Subin couldn't remember anything from the moment she lost consciousness. Her last memory was searching for her keys in her purse. Then, suddenly, she felt a rush of heat and heard a ringing in her ears. Then, darkness, and a soft fall. She could still see her neighbor's face above her and hear voices in the distance. She regained consciousness for only a few seconds at a time.
Before her consciousness was completely overwhelmed by darkness, she breathed in the sweet smell of caramel, which seemed to have penetrated her skin. Finally, she felt her body go limp. After that, she passed out.
"What's going on? Why did you stop?" asked Taehyung, moving forward. "Jimin?" the boy exclaimed in surprise when he saw his neighbor holding Jimin.
"Hyung..." Jimin looked at Jin with wide, fearful eyes. He begged for help. But the boys themselves didn't know what to do.
"What happened?" Hobi asked again.
"I think she lost consciousness. Everything was fine a few seconds ago," said Jimin, holding the girl close, his heart beating louder than the voices of the Bangtans around him. Taehyung watched silently, feeling queasy.
"What should we do, Hyung?" Jimin looked at Jin, the oldest, but no ideas came to mind.
"Take her inside. We can't leave her like this," replied Namjoon. Yoongi picked up the unconscious girl and carried her inside their house, a place no mere mortal had ever set foot in except for journalists and Bangtam managers. Taehyung still hadn't said a word. Like an offended boy, he followed the others, pouting.
"What now?" J-Hope asked, looking at the girl.
"I'll call my mom. Maybe she can help her," Namjoon said, dialing his mother's number.
"Okay, then we'll wait for her to arrive..." Yoongi said, but Jimin interrupted him.
"I'll stay with her."
"Me too." Taehyung suddenly replied from behind the bantams. The boys exchanged glances and left the two of them in the room.
Jealousy seemed to have reared its ugly head. Especially in Tae. Now, Jim was his enemy. TaeTae was about to explode with rage. Inside, everything was boiling. Although he did not yet know that his neighbor liked him too, his heart sensed that something was wrong.
The room was quiet. Jimin sat on the floor to the right of Subin, his legs crossed beneath him. On the left, opposite him, Taehyung sat in the same position, glancing from the boy to the unconscious cause of their jealousy.
The girl lay on the floor between them. Covered with a blanket, she was exhausted from fever. Beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, and her body shook. As soon as she arrived at the Bangtans' house unconscious, Yoongi immediately put a cold compress on his neighbor's forehead to bring down her fever, but it was no longer helping. All that remained was to wait for Namjoon's mother to arrive. The atmosphere in the room was tense. The other members were afraid to enter the room, for fear of falling victim to the boys' wrath. Among them, a black cat ran:
"How long have they been sitting like that?" Jin asked Namjoon, who was watching the boys through a crack in the door.
"About two hours," Namjoon muttered without taking his eyes off them. "They're not even moving. What's going on with them? This is the first time I've seen such strange behavior from the younger ones," said Jin.
"Maybe you should tell them dinner is ready?" Jin suggested.
"Are you crazy, Hyung? I'm afraid to go in there. Who knows what they're thinking?"
Namjoon jumped up in fear. "Go tell them yourself," he said, running away from his friend in case he suddenly forced him to do what he asked. Jin timidly peeked into the room, opening the door slightly. The boys looked at him at the same time. "Dinner is ready, Jim, Taehyung," Jin announced. "Let's eat together..."
"No!" the boys exclaimed in unison, not letting him finish. They began staring at each other again. They were both burning with rivalry.
"All right. Then... I'll go." But the boys were no longer paying attention to him.
Another hour passed. The boys didn't move from their seats. They didn't take their eyes off each other the whole time. Jungkook and Hoseok came into the room with dinner, but the boys didn't even touch the food. For Jim and Taehyung, it was a game of elimination. Whoever lasted longer would be the winner. Their legs burned from sitting still for so long. Their stomachs growled with hunger and they were thirsty, but neither gave in. The tension was reminiscent of a Western movie. They were like two cowboys in a duel in the middle of the desert, fingers on triggers, waiting for the other to make the first move.
"Jimin!" Taehyung broke the silence. "Why was she in your arms?" he asked, raising his right eyebrow.
"She suddenly felt ill. Fortunately, I was nearby at that moment," Jimin said proudly, lifting his chin and making his brother jealous. Taehyung chuckled mockingly, but inside, he was screaming. Why wasn't he next to Subin, but Jim? Why didn't he catch her when she passed out? Why? Why? Why? "Why are you asking?" "I'm worried about my neighbor. It's a good thing you held her back; otherwise, you would've had to treat her bruises," Taehyung said with a sneer, raising the left corner of his lips. Jimin's eyes widened at what he heard. His brother's words hurt him, and he didn't want to listen to Taehyung's mockery anymore.
"Hey, are you tired of living?" Jimin stood up and stared at Taehyung. Suddenly, the other Bangtans entered the room, interrupting their duel. They had been watching the show from beginning to end.
"Can you two stop this madness? You're like two roosters about to start a fight. Enough," said Jin, but the younger ones weren't listening to him.
"No!" exclaimed Taehyung.
"No way," said Jim.
"Enough," a woman's voice said behind the boys.
