—First life. St. Vincent's Hospital, year 2027—

With Jimin being late to visit me today and Yoongi having a morning meeting at work, I had a solid plan in mind of spending the whole day napping. I had that plan in my head already as I was wheeled away from my treatment room towards the therapy centre. It was basically a morning routine for me, in exchange of having a morning exercise, to help ensure that I would still be able to keep my strength and my flexibility even after staying in bed for long. And with the addition of the pain that had taken over my spinal column, the doctors were worried that I may not be able to move or walk at all if I stop doing them.

The whole therapy sessions were ones that I had come to be familiar with, when most of them were similar to the ones I had gone through years ago. Except for the part where I had to practice my walk. That would be the only one I was not allowed to do. For now, at least.

"And we're done," the physician who was assisting me on my therapy chirped up just as I was done with the last part of training. She expertly helped me to sit from my lying position, before she carefully assisted me down to my wheelchair. "So, any plans for the day? You're going to have lots of free time this afternoon since we started this session a bit earlier than usual."

I gave her a smile as I leaned back on the wheelchair. We had agreed to move the session a few hours ahead of time when the nurse found me already awake so early. And now, I was left with a few hours to waste before my daily treatments would start.

"I don't know," I told her then. "My bodyguards and personal nurses won't be here until later in the afternoon, so I might as well watch Netflix in my room or have extra naps while I can."

The physician laughed with me as she started to wheel me out of the therapy room, knowing who I was referring to. "Sounds like a plan. You need as much rest as you can get today. You worked harder than before this morning and you might need some extra energy for the test run you are having with the doctors today."

I looked up to see her face just as she spoke. "Oh, did they let you know about my schedules?"

She only shrugged. "I checked with your nurse earlier before we started the session," she said, lifting her chin to point at the pretty nurse who was in charge of me, now standing on the receptionist counter while she waited. "I needed to know how far and how much we could do today. I didn't want to deplete your energy and make you sick again. The therapies are supposed to refresh your stamina, not the other way around."

I said nothing in response. Only because I had no chance to when we were both soon distracted by my nurse when she came to us. "Thanks for today," I said to the physician as she returned to her quarter.

"See you tomorrow,_____," she lightly said before sending a wink to my nurse. "I'm leaving her in your hands, Soyeon." And then she was gone from our sight.

I looked up at my nurse who was still busy tending a few papers on the counter, and I suddenly had the urge to move on my own. There was a sudden impulse growing inside me to be able to be active. I had awakened this morning feeling highly refreshed, as if my energy was at its peak that I just wanted to do a lot of things while I could. That was the reason why I had done so much during my session earlier. And now, I wanted to do more.

"Um, hey—do you think it will be okay if I return to my room on my own?" I asked Soyeon, the nurse, grabbing her attention away from her files.

"Are you sure?" She asked me with wide eyes. "We can go right after I'm done piling these up if you are in a hurry. I'll just need a minute."

Shaking my head, I gave her a reassuring smile. "No, I just want to train my arms, that's all. A little extra exercise since I have a long time to rest after this anyway."

She bit her lips, looking worried for a moment before she finally waved her hand. "Fine, as long as you promise not to strain yourself. The doctor would kill me if anything happens to you," she sighed. "But really, are you sure? Do you know your way down?"

"Oh, please," I said, rolling my eyes on her. "This place is basically my second home. Don't worry, I'll tell the doctor later so he won't scold you for letting me go free."

She scoffed. "Whatever you say," she giggled, already turning away. "Just be careful. I'll catch up with you soon."

I quickly wheeled myself out of the therapy corner, moving rather fast before she would get enough time to change her mind. Pretty soon, I was on the elevator, on my own, heading towards my floor.

For some reason, I felt like I was in such a good mood that I moved pretty leisurely around the floor. And not only did I feel quite energetic despite the labouring therapy I had just gone through, I was rather adventurous as well. So I made a different turn than the usual route I had taken, going through the opposite hallway in the floor to stroll past the farthest way heading to my room.

The hallway looked pretty familiar to my eyes, only because it was basically a mirrored version of the hallway leading towards my room. I had rarely gone down this hallway before, but I remembered doing so months ago during those times when I would escape from my room to be with Jimin, for this was where he would be staying at whenever he had to return to the hospital.

