13 I Need Somebody

I wake up to find myself back in the room.

I had been dreaming I was out of this stupid room. With people I suddenly couldn't recall anymore.

"Ms," a man says. I close my eyes and then let them open slowly to get adjusted to the bright light. I hate the bright light. It hurts my head.

"Can you turn off the light?" I whisper. My throat is dry, so my voice comes out in a rasp.

"Ms," the man says again.

I clear my throat, which makes it hurt worse, but then say louder, "Can you turn off the light?"

I close my eyes and wait for the pink to fade to black.

It doesn't.

"Ms, you're getting released today," the man says.

"I don't care. Turn off the light or put something over my eyes. It hurts my head." I snap.

The man shuffles over to the door and the light disappears, fading to a familiar comforting black.

"Thank you," I say. I sit up and look around the room. Though it's dark, I can still see the outlines of objects. Plus the man is - holding a flashlight... How fun.

"How will I get home?" I ask.

Wait. Home? Where is my home?

The man's voice sounds excited as he asks, "Do you remember your home?!"

I shake my head.

"Do you want some water?" the man's voice sounds deflated now, losing hope.

"You shouldn't sound that way to your patients," I say. "You need to always make them believe they have some hope left in their life, even if there isn't."

"You're right, I'm sorry."

"Who's taking me?" I ask, gladly accepting the glass of water the man handed me.

"Seven boys - er - men," he replies.

"Who are they?" I ask, my brow furrowing. What would seven men want with me?

"The known K-Pop group, BTS."

"Who's BTS?"

I feel like I should know BTS, but I don't. It sounds oh so familiar, though.

"Doctor! You have to wait to trigger her memories!" a woman walks into the room, scolding the man.

"My - memories?" I say slowly.

The woman looks at me fearfully. She has full lips, and she nervously bites on them.

"See what you did, Doctor? Aish!" she hits the man on the arm and walks over to me.

"I'm Nurse Mi Cha," she says, helping me out of my bed.

I nod my head in her direction. There's this faint buzzing sound and I look around to find the source.

"Where's that buzzing sound coming from?" I ask, giving up when I find no source.

Nurse Mi Cha looks at me, confused.

The doctor has the same expression.

"Nevermind," I say. They can't help me right now. They've helped enough.

Nurse Mi Cha shoos the doctor out and helps me get dressed since I'm too weak to do it myself.

My head still feels like it's being ripped apart, and my arms are tender and sore from where the dozens of needles had been poked into them.

"What happened to me?" I ask finally.

"You have syncope," Nurse Mi Cha says.

I look at her, questioning her fancy nurse words.

"It's just when your body suddenly has a temporary drop in the amount of blood flowing to your brain. Drops in blood pressure, heart rate, or amount of blood in parts of your body are also reasons you faint."

"I faint - when I don't have enough blood going to my brain?" I repeat. It's hard to digest.

"Yes, but you hit your head so hard you forgot almost everything," she says.

"I forgot - ?" I repeat again.

Nurse Mi Cha nods.

"Why'd it start now? Why not before?" I cry. I glare at the wall in anger.

"We don't know that part, yet," she replies. She walks over to a window in the room. That's when I notice that a clacking sound follows her. High heels. I hate them, but I can't remember why. I've never seen them before, right?

I glare at her and she shuts her mouth before she starts speaking again.

"When do I meet these seven boys?" I ask finally.

"About now, their leader should be here to re - I mean - introduce himself," Nurse Mi Cha says, stumbling over her words.

Just as she says that a knock sounds at the door.

"Come in, she's ready," she calls.

A boy with short blonde hair enters the room. Both the doctor and the nurse leave almost immediately.

"How have you been?" the boy asks.

I stick out my bottom lip in a pout. "Is that really how you start an introduction?" I ask.

He looks offended.

Good.

"I hope you understand that if I knew you before, I don't know you now," I continue.

The boy looks at the floor. He shoves his hands into his pockets and tries to flatten his hair.

