Rewritten

Midnight had already sunk its teeth into New York City.. the kind of hour where even the skyline seemed to breathe slower, where neon lights flickered like tired eyelids and the streets whispered secrets to no one.

And yet,

A car tore through it all. Too fast. Too urgent. Like it was trying to outrun something that had already caught up.

The engine roared, sharp and restless, slicing through the heavy silence. Tires screeched against damp asphalt, reckless, unforgiving. Red lights blurred into meaningless streaks as the vehicle sped past them, because wherever the destination was, it mattered more than rules, more than consequences.

Inside the car,

A Storm!

Hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly that the knuckles had turned pale, trembling not from fear but from something far more dangerous. Breath came uneven, ragged, like each inhale was fighting against a raising chest.

The city outside glittered.

But inside the car, streetlights flickered across the faces in fleeting glimpses, revealing eyes that refused to blink, jaw clenched hard enough to shatter silence itself.

Suddenly,

A phone call!

“No pulse.. start CPR! Hard and fast!”

The words didn’t just leave their mouth, they collided with the air. The phone was pressed between shoulder and ear, slick with sweat, every second stretched thin, fragile, ready to snap.

“Get me epinephrine ready. One milligram IV.. every three minutes!”

A shaky inhale. A pause that lasted less than a heartbeat.

“Charge the defibrillator to 200!”

The car lurched violently as it cut across another empty street, the city blurring into streaks of light and shadow. The driver didn’t speak yet, but their silence was loud, suffocating.

From the passenger seat, there was another body. “Come on…” the voice dropped now, softer, but far more dangerous. "We will reach the hospital in ten minutes."

The phone crackled with distant instructions, voices trying to keep up, trying to anchor the chaos.. but inside the car, it felt like there was only one things left in existence, the quiet, terrifying possibility that they might already be too late.

Just then,

The brakes screamed. A violent, jarring halt, metal protesting, tires clawing against the road as the car lurched forward before snapping back into stillness.

For a second.. everything froze.

Only the echo of that creakkkk lingered, hanging in the air like a warning no one had time to understand.

“Damn it, Hyunsik?!” Taehyung’s voice cut through, already fraying at the edges.

Hyunsik didn’t answer immediately. His hands were still locked around the steering wheel, chest rising too fast, eyes wide, fixed ahead like he had just seen something he couldn’t quite process. “Fck..” His voice was lower now. He lifted a trembling hand, pointing.

A bike.

Too close.

For a horrifying second, the question clawed its way between them.

"Goddamn.. did we hit?” Taehyung asked, but the way his voice dropped… it already knew fear had answered first.

“A scratch… maybe.” Hyunsik said, but even he didn’t sound convinced.

“Shit.”

Because “maybe” wasn’t enough tonight. Not when a life was already slipping through their hands somewher else.

Taehyung didn’t wait.

The door flew open before the engine even settled, cold night air rushing in like a slap to the face. He stepped out fast, almost stumbling, his heart still pounding. “We don’t have time for all these dramas,” he muttered.

Because he knew, every second wasted here… was a second stolen from the person fighting for their life just a few minutes away.

His gaze swept over the bike like a blade.Chrome glinting under the streetlight. A handle slightly misaligned. A tire that had skidded just enough to whisper close call. And then, the number plate.

Bent.

Not broken entirely, but bruised, crushed inward like it had taken the force meant for something more fragile.

Taehyung’s lips thinned, irritation flickering across his face like a match struck in the dark.

“It’s just..” he began, voice already laced with dismissal, ready to brush it off, to reduce this to nothing, to move on because nothing here, nothing.. could be allowed to matter more than the life hanging by a thread in the hospital.

But the words faltered. Fell apart halfway through. Because,

“Where were your eyes, dude? Ah?”

Taehyung snapped, turning sharply, anger ready to land somewhere but it didn’t. It couldn’t. His gaze collided with something that didn’t belong to this moment, this chaos, this desperate ticking of time.

And suddenly.. everything slowed.

There, beside the car, stood a figure carved out of tension itself.

Too intense to be ignored.

A gloved hand had fisted into Hyunsik’s collar, gripping the fabric with a strength that felt more dangerous than any reckless shove. It wasn’t wild anger. No. The kind of anger that chooses not to explode… and that made it far more terrifying.

Hyunsik looked smaller somehow caught between apology and shock, his hands half-raised as if unsure whether to defend himself or surrender.

But Taehyung barely saw him.

