her family to stop acting like emotional two year olds and to pull themselves together.

Once Juyeon was out of sight, the Jeons were guided to a quiet waiting room for families. A nurse explained that it would be at least three hours for the surgery to conclude, though oftentimes it took even longer. She'd keep them updated on the process throughout.

Now, all the Jeon family could do was wait.

Right away, Jungkook texted Taehyung to let him know about the schedule change and to explain where the waiting room was located. He didn't expect to hear from the elder for a couple of hours, though it made him feel better sharing all the necessary details.

After he got as comfortable as possible, Jungkook zoned out for a bit, the idle chit chat of his parents filling the otherwise quiet room. There was so much on his mind, understandably. He first thought of Juyeon, praying for a successful surgery and transplant. Then, his thoughts drifted to Taehyung and how he couldn't wait to see him again. And then, he started focusing on the upcoming photography exhibit he had the opportunity to participate in.

Amidst everything going on, Jungkook somehow managed to prepare more for his event, which was now just a couple of weeks away. The society definitely wanted to showcase the portraits of Taehyung, but they also allowed him to add an additional five to ten photos to his main collection. He decided to take some new landscape shots, wanting to display two very different sides to his work. Many industry professionals - as well as possible clients - were going to be in attendance, so he put in as much time as possible to perfect the images.

Jungkook pondered over everything some more, so lost in his thoughts that he didn't realize his father was calling out his name. Only when a hand started waving in front of his eyes did he come back to the present moment.

"What were you thinking about?" Jaewoo chuckled, slinging his arms over the backs of two chairs. They were the only people in the small waiting room for the moment, so none of them felt bad for spreading out. Jungkook and his father sat across from each other, while his mother was napping on a tiny couch.

Jungkook smiled at him, so happy to have his dad home. Of course, he wished he was home under less stressful circumstances, but it was better than him not being here at all. Maybe one day, however far into the future, his dad could find a good paying job closer to home.

He tried putting together an answer to his dad's question, but he couldn't find a way to compress everything he was feeling into words. So he simply shrugged his shoulders, his smile widening. "I don't know. Nothing. Everything."

"Everything, huh?" His father asked with a smirk of his own, eyes roaming all over Jungkook's face. "Thinking about your sister?"

Jungkook nodded, his thoughts threatening to drift back to her and how she was faring at the moment. "Yeah."

Jaewoo nodded in agreement. "Me, too. Thinking about Taehyung as well?"

"Yeah."

"About how he's your fiancé?"

"Yeah." Jungkook's smile spread even further over his face, his mind traveling back to their beautiful day yesterday. But then . . . "Wait. What?"

"Kook, you should know by now how thin the walls are at home. I heard you on the phone with Tae last night and based on the number of times you said the word fiancé, I kind of put two and two together."

Jungkook stared at his dad, eyes wide and mouth parted. He didn't know what to say. This wasn't something he expected or prepared for. When he envisioned telling his family, he wanted there to be cakes and balloons and confetti. He wanted to tell them with Taehyung by his side. But, as he should know full well by this point, life doesn't always work out exactly like you have planned.

"Does Mom or Juyeon know?" He asked, hoping they didn't find out yet so at least he and Taehyung could tell them together.

Jaewoo got up and sat down besides him. "Not yet. Your mom was asleep and Juyeon was baking brownies in the bathroom."

A grimace pulled at Jungkook's lips, a really unfortunate visual coming to mind. "Ugh, Dad."

But his father ignored him. "I wasn't even planning on saying anything until you guys told us yourselves, but I couldn't resist. Kookie . . . I am so happy for you. For both you and Tae. One of the most exciting moments in a parent's life is watching their kids fall in love and find their person. I dreamed of the day you'd meet that special someone, get engaged, and get married. And to know that it's with an amazing man like Taehyung . . ."

His father trailed off, tears forming in his eyes. And seeing his dad tear up made Jungkook emotional as well, and soon enough they were crying in each other's arms. They hugged for a while, with Jungkook so happy someone in his family knew their happy news.

"So," Jaewoo prompted, wiping away his tears on the back of his hand, "how'd it happen? Who popped the question? It was Tae, wasn't it?"

A redness sprung to Jungkook's cheeks as he recalled exactly how the proposal went down. He'd never felt so warm inside during that moment, both from his undying love for Taehyung and because of the elder's cock and release still inside of him.

Yeah. He wasn't going to share that bit.

"Must have been really romantic judging by the way you're blushing," his father laughed, raising his eyebrows. "Now I really want to know."

Jungkook laughed nervously before clearing his throat. "We were cuddling. Taehyung was saying all these sweet things about us, and I kind of teased him and asked if he was proposing, then he just kind of did. It wasn't anything we ever talked about before, but . . . Dad, it feels so right. I'm marrying that man one day and he's going to become a Jeon."

"You're trying to make me cry again, aren't you?" Jaewoo said as he wiped at his eyes once more. "Kookie, I'm so honored to have a man like Taehyung taking our family name. You have no idea."

"Are you upset he didn't ask for your blessing?"