As I was sliding through the floor on my heavy wheelchair, I suddenly felt a pull leading me to the place I had come to visit then.

I solemnly laughed at myself to the thought of wanting to see his room, knowing that he would not be there if I had come to see.

Somebody else must be occupying his room at the moment, I reminded myself, inwardly laughing to myself once again when I almost forgot that this room and the whole place were not ours to claim. That the hospital would have a free reign of allowing other patients to use our rooms when we were not around.

Having that thought, I instantly decided that I would just quickly passed it by and continued to return to mine. I was already starting to imagine the nurse arriving there before I did and I certainly would not want my absence to cause her into having a panic attack thinking that I had run away.

A smile came to me as Jimin's old treatment room came to view.

I started to reminisce those days I spent with him there; when I would join him for dinner, lie down on his bed to talk to him all night until either one of us would fall asleep first, and how we woke up finding our hands entwined together during our sleep. The rush of memories started to make me miss him even more.

The door was half-opened when I finally reached for the room. And for a moment, I had thought that the room was unoccupied, or that perhaps there was a staff inside to clean the place during the time. But as I reached the doorway, I found out that the room was not truly vacant at all.

The bed was unmade. There was no doubt that someone had been using it frequently. And if that was not enough telling, I could see that the drawers next to the bed were filled with the patient's belongings; a glass jar of water and a clean glass, a bucket of oranges, a few other personal things that had been so tidily placed there. A sound of running water from the bathroom caught my attention, snapping me out of my daze and I realised that I have been gawking another person's stuff uninvited.

Deciding that I would prefer to not get caught spying on a stranger's personal space, I prepared myself to make my haste. Yet before I ever had any chance to move or to start wheeling myself out of there, the bathroom door was opened.

My eyes moved on their own accord as they search for the stranger who was the current resident of this treatment room. He had his back facing me when he stepped out of the bathroom, slightly hunching forward as if he was holding back a pain that he was having in his stomach. Guilt stabbed me right on the chest for watching something that was probably not meant to be seen by a passing bystander, so I prepared myself to turn away before he would.

But I was moving too late yet again, as he was beating me to it. He straightened his body before he turned to make his way towards the bad, limping as he went. As his face came to view right before I had a chance to look away, my heart nearly stopped while my breath got instantly caught in my throat.

I found myself unable to move right at that moment, and I kept my eyes following him, watching as he slowly moved to his bed with his hand pressing on his torso and his face wincing in pain. I could not believe what I saw at first, that he would be here inside this room. That he was there in his hospital pyjama instead of his usual button-up shirt and dark trousers. And judging from the state of his room as of current, I could tell that he had not only been here recently, but had been there for quite some time.

My breath was shaking when I finally able to inhale deeply. It took me a while before I found my voice, however. But the moment I managed to speak, the only thing that I could say was his name.

"Jimin?"

The man stiffened when he heard my voice. I could see him grimacing before he turned around, but it was not there when his eyes finally found me gawking at him from the doorway.

His eyes softened at the sight of me. Then it started to appear glossy as his smile appeared. The guilt was clear on his expression and then later in his words when he spoke,

"Hello, Love."

Keeping my eyes down on my entwined fingers that were on my lap, I heard Jimin emerging from the bathroom again. I looked up to see him already dressed differently. With a black t-shirt over a pair of blue jeans, his wet hair falling over his face, he looked a lot better than before. Much more refreshed than the other version of Jimin I accidentally found during my little exploit.

I would never have minded having either one, however, but Jimin had insisted to dress up so he could feel more comfortable talking to me. This look had been his mask for almost a whole week he had spent with me, that I failed to notice just how much he was struggling himself. I hated feeling like I have been deceived by the person I trusted the most. But deep down, I could also understand his reason why.

"How long has it been?" I asked him, pulling his attention on me when I noticed how he kept avoiding my gaze.

Jimin's eyes looked somber when he lifted them on me. He flattened his lips and moved to sit next to me, right on the top of his bed with our backs on the headboard. He had helped me to hop on it before, telling me that I would feel more comfortable to sit there as we talked instead of staying on the wheelchair.

