His Little Fool (Taekook)
Chapter 1
A rare heavy rain in winter.
The wipers scraped a brief clear screen on the windshield, soon to be obscured by the rippling layer of rain again.
Kim Yugyeom glanced at the rear view mirror. Jeon Jungkook was leaning back in his seat with his eyes closed and his brow unconsciously furrowed. His face was as white as paper and his lips were nearly colourless. Kim Yugyeom remembered the comment on the internet about Jeon Jungkook's photo, “like a delicate and fragile glass figurine”. Although it was a bit corny, if you thought about it, it was quite apt.
After a moment of distraction, Kim Yugyeom shifted his gaze back, and saw a blurred, large black shadow falling from the sky on the windshield with a loud bang. The whole car lurched and stopped abruptly on the rainy mountain road as he heavily slammed on the brakes.
Kim Yugyeom
President Jeon… the car seems to have hit something.
He took a huge deep breath and turned back,
Kim Yugyeom
I’ll go and take a look.
Jungkook half raised his eyelids, nodded, and closed his eyes again.
Half a minute later, Kim Yugyeom returned to the car with a white face and said in a shaky voice,
Kim Yugyeom
It’s a man, about twenty years old, still breathing but bleeding a lot. It’s raining heavily and it’s dark, there’s no way to identify where the bleeding point is.
Jungkook frowned slightly, struggling to suppress that little bit of drowsiness and discomfort. Without a word, he pushed open the car door, walked around the man on the ground who could be dead or alive, pulled open the passenger door and sat in.
Jeon Jungkook
Get the man in the back seat and take him to the hospital.
With those words, he closed his eyes again and leaned against the back of the seat, his head tilted to the side.
The common sense idea of first aid flashed through Kim Yugyeom's mind. He glanced at Jeon Jungkook, sighed, took out a silk handkerchief, carefully dried Jeon Jungkook's wet hair and turned up the heating in the car by a few degrees before getting out of the car.
Only when he had moved the man to the back seat and put him down did Kim Yugyeom have an opportunity to see the man’s appearance clearly. He gasped almost subconsciously and started the car again with a bit of guilt and worry.
Kim Yugyeom
"With such a face, it would be a real shame for him to be killed like that."
The car made a difficult U-turn on the winding road and sped off towards the bottom of the mountain. The private hospital invested by the Jeon family was located at the foot of the mountain. Kim Yugyeom did not dare to increase the speed more because Jeon Jungkook was taking a nap in the car; but he still arrived at the destination within half an hour.
The doctors and nurses from the emergency department were waiting at the entrance, and as soon as the car stopped, they moved the man to the medical bed in an orderly manner. Jeon Jungkook was completely awakened from his sleep by this noise. Even more irritated by the residual smell of blood in the car, he coughed twice, got out of the car and frowned again.
The heating in the car was on, so when he got out, the temperature difference was even greater. Kim Yugyeom saw this and quickly took out a woollen coat and draped it over Jeon Jungkook's shoulders.
Jeon Jungkook
Call another car to come and pick me up.
Jeon Jungkook pulled his collar tighter and walked into the hospital.
Kim Yugyeom called the villa and followed Jeon Jungkook about two metres behind him, took the coat Jeon Jungkook handed back because it was warmer inside and asked,
Kim Yugyeom
Do you want to stop by for a check-up?
Jeon Jungkook showed a bored expression and didn’t answer. He stopped at the hospital elevator and stared at the changing floor numbers for a while,
Jeon Jungkook
Let’s go and see how that one is doing.
037 woke up to the familiar pain of the rapid division and growth of cells, and blinked slowly in some confusion; the ceiling seemed to be of a slightly different colour and the light was not as harsh as usual. He tilted his head, paused for a second, then slowly sat up.
037
"It is a brand new place, and the smell in the air is different from what I often smelled. Is it some rich man who believed in his own institution more than in the laboratory?"
He sat on the edge of the bed, thinking idly, wondering which of his organs this rich man needed. It would be best if it wasn’t his heart. Although his body had long ago been transformed into a petri dish of organs, it wasn’t a cold machine after all. Regrowing organs could still exceed his threshold of pain tolerance, and the heart was the one that took the longest, hurt the most, and required the most equipment in the process.