Because his eyes had already begun their slow, inevitable climb.

From that hand, encased in black leather, the material hugging every movement, every subtle flex of muscle.

And then his breath hitched, because,

Golden strands. Short. Messy. They caught the faint glow of the streetlights, each strand flickering like stolen sunlight in the middle of a city that had long since surrendered to the dark. The night breeze slipped through them, teasing, lifting, revealing glimpses of a face still half-hidden in shadow.

There was something striking about the way the stranger stood. A gravity that pulled attention without asking.

Taehyung felt it then that strange, unsettling pause inside his chest. The kind that doesn’t belong in emergencies. The kind that has no place when seconds are slipping away, when a heartbeat is missing, when a life is begging to be dragged back from the edge.

And yet he couldn’t look away. Because those golden strands weren’t just hair. They were a contradiction. Soft in color. Wild in shape. Framed around someone who stood like a storm.

The stranger’s head tilted slightly, just enough for a sliver of their face to catch the light, sharp jawline. Eyes, ash grey, intense, burning with something deeper than irritation.

And for a single, dangerous heartbeat, Taehyung forgot. Forgot the suffocating silence around them. Forgot the unmoving chest in the hospital, waiting for him. Forgot the urgency clawing at his ribs.

Because this.. this felt like impact. Like the universe had slammed two paths together without warning, without permission.

Then,

“..mmm... when honestly speaking, the mistake was on your side. You crossed the line incorrectly.” Hyunsik’s voice came out steadier this time, like he was forcing reason into a moment that had already chosen chaos.

A scoff answered him.

“Huh.”

The stranger leaned back slightly, folding his arms across his chest, slow, like he had all the time in the world… even though the night was already unraveling at its seams.

“And?” he shot back, one brow lifting, voice edged with dangerously close to mockery. “Don’t you have mirrors? Can’t you check before driving like that? Anyway… that’ll cost me more than ten thousand dollars. You are going to pay me.”

“What?” Hyunsik let out a disbelieving chuckle, shaking his head. “Excuse me? It was your mistake, and now you’re throwing insane numbers at me?”

The stranger stepped forward. One step, but it was enough to shift everything.

“Seriously?” he said, voice dropping. “Then, bro… you’re not leaving until you pay me what I ask.”

Before Hyunsik could react, a shove. And just like that, the car keys were gone from his hand.

“What the..”

“Oh. Oh, please..hey.. hey, listen.”

Taehyung moved in then, slipping between them like urgency had finally remembered his name. “We are already in an emergency.” For a moment.. silence stretched.

The stranger’s gaze shifted. From Hyunsik to Taehyung.

“Jungkook.” The name came out simple. “That’s my name.”

And that.. that was the moment everything stilled. Because Taehyung looked at him. Really looked. And the world, reckless, urgent, lost its sound. His breath caught. Stole itself away like it no longer belonged to him. Because the man standing in front of him, wasn’t just angry, wasn’t just striking. He was..

Breathtaking.

Ash-grey eyes, sharp and luminous even under the dim streetlights, like storm clouds carrying secrets they refused to spill. Eyes that didn’t just look, they held, they challenged, they dared you to withstand them.

Perfect brows, carved with an almost unfair precision, framing that gaze like they were designed to make it impossible to look away.

And then.. that detail.

Small. Subtle. Devastating.

A silver ring hooked at the corner of his lips, catching the light every time his mouth shifted, every time he breathed, every time he existed just a little too confidently in his own skin.

It shouldn’t have mattered. None of this should have mattered. Not when infront of him a life was hanging by a thread. And yet, Taehyung stood there. Like something had reached into his ribs and pressed pause. Because Jungkook didn’t just stand there. He occupied the space. Like the night itself had chosen him as its center.

And for one fragile, dangerous second, Taehyung forgot how to breathe. Forgot what he was about to say. Forgot why his heart had been racing before this.

“No way. This doesn’t make any sense. I can barely pay a thousand.. not a dollar more than that.” Hyunsik’s voice carried frustration now, like he was clinging to logic in a moment that had already slipped beyond it.

Jungkook didn’t argue. He laughed. A low, effortless chuckle, one that didn’t try to win the argument, because it already knew it didn’t have to.

“Fine. Then let me take this with me.”

And before either of them could react, the keys were in the air. A flash of metal catching the streetlight as Jungkook tossed them up, caught them again, and began twirling them around his finger like it was nothing more than a passing game. Like their urgency, meant nothing at all.

He then turned, already walking toward his bike.

