27

Jimin’s heart raced as he stood in the middle of his living room, staring at his phone. Something was off. Every morning for the past few months, Jungkook had knocked on his door two hours earlier, without fail. But today, there was nothing—no text, no call, not even the familiar sound of Jungkook’s gentle knocks.

At first, Jimin tried to brush it off. Maybe he’s busy at the gallery, he told himself. After all, Jungkook had a lot of responsibilities and projects that often demanded his attention. But as the minutes ticked by, the uneasy feeling in Jimin’s chest grew stronger. He dialed Jungkook’s number, but after three rings, it went straight to voicemail. He texted, but there was no response.

"Appa, waeyo?" Jae’s small voice broke through Jimin’s thoughts, tugging at his sleeve.

Jimin looked down at his son, his anxiety written all over his face. "Kookie Appa isn’t answering my call," he muttered, biting his lip.

Jae’s eyes widened with concern, mimicking his appa’s worry. "Should we go to Kookie Appa’s house?"

Jimin blinked, and then smacked his forehead, realizing how silly he had been. "Aish, why didn’t I think of that earlier?" he muttered to himself. Of course, he could just go to Jungkook’s house. He had been so caught up in his worry that he hadn’t thought of the most obvious solution.

Without wasting another second, Jimin grabbed Jae’s hand, and they hurried out the door. The walk to Jungkook’s house felt longer than usual, his worry growing with every step. When they finally arrived, Jimin’s stomach dropped as he noticed something strange—the front door to Jungkook’s house was unlocked, slightly ajar.

"Stay behind me, Jae," Jimin instructed as he cautiously pushed the door open. His heart pounded in his chest, dread rising in his throat.

The inside of the house was eerily quiet, which only made Jimin more nervous. "Hyung?" he called out, his voice trembling. There was no response. His eyes scanned the room, everything seemed normal, but the silence was unsettling.

Jimin moved further into the house, his mind racing with all the worst-case scenarios. He reached the hallway leading to Jungkook’s bedroom when he finally spotted him. Jungkook was lying on the bed, but something wasn’t right. His normally energetic and vibrant self seemed completely drained. His face was pale, his eyes half-lidded, and he didn’t respond to Jimin’s call.

"Hyung! What happened to you?" Jimin rushed over, panic seizing him as he dropped to his knees beside the bed. He shook Jungkook gently, trying to rouse him, his heart hammering in his chest.

"Kookie Appa..."

Jungkook waved both of his hands weakly, signaling for Jimin and Jae to keep their distance. His fever had spiked, and his coughs had become more frequent and harsh. His body ached with every movement, and the last thing he wanted was for Jimin or Jae to catch whatever illness had taken him down. He knew how much Jae loved to be close, but he couldn’t risk either of them getting sick because of him.

"Jimin, go home," Jungkook rasped between coughs. "Take Jae with you. I don’t want you both to get sick."

But Jimin and Jae didn’t budge. "No," they both said in unison, their voices firm and stubborn, just like Jimin always was. Without waiting for another word from Jungkook, they settled themselves beside him on the bed, determined to stay by his side. Little Jae crawled to Jungkook’s right side, snuggling close, while Jimin sat on his left, his presence reassuring and steady.

"Hyung, you look pale," Jimin said, his voice filled with concern as he placed a gentle hand on Jungkook’s forehead, feeling the heat radiating from him. "Did you eat anything?"

Jungkook shook his head slowly, feeling too weak to do much more than that. He wanted to eat, but his body felt too sluggish, too heavy to even think about moving. The hunger gnawed at him, but he didn’t have the energy to cook anything for himself.

Jae, watching his Kookie Appa closely, tilted his head with a determined expression. "Appa, make chicken soup!" he declared enthusiastically, his eyes wide with excitement at the idea of his favorite comfort food.

Jimin couldn’t help but roll his eyes, a playful smile tugging at his lips. "Little Jae, chicken soup is what you want, not what Kookie Appa needs right now," he teased, shaking his head at his son’s innocent request. Jae giggled, knowing full well that his Appa had caught onto his true intentions.

Ignoring the playful banter, Jae scooted closer to Jungkook and reached out his tiny hand to gently stroke Jungkook’s damp hair. "Kookie Appa will feel better soon," Jae whispered softly, his fingers carefully running through the strands. Despite being so young, Jae had a calming presence, his small gestures filled with love and care for Jungkook.