He moved his body. He hated pain, and even more hated the feeling of being controlled and unable to move.
Jeon Jungkook
You can’t get out of bed yet.
037 turned to the visitor, who was indeed an impeccably, luxuriously dressed man. The man’s lips were pale, his voice was not loud, his breathing very slow and there was a look of exhaustion in his eyes. It was the appearance of a rich man 037 was used to seeing.
He lifted his legs to show that his feet did not touch the floor.
Jeon Jungkook
The doctor said the branch nearly pierced half through your stomach and you have a fracture in your right leg, so you should be staying in bed now.
037 lowered his head. His abdomen was wrapped in a thick bandage and his calf was in a cast, feeling heavy. He poked his stomach and examined it carefully. He couldn’t feel which internal organ had been cut out of his body, so he looked back at Jeon Jungkook with some confusion.
Jeon Jungkook's tone was still gentle,
Jeon Jungkook
I’m sorry that my driver accidentally hit you, but he wasn’t drunk-driving, speeding, or driving tired. Any normal driver wouldn’t be able to react if someone suddenly appeared in the middle of the road. I don’t mean to shirk responsibility when I say this, I will cover all your medical expenses during your recuperation, plus compensate for lost wages, mental damage and personal injury and so on. And if you have any additional requirements, you can mention it to me.
The injured man sat on the edge of the bed and blinked at Jeon Jungkook in silence. With his deep eyebrows and high nose, he seemed a bit like a mixed race, but he was obviously Korean. He had a quiet temperament and clear eyes that carried a paradoxical sense of titillation. Jeon Jungkook was suddenly unsure whether this man, who had crashed into his car, had a death wish in mind or another agenda.
After all, he had a reputation for raising beautiful young men and had always been generous, throwing over enough resources to keep the young stars competing endlessly.
037 was struggling to think about the meaning of the man’s speech. He was saying a lot of unusual words that 037 had never come across before and he thought that he needed to hear him say them a few more times and relate them to the context before he knew exactly what they meant.
Jeon Jungkook
Do you have family and friends? Do you need me to contact them?
That was a sentence that 037 understood; but as a monster born in a laboratory, he wasn’t likely to have such things as family and friends. He remained silent and just stared intently at Jeon Jungkook. He felt now that this man was different from all the rich people he had met before. At least those people had never interacted with him in the past, nor did they expect any response from him.
Jeon Jungkook narrowed his eyes and finally smiled after a long time,
Jeon Jungkook
Then you should get some rest first. If you don’t have anywhere to go later, I can arrange a place for you to stay.
The moment he turned away, the smile on Jeon Jungkook's face disappeared without a trace. Outside the door, Kim Yugyeom was standing quietly, waiting for him to come out to follow him hastily.
Kim Yugyeom
The nurse said that he didn’t carry any ID on him, no mobile phone, and the clothes he wore had no tags. Looking at his current mental state, there is no doubt that he tried to commit suicide.
Jeon Jungkook suddenly put a hand on Kim Yugyeom's shoulder and took two short breaths, his tone impatient,
Jeon Jungkook
You can make arrangements. It’s not a good thing, don’t make it known all over town. Has the pick-up car come yet?
Kim Yugyeom hurriedly supported him,
Kim Yugyeom
It’s already waiting downstairs.
In the ward, the nurse came over to give the infusion to 037, rambling the whole time,
Nurse
The good thing is that it was Jeon Jungkook who met you, really a blessing in misfortune. He has always been generous to people. You can make a few requests. As long as they are not excessive, he will probably satisfy you.
As she said that, she glanced at 037, and when she lowered her head again, her face was a little red. She said furtively,
Nurse
In life, what can’t be overcome? Those of us who make a living in hospitals have seen it all. There are people who have tubes all over their bodies, who can’t even move, who have to spend hundreds of thousands a day. You don’t know how hard they have to work to live one more day. When you look at them, you feel that the setbacks that we encounter are not setbacks at all. What you want to give up is something they can’t even ask for.