His father gave him an odd look, part crazy eyes and part secretive grin. "What makes you think that he didn't?"

Jungkook stared at him, trying to find the hidden meaning to that question. But of course, when his dad was being cryptic like this, it was impossible to fully know what he was getting at. So instead, he said, "Huh?"

Jaewoo laughed and ruffled Jungkook's hair affectionately. "Tae and I had a lot of long talks since I've been home. Talks about life and all that good stuff. He may not have asked me formally for permission to marry you, but he did ask if I'd be okay with him taking care of you for the rest of your life. Maybe it wasn't evident to him what he was asking, but it was clear enough to me. So I said yes, of course."

Great, now more tears were rolling down Jungkook's cheeks. But they were the happiest tears possible. God, how he loved Taehyung.

His father patted his arm, seemingly knowing the exact emotions he felt. "So . . . When's the wedding?"

The two talked a little bit more about the whole affair, with Jungkook explaining how it'd be a very long time until they tied the knot. Jaewoo agreed that they were smart to wait a little while and to not rush things. All that mattered was that they were committed to each other. They could take as much time as they needed to work out all the rest.

Jiho woke up right before noon and the three of them made their way to the cafeteria. Jaewoo kept playfully nudging Jungkook, earning many curious glances from Jiho, but otherwise kept silent. He respected Jungkook and Taehyung too much to spoil their announcement.

The food at the hospital cafeteria left something to be desired, but it was better than nothing. Eating also gave them another activity to do while they waited for Juyeon to come out of surgery. They finished right around one in the afternoon, and Jungkook - realizing that Taehyung would be here at any moment - checked his phone for texts from the elder.

Except there was nothing.

It was a little surprising, though Jungkook wasn't too concerned at the moment. Taehyung did admit how up in the air the timing of his presentation would be, so he decided to wait a little longer before calling him.

Around one thirty in the afternoon, a nurse came out to alert the Jeons it'd be another hour or two. Everything was going really well, but just taking a little longer than initially anticipated due to their delayed start. Once Juyeon was out of surgery and brought back to her room, they'd let them know when they could go and see her.

One thirty quickly became two o'clock and still, Jungkook had not yet heard from Taehyung. He called and texted a few times, checking in to ensure everything was okay, but never received any responses.

That was when a small pit in his stomach began to form. A prickling sense of awareness that crawled up his spine.

This was unlike Taehyung. The elder was always good about keeping Jungkook in the know of his whereabouts and schedule. Even if he was running five minutes late, Taehyung always communicated that to him. So this . . . being this late with no texts or calls . . . something didn't feel right.

When it reached two thirty, Jungkook knew he had to do something. He filled his parents in on what was happening and expressed his sense of unease. They all agreed it would be wise for Jungkook to go to the university and see if Taehyung was at his apartment. Luckily the campus was close by to the hospital, so he didn't feel guilty about taking off. And, to make him feel better, his parents promised to text with updates about Juyeon.

Jungkook nearly ran outside, covering his head with his jacket once he saw it was raining. He found his parents' car in the parking lot and took off, trying to calm his breathing during the drive. The only sounds in the car were the pounding of his heart and the slide of the windshield wipers, trying to wipe away the onslaught of rain.

Fifteen minutes later, he arrived at the university and parked in the guest lot. He first went to Taehyung's apartment, using his own key to get inside. He searched quickly through the space, dripping water and dirtying the floors. But Taehyung wasn't there.

Thinking of where else to check, he decided it wouldn't hurt to go to the Art Department, even though he had no idea where to search in the massive building. But he had to try.

He hurried throughout the winding halls, poking his head into random rooms and disturbing multiple classes. Professors glared and yelled at him, but he didn't care. As he searched more and more of the Department, an increasing amount of dread began to consume him.

Something wasn't right. He knew it. Call it his gut instinct or his intuition, but there was this innate sense of knowing that Taehyung wasn't okay. His whole body was reacting in a way that wasn't linked to fear alone.

He never thought too much about his gut instinct before. There were a few times at the construction site when he felt a strong need to get out of the way, and a few seconds later, a heavy object fell right where he had been standing. It had helped him in the past and was most often right.

As for his intuition - that calm and clear sense of knowing - there was this voice in his head that said Taehyung wasn't safe like he should be. All the alarm bells were ringing, and even if it seemed like an overreaction to others, he felt in his heart that he was right about this.

Something. Was. Wrong.

On his way back to the car, he called each of their friends, inquiring about Taehyung. None of them heard from him either, but promised to let Jungkook know right away if that changed. They all sounded worried as well, knowing this was extremely unlike Taehyung.

By this point, Jungkook was near losing his mind as he searched the senior parking lot for Taehyung's car. It wasn't there.

Taehyung wasn't here.

He got back into the car and put the heat on, trying to warm himself up and dry his soaked clothing. It was raining even harder now, coming down in sheets that greatly reduced his visibility. The whole thing was ominous and made him even more nervous.

And then that's when a new fear hit him, realization coming down hard and making his body shake with both panic and the cold.