“Hey.. wait. Wait!”

Taehyung moved before he could think, the words breaking out of him, breathless, chasing after him.

“Listen.. we’re in an emergency. We can settle this, alright? We will. But please… let us go now.”

Jungkook paused. One foot on the ground, the other swinging over the bike. He turned his head slightly, eyes landing on Taehyung again, those ash-grey depths narrowing just a fraction, like he was reassessing something he hadn’t expected to find.

Taehyung didn’t waste that second. He fumbled his wallet out, fingers not as steady as they should have been, pulling out a card and extending it forward like it was more than just paper.

“This is my card. You can call me. Anytime. I’ll handle everything.. just… trust me.”

Jungkook’s gaze dropped to the card then back to Taehyung.

“Please.”

Jungkook took the card. Slowly. His fingers brushing against Taehyung’s for the briefest second. His eyes scanned the print. “Dr. Kim Taehyung,” he read aloud, “Cardiologist… AIMS Medical Centre, New York.”

A pause.

Then, a small chuckle slipped past his lips again. “So you’re a doctor… and..” his gaze lifted, locking onto Taehyung’s, “..you almost killed me.”

Jungkook slipped the card into his pocket, like he was tucking away something more than just a name. Then he started the bike. The engine roared to life, loud, alive. For a moment, he didn’t move. He just looked at Taehyung. One last time.

Then, he was gone.

The bike shot forward, disappearing into the night as quickly as he had appeared, leaving behind nothing but the fading echo of his presence.

Taehyung stood there for a second longer than he should have. “Damn it,” he cursed under his breath, dragging himself back into motion, back into reality, back into the urgency clawing at him. His eyes flicked to Hyunsik, who looked equally annoyed and unwilling to admit either.

“Get a cab,” Taehyung snapped, already turning, already running. Because there was no more time to lose. Not for arguments. Not for strangers with storm-grey eyes. Not for the strange, unsettling pull that still lingered in his chest.

He yanked open the car door, grabbing his hospital bag, fingers moving fast, but his mind.. his mind betrayed him. Just for a second. Because somewhere between the chaos and the fading sound of that bike, a name echoed.

Jungkook.

After sometime,

The cab hadn’t even fully stopped in front of the hospital, when the door flew open. Taehyung was already out, already moving, already running like the ground beneath him was burning.

The hospital loomed ahead, sterile and glowing, its glass doors sliding open as if they recognized urgency when it came crashing toward them.

Footsteps echoed through the corridors.

Hyunsik trailed behind, breath uneven, trying to keep up, but Taehyung was already somewhere else. Somewhere between fear and duty, between what if and don’t you dare.

The CCU doors came into view. And he didn’t slow down. He pushed them open with a force, “What's the status?” His voice cut clean through the quiet hum of machines and murmured conversations.

The nurse turned immediately, already recognizing him, already reading the tension in his stance. “Out of danger. Dr. Seojoon led the case.”

And just like that, something inside him… loosened.

Taehyung let out a low hum, more exhale than sound, as he moved toward the sink. Water rushed over his hands, washing away the invisible weight of the night.

The nurse was beside him in seconds. She handed him the sterile gown, helping him into it, tying the strings behind his back like this was routine.

Taehyung stood there for a moment after dressing, hands still, eyes fixed somewhere beyond the walls, beyond the machines, beyond the safety they had barely managed to hold onto.

Out of danger. The words echoed. They were enough. And yet, something lingered. A flicker of golden strands in the dark. Ash-grey eyes that refused to soften. A voice that had lingered just a second too long. Jungkook. The name brushed against his thoughts like an unwelcome ghost.

Taehyung blinked.

No. Not now.

He straightened, shoulders setting, expression slipping back into the calm, controlled mask of a doctor who had no space for distractions, no time for lingering impressions of strangers who crashed into his night like accidents waiting to happen.

Because here, inside these walls, he wasn’t the man caught in a moment. He was the one who held lives steady.

And outside?

Outside could wait.

Hours had slipped by, like the storm had finally passed, but left its echo behind.

Inside his room, Taehyung leaned back into his chair, shoulders sinking into the worn comfort of it, exhaustion threading through his bones. The sharp urgency from earlier had dulled, replaced by a slow fatigue that settled deep under the skin.

“That was a critical case.” Seojoon’s voice came with the soft clink of ceramic as he placed a mug of coffee on the table.

Taehyung hummed in response, fingers curling around the cup, letting the heat seep into his palm. He didn’t drink immediately. Just… held it.