"Who are you?" I ask.

He looks up and we make eye contact.

"Kim Namjoon."

I blink.

And that sets him off like a firework.

"Why don't you remember me?! You were supposed to have the best life with us!"

"It's not my fault I fainted," I say innocently.

But it technically is. Because of this condition that the doctors didn't find until I was nearly an adult.

"How old are you?" I ask.

"23."

I hop off the bed I'm sitting on and look around the room.

"Where are the other boys?" I ask, remembering that he's not the only one. How am I supposed to live with seven guys? Ugh.

He looks pained as he manages out, "Outside."

I don't open the door. I barely make it a step before I collapse on the ground.

"Be careful," Namjoon says, helping me up. "Your legs are still weak since you haven't used them for a while."

Once I'm able to stand, he picks me up in his arms and carries me towards the door.

"Exactly how long was I out?" I ask. I want to know at least one thing, other than people's names.

He looks down at me and then back up. We're standing in front of the door. I grab ahold of the handle with one hand and wrap my arm around Namjoon's neck to support me. He tenses up and I feel something wet land on my face. When I look back up, I see that he's crying.

"Namjoon-shi!" I say, shocked. "Was it really that long?" I jokingly add.

"Almost three years."

He whispers it, but I can still hear him.

"Three - ?"

He nods and sets me down on a chair.

"You're going to have to learn the basics all over again," Namjoon says.

"Like - ?"

"Walking, reading, and people's names," he says.

"Reading - ?" the word feels heavy on my tongue.

"Do you know what reading is?" Namjoon asks.

I shake my head.

"Aish," he mutters. "I'll teach you later. Right now we have to get out of here."

I nod, not knowing what else to do.

He opens the door and I am greeted by another shocking bright light.

"Ah!" I squeeze my eyes shut. My head pounds, hurting so bad I almost pass out.

"Hey, it's okay," Namjoon says.

"Need help?" another voice asks. It sounds very familiar.

"Jungkook-shi?" I manage out.

"SHE REMEMBERS YOU?!" another voice breaks through.

"I remember you visited me, when I was awake before," I say, my eyes still closed.

"You remember that?" Namjoon asks. He wraps his arms around me and picks me up.

"Yeah, why?"

"That was almost three years ago," another voice says.

"Jimin-shi?" I ask.

Loud crying follows.

I open my eyes.

"You don't need to cry, I only remember from the day I met you."

More crying.

"Aish, stop crying. You're grown men."

"Jungkook is turning nineteen soon," Jimin says. He has silver-grey hair now. What color had he had last time? Right. Black.

"You dyed your hair," I say, stating the obvious.

He nods his head in my direction. "I know you're against it, but I'm not."

I'm carried out of the stark white room and into a wide hallway.

"I need to see a window," I manage out. Even though there aren't many people, and the hallway is large, I'm panicking. Is it day or night? I must see for myself.

There are things I know, like day and night, but I don't remember reading. Should I? Namjoon had seemed a little ticked off that I couldn't remember what reading was.

"I can walk," I say. I try sliding out of Namjoon's arms, but he shakes his head.

"No," he says, tightening his grip on me. "You can't walk."

"I might've been stuck in a bed for about three years, but I think I can walk," I snap.

He gently sets me down and grabs a hold of my arm.

I'm dressed in ballet flats, thankfully. Hate is an understatement for how much I despise high heels.

I take a wobbly step forward. My foot lands on the floor, and I take another step. Before long, I'm getting used to using my legs, and I'm walking without Namjoon's help.

"She's a fast learner," Jimin says.

"Yeah," a deeper voice says.

I turn around. All seven boys are watching my every step so I smile at them.

I turn to face Namjoon.

"I should apologize for how I treated you when you visited me three years ago," I say.

Namjoon accepts my apology and walks me over to a window. It's dark outside, and I see cars parked in neat little rows.

"I'm scared," I say.

A pair of strong hands grip my shoulders in a comforting motion.