Originally, she was just looking for something to talk about casually. In the end, she felt quite emotional. She pulled a chair over and sat by the bed to talk to 037. She talked about the many cases and life situations she encountered in her career for a full five minutes.
The more 037 listened, the more puzzled he felt. He stared into the nurse’s eyes seriously. He seemed to be able to understand every word she said, but he didn’t seem to understand a single thing. He had no right to get something, let alone give up something. He was also working hard to live, and he didn’t know how hard he would have to work to live another day. But why did she tell him this?
037
"Perhaps I'm about to face a very, very big surgery, big enough to make the rich man himself feel pity for his gadget. Would I have more than one organ taken out? Two, or three? So they decided to be nice to me because of that?"
He thought as he glanced at the open door of the ward, even the door was open.
Day after day passed, and the slim, tall, rich man never came back. At one point after the doctor changed his dressing, 037 was arranged for a full body check-up, with a heart matching sandwich between these tests. All the doctors were strangely gentle with him throughout. They didn’t even say it straight, they just called the heart matching some sort of myocardial function test. It was really, really gentle…
037 was not surprised; on the contrary, there was a sense of peace of mind when the dust settled. Although they all knew the reason and mission for his being here, he was still touched by the concealment and avoidance of these people.
This time the rich man was really a kind gentleman, and 037 felt a little grateful to him. You know, he was even surrounded by nurses who talked to him every single day, which had expanded his vocabulary to an unimaginable extent. Of course, he still didn’t answer, making many people feel sorry for his “handicap” and their attitude becoming even more tender and compassionate.
Nurse
It’s amazing, I’ve never seen anyone recover from a wound so quickly. It looks like you’ll be discharged soon.
As she said that, the nurse leaned closer to gossip,
Nurse
I think President Jeon should come over before you are discharged from the hospital. Have you thought about your request?
Request? Yes, before he gave the rich man his heart to transplant, the rich man said he could meet one request from him. 037 turned around and looked out the window. The lush branches swayed gently in the breeze and the sun was so brilliant it was dazzling, an extremely rare sight for him.
( ◜‿◝ )♡Taekooklove( ◜‿◝ )♡
Chapter 2
When Jungkook received the news from the hospital, he had already forgotten about 037. At that time, he was reading a plan on the computer, and his mobile phone was turned on and left aside on speakerphone,
Jeon Jungkook
📲Discharged from the hospital? If I remember correctly, he has been admitted to the hospital less than ten days ago.
Kim Yugyeom
📲Yes. The doctor just took an x-ray two days ago and, oddly enough, found that his bones had completely healed. When the doctor changed his dressing in the first few days, he noticed that the wound on his stomach was healing exceptionally fast, and the stitches were removed in two or three days. Such a deep wound, and not even a scar can be seen now.
Jungkook frowned, and his hand holding the mouse paused. He picked up the phone and turned off the speakerphone,
Jeon Jungkook
📲What about him, how did he react to this?
Kim Yugyeom
📲Extraordinarily calm, as if taking it for granted.
Jeon Jungkook
📲Now that he can be discharged, arrange it. Give him a check and ask him what other requirements he has. There will be no shop after this village [it’s the last opportunity].
Jungkook wasn’t exactly considering such a thing as a matter of course, but he wasn’t really surprised either; he had read a lot of medical texts and medical reports over the years. The human body was so mysterious, the world was so big, and there were all kinds of strange and bizarre cases. At this time, the thought that flashed through his mind was,
Jeon Jungkook
"So this pretty little thing, did he really crash into the car on purpose relying on his special abilities?"
On the other end of the phone, Kim Yugyeom crumpled the matching report in his hand and gritted his teeth,
Kim Yugyeom
📲President Jeon, I asked the doctor to make a matching with him a few days ago.
Kim Yugyeom
📲The matching is successful. The doctor says that this heart of his is much better than that death row prisoner’s heart.
Jungkook's gaze suddenly sharpened,
Jeon Jungkook
📲Are you now suggesting I kill someone?
Kim Yugyeom's face went white,
Kim Yugyeom
📲Of course it’s best to be able to obtain the heart source legally. I just think that in case it comes to the last step…
Jeon Jungkook
📲You think? You think I’m already a through and through predator covering the sky with my hand? Able to make a living human being disappear from this world without raising any suspicion? To have so many doctors and nurses cooperate with me in killing people and keep their mouths shut? Are you thinking those people who are watching me now are all trash?