He sighed. "A few weeks before December, I think," he muttered softly, his voice so low that I would have missed it if only I was not sitting so close. "I had a terrible reaction to the treatments that I had gotten then. I was sent home already when it happened. For the first week I was home, I felt like I was doing okay, that my body was stronger and better. Then all of a sudden, I woke up in pain and with a fever so high that I passed out. I also had a seizure at the time that my cousin had to call an ambulance to take me back to the hospital."

I snapped my head to look at him. "What? You have been staying here permanently since then?" I gasped. The surprise I felt was drowned with fear and concern. Any kind of anger I felt before just disappeared at the thought of his condition. "What did they say? Did the doctor tell you what was wrong?"

He shrugged as if it was not a big deal at all. "The usual. You know, after going through a long period of intense treatment, your body is bound to have its moments of going on a standstill. My body just stopped reacting to the drugs and it was as if the drugs refused to work on me any longer. They had me here before they could decide whether to give me different kinds of treatments or just to wait until my body bounce back up and continue fighting," he sighed with a tight lip. "I've been under a tight observation ever since, but the current treatment that I'm going through requires me to stay here permanently. Until my body starts showing signs of improvement, at least."

I bit my lips and compared his words to my own condition. Deep down, I wished that it was the reason for my own predicament. That this refusal my body was having merely temporary, and that soon, things would be okay.

Perhaps I could ask the doctors about it, I told myself then, suddenly feeling hopeful.

I forced a smile at Jimin, when I thought of how long he had been in here. But then, I was reminded to the night of the party when we first kissed. "Then—the night you came to my brother's party—"

He nodded briefly and lifted his gaze. "Yeah, I was already here then. The only reason why I got there so late was that it took me some time to get permission from the nurses to leave the hospital." I raised my eyebrows, looking at him with a shock. Perhaps the question was there in my eyes before I spoke it out loud, because he already had the answer to my curiosity.

"You know Soyeon, right? The nurse who is in charge of us during our treatments? She was the one who helped me slip out from security and helped me return here unnoticed. She also scolded me when I had a fever the next day, but it was all worth it," he said with a sheepish smile which ignited my own.

It was quite understandable yet still surprising to think that our nurse would support Jimin and even help him to that extent. But then again, Soyeon had been so nice to both of us since the very beginning.

I recalled her teasing me when she found me talking to Jimin the first time we met, and how she was the one who had somehow managed to find us together after, either snuggling on my bed or on Jimin's. And she had always been so nice and supportive during those times, noting that our relationship might help us to endure the boring days of staying in the hospital, while at the same time had also made the nurses gush over us during their breaks.

I had to hold back a laugh when I thought about Soyeon, when I thought about how she would react when she entered my room to find it empty after I had left her upstairs earlier. But I could deal with that later. I was more curious to know about Jimin's condition and the reason of his guise. And of course, how he managed to hide things from me for months.

"You could've just told me," I said, shaking my head.

"I can't let you worry about me," he answered gently while reaching for my hand. For some reason, he found comfort in entwining our fingers together. I never minded it at all, for it had always managed to calm me down when my emotions were all over the place. Perhaps it did the same for him too. "You were dealing with a lot of things by then. Your illness, your marriage—I can't add to them by sharing about what I was going through."

"But I don't mind. I would never mind it at all," I scowled. "I want you to share things with me. I always share things with you, and I'd hate to think that you feel like you can't do the same with me. I want to be by your side as you are mine so you won't have to deal with everything on your own."

Jimin's smile grew while his eyes softened. "I'll remember that," he said, before kissing the back of my hand. "Thank you."

I felt a blush creeping on my cheeks and lowered my head. "No need to say that. I want to be your strength since you have been mine."

I felt his fingers on my chin before he gently raised my face to look up. Before I managed to say a thing, or to decipher the look in his eyes, he leaned in and kissed my lips. I felt his hesitation for a moment that I went stiff. Yet once I registered to his touch and his warmth, I leaned myself even closer and returned his kiss. His sigh brushed my lips when I nibbled his plumped ones, which I returned with a soft moan when he slipped his tongue in.

