On That Day We | sakook

chapter 13.

Jungkook's POV

　
Sana couldn't recognize me. Heck, she even denied her own name. What happened to her?

The nurse walked out a few minutes ago, telling me that apparently, Sana couldn't recall me or her family. We couldn't tell the reason for now. But the nurse assured me that a doctor would be called in soon.

At first, I really thought she was just faking it all. Her way to shut me out.

But her eyes told me she was telling the truth.

I wanted to go back to the room and talk to her, but my gut told me I should give her space. I don't want to overwhelm her more. She looked wrecked. Losing her husband must've hit her hard.

The plastic chair was already giving me discomfort, so I rose and headed outside to stretch my legs. I needed to grab a coffee anyway.

Stepping outside, a wall of cold night air slapped my skin. It was more freezing than usual tonight. As I was walking to the nearby local coffee shop, a realization hit me.

Has she been in Seoul this whole time?

I had been going on a couple of trips to Seoul a few months ago to film a cooking show while she's been here the entire time.

"One latte, please."

As soon as the barista accepted my order, I gave them my card. I then took a seat at a table and get warm for a little while. A few minutes later, my coffee was served.

To think of it, I only intended to spend a few days in Seoul visiting Mingyu, but somehow, I ended up overstaying my welcome all because of my ex-girlfriend who vanished without a trace five years ago.

All those times I wondered why she suddenly disappeared on me like that.

It was true that we had a lot of misunderstandings, but I had a lot of trust in her, in us.

After she left, I had no time to mope around and question my self-worth as a man. Instead, I focused on advancing my career as I should.

Before long, my family and I immigrated to Busan ― myself, my mom, and Yoongi hyung. It was a plan we had been brewing for quite some time. It could have been a surprise for Sana, but she beat me to it. I never expected that her surprise would be that huge.

Then, out of the blue, Rosé reached out to me. Turns out, she had also moved to Korea. We met and had a lot of catching up on lost time.

By catching up, I meant ending up in each other's beds every once in a while. It wasn't because we like each other; it's just how our friendship works sometimes, I guess.

She's a good friend. She knows her boundaries. And I'm comfortable with that.

Jimin always teased me to start dating Rosé for real, but I never gave in to his unreasonable nudges. It had been a crazy time the past few years. If it wasn't Rosé, he'd jest about Eunha, whom I hadn't seen since Jimin's wedding.

To put it simply, I didn't date anyone else after Sana. Not because I hadn't been able to move on, but rather because work consumed every ounce of my time and energy.

My cousin and I started a new restaurant in Busan, which had been successful. Meanwhile, my television career in the UK followed me to South Korea not long after my departure from London, leading me to an opportunity to feature on a cooking variety program.

Excitingly, there's a new show coming up, marking my debut as one of the main hosts on a Korean variety program. Filming hasn't started yet. They initially just contacted me, and I agreed and signed the contract the other day. We're anticipating its release early next year.

As I took a sip of my coffee, my phone jolted me from my thoughts with its insistent ringing.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Jeon, this is SHG Hospital," the voice on the other end said.

I sat up straighter. "Yes, what's happened?"

"Ms. Minatozaki Sana is missing from her room. We're conducting a thorough search within the premises, but we're reaching out to ask for your assistance in locating her as quickly as possible."

Without hesitation, I abandoned my coffee and hurried out of the café. I hoped the security won't be that dumb not to notice her leave the hospital.

Panic rose through me as I walked the streets, scanning every face in sight in search of hers.

Upon arriving at the hospital, I only got disappointed as they informed me that she managed to leave the hospital as seen on the surveillance camera.

I stormed out. I had no time to express my frustrations. I'd go find her myself.

The highest possibility here is that she went home, so I went straight to the bus stop and took a ride to Seongbuk-dong in hopes of seeing her at her apartment.

As soon as the bus came to a stop at the fifth station, I dashed off and hastened my way towards the suburban district.

And there she was, perched on the concrete stairs, her gaze fixed on the night sky. It appeared as though she was talking to herself. I silently watched her for a moment.

That's exactly how she looked the night I saw her at Hangang bridge. I couldn't tell the words she was saying, but the sadness on her face looked like she was wishing for something, or someone.

Honestly, the thought of her wanting and wishing for that someone is still giving me a hard squeeze in my chest. The fact that she could turn away from her family, her friends, me...

Maybe Jimin hyung was right. Maybe I should just let her live her own life here.

Because after all those years, if she truly wanted to come back, she would have.

She could have at least checked in on her aunt and Sunoo.

But she never did. She never looked back.

Letting out a deep sigh, I turned away.

Maybe it's time I stopped looking back too, just as she did to us.

"Jungkook?"