Jungkook said these words as a joke, but his tone wasn’t joking.
Kim Yugyeom's palms began to sweat, but he persisted,
Kim Yugyeom
📲I’ve checked him several times and couldn’t find any identifying information. I had the nurse help me test him. He doesn’t have any relatives or friends, he can’t speak and is most likely from a black household (unregistered household). I think this is a rare opportunity for us. Last time, it was difficult to arrange for a death row prisoner, but the prison side leaked the news and the matter was scrapped. This time, the only people who know that his matching was successful are Dr. Kim and me. There is absolutely no risk of exposure.
Jungkook listened to him finish without interrupting, his expression obscure,
Jeon Jungkook
📲I will make a trip to the hospital later. You should stay out of it.
His tone was low and cold as he warned,
Jeon Jungkook
📲Do you know? I hate it when people make decisions for me.
Kim Yugyeom flinched; he lowered his head, almost holding his breath, and his voice trembled a little,
Kim Yugyeom
📲President Jeon, there will be no next time.
When Jungkook arrived at the ward, the man was staring at the TV set without moving, his posture as stiff as a statue. Jungkook leaned against the door frame and knocked on the door, and the man turned his head to look at him, his eyes obviously brightening.
Jeon Jungkook
I heard from the doctor that you’re ready to be discharged?
037 nodded. He was actually a little puzzled in his heart. He didn’t understand why the rich man didn’t arrange the surgery right away. In the past, those rich people were always very anxious, and it basically didn’t take more than three days from the heart matching to the completion of the surgery.
037
"Is the rich man’s physical condition not suitable for immediate surgery?"
He stared at Jungkook intently, like a prisoner waiting for a sentence.
Jeon Jungkook
Is there somewhere to go after you are discharged from the hospital?
037
"Discharged from the hospital?"
037 shook his head. He thought that perhaps this benevolent man was trying to give him a few days off to make up for the pain he would soon have to endure.
Jungkook's meaningful gaze fell on him,
Jeon Jungkook
Then you are planning to stick with me?
037 was a little troubled, reacting to the meaning of his words, and nodded uncertainly.
He would indeed have to stay close to this man for a long time to come, so that if he had a rejection reaction, blood could be drawn directly through the device and certain substances could be extracted and injected into his body.
So they should stay in the same ward, and even the distance between the beds would not be too far.
Jeon Jungkook
Then pack up and come with me.
037 was still very obedient. He stood up and walked up to the man, handing him a piece of paper.
Jungkook took it; the writing on the paper was neat and somewhat rigid,
037
📄You said I could make a request. Then, can you give me one of those green leaves outside?
Somewhat confused, he looked up at 037 and pointed to the leaves outside the window.
Jungkook turned and walked outside.
037 froze, a little breathless, then followed him, step by step, towards the door.
With each step, the drumbeat of his heart was a little stronger.
They walked down the long corridor, down the stairs, out of the hospital doors and into the warm afternoon sunshine. He stepped out unharmed, no electric shocks, no men suddenly appearing to stop him, no punishment, no pain.
( ◜‿◝ )♡Taekooklove( ◜‿◝ )♡
Chapter 3
037 pressed hard on his heart so that it would not jump out of his mouth happily. He almost forgot how to take a step; he felt the sun burning his skin a little. He could only follow Jungkook's lead, like a robot programmed to follow.
Jungkook stopped in front of the first tree he encountered and, without bothering with the fallen leaves on the ground, reached out his hand, plucked a green leaf and handed it to 037.
Jeon Jungkook
This is a camphor tree. Its leaves are a bit small but it’s the only kind of tree that’s still green in the winter.
037 took the leaf carefully and rubbed it gently with his fingertips for a short while, as if holding something precious.
Jeon Jungkook
This is not a request, you can pick it yourself if you like. Ask for one more thing when you think of it, don’t waste it on such things.
Jungkook walked forward, casually picking off a few more leaves of magnolia and shoving them into 037's hands.