"You don't have to, we'll be here for you all the time," Jungkook says.

"Already acting like a grown man," someone sniffs.

Someone I don't know.

"I didn't get to meet all of you last time, so can you introduce yourselves again?" I sit down in a chair by the window.

They all take seats on the floor around my chair.

The first to introduce himself is Jimin.

"I'm Park Jimin, as you know," he bows his head in my direction. "Before you lost your memories, I was your boyfriend."

"Aish!" the guy next to him hits him on the head. "Stop telling her lies!"

I giggle.

"It was worth a try," Jimin winks at me.

The next to introduce himself is a guy with brown hair.

"I'm Min Yoongi," he says, bowing his head.

"Kim Seokjin," the guy next to him says. He has pink hair and soft brown eyes.

"Nice to meet you," I nod my head in Seokjin's direction.

He smiles. It's adorable, though I know he's around Namjoon's age, 23.

"I'm Jung Hoseok," the next boy says. He has orange hair, and his brown eyes sparkle as they meet mine.

I bow my head and smile at him.

"Jeon Jungkook," Jungkook says, smiling. He still has his big brown doe eyes, which make him the cutest thing ever. He has brown hair as well.

"You already know me," Namjoon says, winking.

I smile and turn to look at the last boy.

He looks no more than a few years older than me, and with blonde hair and soft brown eyes, he's really handsome.

"I'm Kim Taehyung," he says, looking straight at me. He has a nice deep voice, which I admire. His bottom lip trembles and his eyes are watery.

"Sorry, this is really hard for him," Namjoon says, giving Taehyung a side hug to comfort him.

"Did I do something?" I ask, standing up.

"No, he'll be fine," Namjoon says, silently giving Taehyung a look telling him to pull it together.

I nod my head. Still, something feels wrong with this whole situation.

We head downstairs and out the doors. It feels good to get out of the creepy place where everyone pretends everything is going to be okay.

"Ah -" I sigh as I breathe in the cool air outside.

"Feel good to be out of there?" Jimin asks me. He grabs a hold of my hand and squeezes it reassuringly.

"Yeah," I say. "It was nice of you to take me in."

"No problem, we're just hoping we can help you remember," Jimin says.

I nod my head. "I want to remember, too. It just all sounds so unreal."

"Especially since bad people could've made you forget us," he says.

"Don't say things like that!" Namjoon says sternly.

"Yes, hyung," Jimin says apologetically.

"Can I eat something?" I ask suddenly. My stomach hurts, but I'm not sure if it's because I'm hungry, or because I'm anxious about something.

"Yeah, there's food in the back of the car. Taehyung, Jimin, and I can share," Jungkook says.

I smile. "Thanks."

A few minutes later, I'm sitting in the back of the car with a bibimbap bowl in my lap, untouched.

"Are you going to eat?" Jungkook asks as he slurps noodles into his mouth with - are they pencils?

"I don't think she remembers how to use chopsticks," Jimin says, using a spoon to eat his food.

"Oh," Jungkook says. He holds out his hand, which is holding the supposed "chopsticks" in a weird way.

I try to copy the way he's holding them, making my fingers pick them up and open them.

"There, you're a natural!" Jungkook says. Jimin claps.

I blush and use the chopsticks to eat the food.

"Do you want some dumplings?" Jimin asks, giving me a type of food shaped like a triangle.

I pick it up using my chopsticks and when I bite into it, the sudden burst of flavor sends signals of delight through my body.

"That's so good!" I say through a mouthful of dumpling.

Jimin laughs. "You always loved dumplings, Lin-Lin."

I look at him with a questioning look. Who's Lin-Lin?

"She doesn't remember," Jungkook says, poking Jimin with his chopsticks.

"Oh," Jimin sighs. "Lin-Lin used to be my nickname for you, but since you don't remember, I don't have to use it."

I shake my head. "I like the name, I just don't understand why that's my nickname."

"When we get home, guys," Namjoon says. He's not the one driving, instead, Seokjin is.