“Kids these days.. no sense at all. And their tongue? Oh God.” Hyunsik scoffed, pacing a little, still carrying the leftover irritation like it hadn’t found an exit yet.

Seojoon raised a brow, amused already. “Which kid?”

“Oh, don’t ask,” Hyunsik groaned, rubbing his temple like the memory itself was a headache. “We almost had a disaster on the way here. And this guy.. he literally took our car keys and walked off.”

Seojoon blinked. “Ah? Who took it?”

“Jungbook? Jungdook? What was it?” Hyunsik muttered, clearly too annoyed to care about accuracy.

And then..

“Jungkook.”

The name didn’t come loud. Taehyung said it quietly, almost absently.

Both of them turned to look at him. Hyunsik blinked once. Seojoon’s lips curved slowly.

Taehyung didn’t react to their stares. He just tilted his head slightly, gaze drifting somewhere far from the room, far from the hospital, back to a dimly lit street where time had paused for the wrong reasons.

“Anyway, the dude was..” Hyunsik started.

“Beautiful.”

Taehyung finished.

A beat of silence.

“…Dangerously pretty.”

Now that earned him a full stare.

Seojoon leaned back against the table, clearly entertained. Hyunsik just looked at him like he’d grown a second head.

Taehyung finally glanced up, one brow lifting lazily. “Am I lying?”

“…Not fully,” Hyunsik admitted after a second, “But that guy doesn’t have a single manner in him.”

Taehyung nodded slightly, bringing the cup closer, taking a slow sip this time. The bitterness lingered on his tongue. “You should’ve been careful, Hyunsik,” he said, calm, almost too calm.

Hyunsik scoffed immediately. “Seriously? Didn’t you see how he crossed the line without an indicator?”

A soft hum slipped from Taehyung again.

“And?” Hyunsik pressed, narrowing his eyes. “You’re defending him now?”

Taehyung shook his head, a faint, unreadable smile touching his lips. “Never.” A pause. “But still… we have to be aware of our surroundings.”

It sounded reasonable. Exactly like something a doctor would say.

But Seojoon, Seojoon wasn’t convinced. A quiet chuckle escaped him as he watched Taehyung over the rim of his own cup. Because Taehyung might’ve sounded composed, might’ve looked unaffected, but there was something off.

Seojoon took a sip, shaking his head lightly. “Hmm,” he murmured.

Just then, a soft knock brushed against the door..

“Hey… I heard you’re here.”

All three turned.

There she stood.

Lisa, framed by the doorway, white coat draped over her shoulders, scrubs neat… but her eyes searching. Always searching. As if she walked into rooms already expecting to find someone she cared about, and bracing for how they might look when she did.

“Lisa. You’re on duty?” Seojoon asked, straightening slightly.

She nodded, stepping in, the faint scent of antiseptic trailing with her presence. “I am. Sister Claire mentioned you were here.” Her gaze locked with Taehyung's.

Taehyung hummed, acknowledging, but not quite engaging.

“And you didn’t bother to text me?” she asked, a small crease forming between her brows.

“It was an emergency,” Taehyung replied simply, setting the empty cup down. “I was in a rush.”

Lisa nodded, but the silence that followed lingered just a second too long.

Across the room, Seojoon and Hyunsik exchanged a glance, quick, knowing, almost amused in that quiet, observant way of people who see more than they say.

Taehyung didn’t notice, or maybe, he chose not to. He pushed himself up from the chair. “If anything’s up, just ring me, Seo,” he said. “I’ll head home.”

“Yep. You don’t have to worry. Sleep tight,” Seojoon replied, though his eyes lingered for a minute longer than necessary.

Taehyung gave a small nod. Then, he looked at Lisa. Just for a second. “Mm. I’ll text you. Bye.”

And then he was gone. The door closed behind him with a soft click. Silence followed.

Lisa stood there, unmoving, her gaze fixed on the space he had just occupied.

Hyunsik exhaled slowly, dragging a hand through his hair.

Seojoon, however, only smiled faintly into his cup.

And as Taehyung walked down the dim corridor alone, hands tucked into his coat, exhaustion pulling at his limbs, his mind betrayed him again.

Not the patient. Not the case. Not even the conversation he just left behind. But, a flicker of gold under streetlights. Ash-grey eyes that refused to soften. A voice that lingered like unfinished business.

Jungkook.

The name followed him into the night,like a story that had only just begun.

..to be continued..