A short woman with glasses and a short haircut entered the room. Jim and Taehyung jumped up when they saw her. It was Namjoon's mother, who had rushed over after receiving a call from her son. She was bringing all the medicine she had at home.
"What are you doing here? Get out of the room. She needs peace and quiet."
"Yes, ma'am," Jim and Taehyung said in unison, immediately running out of the room. The rest of the boys breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank you for coming so quickly when I called," said Namjoon's mother, hugging him.
"I would have come even faster if it weren't for the taxi driver. He drove slower than I walk," Mom said, taking medicine out of the first aid kit. "What's wrong with her?"
"I think she has a fever. Jim said she got wet in the rain today," her son explained.
"I see. What's going on with them? Did they have another argument?" his mother asked, pointing to Jim and Taehyung, who were standing guiltily in the hallway and peering into the room where the girl was lying.
"We're curious about what's going on between them, too," said Hoseok.
"All right, boys. Leave us alone. She's in good hands. Don't worry," the woman said as she ushered the boys out the door, closed it, and got to work.
The boys waited outside the door to their neighbor's room for an hour. Omoni still hadn't come out. Jim bit his nails while waiting for the woman's verdict. Taehyung swayed from side to side while sitting on the floor. He muttered something indistinctly under his breath. Yoongi sprawled on the sofa, listening to music through his headphones and tapping his foot to the beat. Jungkook played games on his phone and shouted words of victory. Hoseok and Jin went out onto the balcony to discuss something. Only Namjoon ran back and forth between the kitchen and living room. He helped his mother treat the girl. He brought clean towels, water, and bags of ice. It seemed that something terrible was happening in the room. This thought made Jim's heart race. The boy bit his lip until it bled from excitement. Finally, Omoni came out of the room. All six boys rushed to her.
"You can relax. It's just a cold. I brought her temperature down. When she wakes up, make her some porridge and feed it to her so she can regain her strength. Then, give her some tea. I left the pills on the table, along with instructions for how long she should take them. She should come to her senses in a few hours."
"Oh..." could be heard throughout the house. The boys breathed a sigh of relief, knowing the worst was over. Omoni just smiled in response.
"All right. I'll go. Call me when she wakes up," instructed Namjoon's mother. He nodded.
As soon as the woman closed the door, Jim and Taehyung ran to the girl's room. However, Namjoon kicked them out immediately so his sick neighbor could rest. Jim didn't sleep a wink all night. He was thinking about Subin the whole time. He wanted to see her wake up and smile. His heart raced again. From time to time, he went out into the hallway and stared at the neighboring room's door for a long time. But he didn't dare come any closer. Unlike Taehyung. Toward morning, the boy secretly left his room. Strangely, he didn't wake his neighbors, Hobi and Namjoon, who were supposed to watch over him that night. He soon returned, making sure his neighbor was still asleep. Another night passed in the Bangtan house.
In the morning, Subin came to her senses. There was no trace of yesterday's illness. Full of strength and energy, she stretched under the blanket without taking her eyes off the ceiling. Then, she glanced around the room. She looked to the right. Then, she looked to the left. She looked back at the ceiling, but after a moment, she realized something was wrong. She looked to the right again. Instead of books, the shelves held statuettes, awards, and photographs. She got out of bed and moved closer to examine the photos. Suddenly, her heart sank. The photos showed the smiling faces of Bangtans. Subin's eyes widened as she looked around and realized that she was now in her neighbors' apartment. The thought made her feel sick. She felt hot. She grabbed her purse from the floor and tiptoed out of the room like a thief, quietly closing the door behind her.
The girl was already standing at the door, holding the handle, when she heard a voice coming from the kitchen.
"Jimin, hurry up in there! Breakfast is ready," Hoseok shouted. There was no answer. "Jimin, everyone is waiting. Let's go have breakfast..." The boy went out into the hallway to urge his friend to hurry up. He stopped when he saw a girl at the exit. "Oh, hi!" He smiled at her. "Are you feeling better?"
"Hello. Yes," the girl replied quietly, turning slowly. At that moment, Jimin came out of the bathroom.
"Jimin..." Hobi muttered, pointing at his neighbor.
"What is it, Hyung?" Minnie asked, surprised, not noticing Subin, who was staring at him with her mouth open. He shook his hair with his hand. He turned around. "Subin..." He was glad to see her healthy.
Taehyung, upon hearing the girl's name, rushed out of the kitchen. He saw the scene: Jimin stood in the bathroom doorway wearing only a towel. Drops of water slowly dripped from his muscular torso. His wet hair fell seductively across his forehead. Hoseok giggled quietly and covered his face with his palm. Subin watched all this in shock.
"Hey, Jimin..." TaeTae shouted fiercely. "What are you doing?"
"Taehyung..." Jimin turned his gaze to his friend.
Only then did he realize that he was standing almost naked in front of his neighbor. Subin blushed and turned away from him, covering her red cheeks with her hands. Hoseok began to giggle. Jimin instantly disappeared into the bathroom and closed the door behind him. Taehyung's cry brought the other Bangtan Boys running. They asked Hoseok what had happened, but he just laughed. Jimin was too embarrassed to come out of the bathroom, and Taehyung was furious.