When he got into the car, 037 didn’t care about the leaves in his hand anymore. He stuck to the window and stared out with rapt attention, looking at the scenery as if it was something rare.
Instead of taking him to the mid-mountain villa, which was only a thirty-minute drive away, Jungkook took him through half the city to another of his properties, a garden villa community.
This place had long been on the entertainment press’s radar and had always been his golden house (a place where one keeps his mistress). The previous occupant moved out just half a month ago.
Jeon Jungkook
Is it okay if you live here from now on?
037 turned his head to look at him. At this moment, he seemed to have a lot to say and a lot of questions to ask. He looked around in vain and found no pen or paper.
Jeon Jungkook
You can just use sign language, I can read it.
037 looked over in confusion.
Jeon Jungkook
You don’t know sign language, do you?
Jungkook didn’t say anything else. He parked his car in the garage, walked to the back seat to open the door for 037, and led him into the villa.
There were two middle-aged people, a man and a woman, standing at the door. When they saw them coming in, they took Jungkook's coat very politely, and helped them with their slippers. They were both smiling and kind-looking.
Jeon Jungkook
This is Uncle Li and Aunt Zhou. They are specifically responsible for taking care of you. If you need anything, feel free to mention it to them.
These two were used to seeing such scenes and didn’t know how many masters they had taken care of and seen come and go. Now that they saw the new one, they greeted him cordially and naturally, with a very warm attitude.
Aunt Zhou
The room has been cleaned up, all the decorations, bed sheets and duvet covers have been changed. Let me take… this gentleman up.
President Jeon brought people over in such a hurry that Aunt Zhou worried she had missed something. She didn’t even know the name and preferences of this person. She only knew that he seemed to be lonely, mute and pitiful, and she didn’t know how long he could stay here.
037 followed her up, and as soon as he entered the room he saw a sunny bay window, with a white blanket, a brown and white striped pillow and a small wooden coffee table.
He went over and sat down, gently stroking the soft blanket, then took the pillow and hugged it in his arms, looking out the window. The view of the courtyard was beautiful, with the green leaves he liked everywhere.
Aunt Zhou meticulously described where all the various things were placed, and 037 sat on the bay window and listened quietly, nodding along every time she finished saying something.
Aunt Zhou
There was too little time, and I haven’t prepared your clothes yet, but it’s a good thing there are a few sets of pyjamas that are still new, so I’ll bring them to you to change into. The heating at home is fully turned on, and it is more comfortable to wear something looser.
At the mercy of Aunt Zhou, 037 let her change him into a silk shirt, the light grey fabric glowing silver in the sunlight. Aunt Zhou finished by straightening his collar, specifically unbuttoning two buttons and pulling the lapels apart to reveal half of his clavicle.
The clothes were originally prepared according to President Jeon's preferences and figure, but he rarely spent the night here, and the boys who lived here for a long time rarely had President Jeon's 1.80 metre height.
Aunt Zhou looked 037 up and down and was solidly satisfied. He looked as tall as Jungkook and his figure was quite thin, but his style was completely different. He had a clear and calm temperament, like a noble prince raised in an ancient castle.
Aunt Zhou
I still have soup simmering in the kitchen. Go down and let President Jeon eat it before he leaves. The ingredients for dinner are also ready, ask President Jeon if he wants to stay for dinner. I’ll cook a few dishes now, it’ll be quick.
Aunt Zhou said as she pulled 037 downstairs.
Jungkook was sitting on the sofa, talking on his phone, his whole body nestled into the cushions. His expression was obviously rigid and serious, but his posture was particularly casual.
When he glanced at 037, his voice paused for a moment and his eyes lingered, not moving away,
Jeon Jungkook
📲Well, let’s put it this way first, the specific details will be discussed at the meeting tomorrow.
Hanging up the phone, he hooked a finger at 037 with a faint smile. 037 walked over to him and sat down, glancing at the obviously old phone in his hand.
037
"It is quite different from the usual communication equipment used in the lab, but there are always people who admired the old style simplicity."
037 thought that the rich man’s long, slender fingers did look good holding an old-fashioned phone.
( ◜‿◝ )♡Taekooklove( ◜‿◝ )♡
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