Jimin’s heart swelled at the sight of their son’s affection for Jungkook. He leaned over and kissed the top of Jae’s head. "Stay here, baby bear," Jimin instructed. "Appa’s going to make some porridge for Kookie Appa, okay?"

Jae nodded eagerly, his eyes never leaving Jungkook’s face as he continued to stroke his hair. He seemed content to stay by Jungkook’s side, offering what little comfort he could in his own sweet way.

Jimin slipped into the kitchen, quickly gathering the ingredients for his special porridge recipe. He knew that porridge would be easy on Jungkook’s stomach, providing the nourishment he needed without being too heavy. As he worked, Jimin’s thoughts wandered back to all the times Jungkook had taken care of him, of them, of Jae. Jungkook always put their needs first, always making sure they were okay—even when he was struggling himself. Now, it was Jimin’s turn to take care of him.

Twenty minutes later, Jimin reemerged from the kitchen, a steaming bowl of porridge in his hands. The familiar, comforting smell of the warm dish filled the room as he walked back to the bed. "Alright, Hyung. Time to eat," Jimin said softly, placing the bowl on the bedside table and gently helping Jungkook sit up.

"I can't hold a spoon," Jungkook whined, trying to get Jimin's attention with exaggerated weakness. "I have a weak hand. Look..." He lifted his arm, only managing to raise it slightly before letting it drop dramatically, pretending to look even weaker than he really was.

Jimin raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "You don't have the energy to eat, but you have the energy to talk so much," he shot back, folding his arms across his chest.

Jae, sitting nearby, was watching everything with wide, amused eyes. His little giggles bubbled up as he cupped his hands over his mouth, clearly understanding the playful exchange between his two favorite people. When Jungkook gave him a quick wink, Jae’s giggles grew louder, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Appa, Jae is sick too. See?" Jae lifted his hand, imitating Jungkook’s earlier dramatic gesture. His tiny arm wobbled in the air as he mimicked being weak. It was clear that Jae was picking up on Jungkook’s antics. Jae had always been the perfect little copycat—his obsession with mimicking everyone around him was on another level, and this moment was no exception.

Jimin rolled his eyes, barely hiding the fond smile tugging at his lips. "Hyung, you’re not that sick. Eat by yourself," he scolded Jungkook lightly. "I have a lot of things to do, and I’m sleepy. I’ve got the night shift, remember?" He turned to Jae, holding out his hand. "Little Jae, let’s go. We’ve spent long enough here. We need to go home so Kookie Appa can rest. He is weeeeeeaaaaaaak."

Jimin stretched out the last word, mocking Jungkook’s earlier whining. His tone was teasing, but underneath it was the same affectionate care he always had for Jungkook. It was their usual banter, a back-and-forth that never failed to make Jae giggle and Jungkook grin.

Jungkook, unfazed by the mockery, happily began feeding himself the bowl of porridge with a playful smirk. He was used to Jimin’s endless teasing, and deep down, he loved every second of it. He also knew how much Jimin cared, even when he pretended to be indifferent.

"You’re lucky that I love you," Jimin said suddenly, his index finger pointing right at Jungkook as if declaring a fact.

Jungkook froze mid-bite, eyes widening at the unexpected confession. "W-what?" he stammered, lowering his spoon.

Jimin blinked, looking equally surprised at what he had just said. "What???"

"Appa said that Appa loves Kookie Appa!" Jae chimed in, his voice full of excitement as he repeated the words. His innocent eyes darted between his two parents, oblivious to the sudden tension in the room.

"Did I?" Jimin asked, looking genuinely confused, as if he hadn’t realized what had just slipped out of his mouth.

Jungkook’s expression softened, his heart swelling at the accidental confession. He knew Jimin didn’t say those words often, but when he did, it always hit differently. A warm smile spread across Jungkook’s face as he playfully raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you definitely did."

Jimin, still flustered, waved his hand dismissively, trying to play it off. "Psh, you must be hearing things."

But the blush creeping up Jimin’s cheeks and the way he quickly turned away to avoid Jungkook’s gaze told a different story. Jungkook just chuckled softly to himself, his heart full as he watched Jimin gather Jae and prepare to leave.

"Well," Jungkook said softly, more to himself than anyone else, "I love you too, Jimin. I'm your boyfriend Park Jimin!"