Taehyung was not the best driver. He got distracted on the road and easily lost his focus. And with this heavy rain . . .

Jungkook's mind automatically assumed the worst.

"Tae," he said brokenly to himself, the pent up anxiety finally becoming too much. "Tae. Please. Where are you?"

He checked his phone again, praying he missed some text or call or anything.

Nothing.

His heart was racing uncontrollably as he dialed Taehyung's number again, letting it ring and ring and ring. He was sent to voicemail, an automatic messaging system that didn't even let him hear Taehyung's voice.

That's all he needed to hear right now. If he could hear Taehyung's voice, everything would be okay.

The system beeped, signaling him to start talking. But what did one say when the love of your life suddenly vanished without a trace?

"Tae? Tae . . . I need you and I'm scared. I can't find you. I searched everywhere and you're not . . . You're not . . ." He broke down, tears streaming down his cheeks as he gripped the steering wheel. Every single part of his body hurt and he couldn't think, he couldn't breathe.

"Tae . . . We're supposed to be forever. You promised. We promised each other," he said brokenly, his heart breaking with each and every word he spoke. "You're my everything and I need you. I . . . I can't . . . Where are you? Please, Tae, I love you. Come back to me -"

The voicemail system cut him off and disconnected their call. Jungkook laid his head on the wheel, sobbing and gasping for breath. He felt it in the center of his chest - the place Taehyung called his home - that something was wrong.

He couldn't explain it but he knew. Taehyung was the love of his life, his twin flame, his everything . . . He knew.

Jungkook couldn't lose him. Not after all they'd been through. They were engaged and happy and completely, impossibly in love. Their love was supposed to conquer every obstacle. They had everything they'd ever need as long as they were together.

But they weren't . . . They weren't together right now.

"I promised you," Jungkook said through his tears, envisioning Taehyung sitting right next to him. "I promised that I'd always love you. I promised that you were my everything. So why did you have to leave me? Why aren't you here? You said you'd find your way to me. Please don't be gone. Please, Tae."

He didn't know how long he cried for. He didn't know how many times his heart shattered into tiny, unmendable pieces. He didn't know how many times he called out for Taehyung, asking him to come back.

He didn't know how he was supposed to go on now.

Sometime later Jungkook's phone rang and he quickly scrambled to pick it up. His heart sank slightly upon seeing the caller ID, though he didn't give up hope yet.

"Mom? Is he there? Is Tae there?" He rushed to get out, his free hand gripping the wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white.

There was a pause on the other side of his line. "No, honey. He's not here. You still haven't heard from him?"

A strangled sob left his mouth and he shook his head. "No. Mom . . . I'm really scared. This isn't like him and I know something bad happened."

His voice broke off in a whisper, raw and hoarse from crying so much. He swallowed down more of his sobs, forcefully clamping a hand over his mouth.

"I'm sure everything is okay, Kookie. I'm sure there is some explanation for what happened. Just . . . Just come back to the hospital and we'll figure it out together, okay? We can figure out who else to call and go to the police if it gets to that point. But I do need you to come back here. Juyeon's out of surgery and we're going to see her soon."

"Okay," he said shakily, trying to dry his eyes. "I'll be there in fifteen."

They hung up after Jungkook promised to take his time and drive slowly, and then he was on his way. He kept his eyes glued to the road, looking for any sign of an accident along the route. But there was nothing. Nothing but the gray blur of the rain.

He arrived back at the hospital, parking the car and trying to calm himself before heading inside. If he was going to see Juyeon, he didn't want her to know Taehyung was missing. She couldn't afford to be stressed right now.

Taehyung would never want to do anything that'd hurt her, and this without a doubt would.

He met his parents back in the waiting room, their eyes immediately meeting his. They pulled him into a hug, holding him tight and saying everything was going to be okay.

Okay.

Nothing was okay.

As he let himself be blanketed in their warmth and reassuring words, a nurse came into the room and walked up to them.

"Everything went really well. She's back in her room now and you guys can head up in about fifteen minutes. She'll be waking up soon," the nurse informed them nicely. "The doctors will see you in a bit to explain the surgery and any follow ups."

Once the nurse left, Jungkook allowed himself to zone out again. In fifteen minutes, he'd pull himself together for Juyeon. In fifteen minutes, he'd push all his pain and fears aside.

But for now, he stared at nothing in particular, falling apart on the inside.

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》 V A L E N W R I T I N G 《

I'd be lying if I said I didn't get emotional several times while writing this chapter.

Lord, I don't even have a lot of notes for this one. Again, Chapters 40-43 were ones I knew were going to happen since the very beginning. I even had all the songs picked out for them since Day 1. So the fact that we're here, that we've come this far . . . Holy smokes.

I'm curious to know: Have you guys ever had any strong gut reactions/intuition into things? I once had this feeling of dread before a family dinner, but couldn't explain why. I skipped out on the dinner and my mom ended up falling down a flight of stairs, breaking her arm (she's 100% better now!). It's scary stuff when you have those feelings, but I do believe they're very important for us to hone into.

Anyway, all will be revealed soon. Stay tuned . . .