I could not tell how long the kiss lasted. We probably would have advanced into a full making out session if only neither of us pulled away to breathe. He leaned down, pressing his forehead on mine when he did it first. Neither of us said anything as we took deep breaths of air, the rapid throbs of my heartbeat became the only thing that was clear to me. At least, it did until he whispered—

"Thank you. You have no idea how much those words meant to me," he said, then kissing my temple gently while muttering, "I'm so glad that we've met. Although I probably would have loved it even more if we had met under different circumstances."

His words made me smile. "Me too," I whispered to him. I pulled away from him to look at his face, wanting to be able to read his expression. "If you truly meant what you just said—then why did you lie to me? Why hide this from me? It's not just about sharing your burdens with me, is it?"

The look in his eyes and his smile said it all even before he voiced them out loud. "Because I feel like the more I talk about it, if I ever say it out loud or admit it to anyone at all, the more I feel it being my reality. And when that moment comes, I would have to admit to myself that I might be losing the battle."

There was nothing else he needed to say. All the things he just said, I completely understood. It was the real reason why I almost avoided being treated in the first place, the reason why I refused to admit that I needed help.

Because the moment I did, that was when everything became real. The illness, the pain. As the thought came to me, I instantly reacted, wrapping my arms around his torso to hold him tight, placing my head on his shoulder to hear his heartbeat.

At that moment, I felt as if I was complete. Because I finally found someone who shared everything I was feeling and going through. Someone who truly understood.

Jimin wrapped his arms around me, and we fell into a comfortable silence as we embraced one another. I pulled away when I felt like he was about to say something. But our moment was interrupted when somebody appeared in the doorway, rushing in with a pale face and heaving chest as if she had been running around the hospital floors.

"Oh, thank God, you're here," she said the moment she saw me. As Jimin and I turned to look, we immediately saw Soyeon standing there, trying to take deep breaths while pressing her palm on her chest. "I nearly had a heart attack when I came to your room and you weren't there. Please don't do that again."

Both Jimin and I instantly started chuckling as we saw her, although I quickly felt guilty for causing her to worry about me.

"I'm sorry. I've been so bored that I just decided to make a little detour," I told her with a smile, while she responded by rolling her eyes. We exchanged a knowing look for a moment before I realised— "Wait, how did you figure out that you would find me here?"

Soyeon raised her eyebrows, and I could feel Jimin grinning next to me. I looked between both of them before I remembered what Jimin had told me before. "Oh, that's right. You had been acting as his accomplice all this time. Of course you'd know I'd be here. Thank you for that, by the way," I sarcastically said to her with a grin.

Soyeon started laughing, although she soon looked at me apologetically for a second before she turned to Jimin. "Told you that she would find out. And I didn't even have to spill anything."

Jimin responded by letting his head fall on my shoulder, hiding his face as he muttered, "I'm sorry."

"That's alright," I said with a chuckle and a soft pat on his soft locks. "Anyone else I should know about that has joined your little team of mischief?"

Jimin straightened up, showing his tight lip on me when he saw Soyeon crossing her arms over her chest, visibly handing the full responsibility to Jimin so he could explain himself. "Well, it's just us. And the security guy on the afternoon shift who would help cover me in case any nurse or doctor would come to my room while I was away."

I started listing out the people that he just mentioned. I started to imagine his efforts of slipping out of security, acting as if he was never here, before he returned to his room as a normal patient again right after. And to think that he had been spending hours in my room—

Speaking of which.

"How about Dr. Kim? He must have known because he's the one leading both our treatments."

Jimin only chuckled at the mention of the handsome young doctor who had been taking care of us. He then turned to Soyeon who was grinning widely, looking proud of herself. I raised my brows to have her explain.

"Well, I kind of convinced him to just go along with us and not spill anything to you. And not even spoil things up whenever he and Jimin would meet up while he's there in the room with you. He had no other choice but to let Jimin see you since he doesn't have anything to do between tests and treatments anyway."

I scoffed, completely astonished. "Really? Him? How on earth did you manage to get him to go along?"

Soyeon chuckled. "Because he knows that once he refuses, he would never hear the end of it once we get home," she said, raising her hand before she pointed at the wedding band that was wrapped around her finger, making me gasp aloud.

"You are Dr. Kim's wife!?"