"Can Namjoon not drive or something?" I ask.

Jimin giggles. "No, he doesn't have a driver's license."

I giggle as well and turn to look at Taehyung.

Jungkook and Taehyung are on either side of me, while Jimin is sitting in the seat in front of me. Jimin swiveled his chair to face me, though, so technically four of us are sitting in the back.

"Taehyung-shi," I say gently.

Silent tears slide down his face.

"I'm sorry for what happened between us if anything happened, but I'm here now, and ready to know more about you."

"We were the bestest of friends," Taehyung says quietly.

I look at him. His eyes are still watery, but I can tell he's given up on making me remember him.

I put a hand on top of his. "Hey, we'll be fine." I manage a smile and pat his hand before turning to eat the rest of the bibimbap.

Taehyung takes a deep breath. "Okay."

"What's your favorite color?" I ask Jungkook.

He ponders for a while before saying, "Black."

Taehyung speaks up. "Mine is grey."

"I like blue, but also black," Jimin says.

"I don't know which color is my favorite," I say. I look out the window. Even though it was dark outside the hospital window, it wasn't facing the west, where the sun sets.

The horizon is bathed in colors of blue, red, and pink hues. But also...

"Purple," I say finally. "My favorite color is purple."

"It used to be yellow," Taehyung says, eating small portions of his food.

"Hmm, yellow is also pretty, but I like purple now."

Soon our food is finished and we're happily chatting. Taehyung actually wasn't as cold-hearted as I made him out to be. He loves dogs, and has an amazing sense of fashion, as the others tell me.

He has this adorable box smile that he shows me once in a while. And his eyes sparkle whenever I look at him. Whoever he had been previously, I know that he'll be my best friend forever.

I wake up to find my head lying on Taehyung's shoulder. He's asleep as well.

I sit up, careful not to wake up Taehyung.

"When are we going to be there?" I ask Jungkook, who's still awake.

"A couple of minutes," he says. "We updated our dorm, so we live farther away than where we used to."

I nod my head, not fully understanding.

"We moved your stuff there too, though while you were in your coma, Jang Mi died."

"Jang Mi?" the name seems familiar.

"Yeah, the cat we had gotten you for Christmas a few years ago."

"Oh," I say. I don't remember.

"You were so excited, you always loved cats," Jimin says thoughtfully.

Taehyung stirs and puts his head on my shoulder. I tense up, but something about him just says "stay" and "calm".

"I'm sorry I forget you," I say. "I wish I remembered."

"That's what we're going to help you with," Namjoon says from the passenger seat. "Help you remember."

I smile at him.

To be honest with myself, all of them are really handsome. And what's even more obvious is that all of them used to like the old me.

"What's my name?" I ask Jungkook.

"Hwa Young," Taehyung replies.

I turn to look at him. He's not crying but still looks sad as he stares at me.

"Hwa - Young?" I ask. It sounds like my name.

"Or Mei Lin," Jimin adds, glaring slightly at Taehyung.

"So that's where the Lin-Lin comes from," I say, smiling.

Jimin nods and smiles back.

Aish. This seems like a plot for a K-Drama. Why does this have to happen to me?

"We're here!" Seokjin says as we pull into the parking lot of a huge building.

"We share a dorm, but we made sure there were enough rooms so that when you woke up you could have one for yourself," Namjoon says.

Both Hoseok and Yoongi hadn't talked to me since I got into the car, but suddenly Hoseok was all over me, asking all sorts of questions.

"Are you cold? Warm? Here - here's my jacket if you're cold."

"You still hungry? I have leftovers."

"I'm fine," I replied to all of them.

Yoongi just hugged me for about 10 minutes before Namjoon pried him off me.

We take the elevator to their dorm.

"This place is huge!" I say, eyes wide in wonder.

"We have to do a V Live when we get back, so stay out of my room," Hoseok says, winking playfully.

I like that word... playful. It describes him perfectly.

"What's a V Live?" I ask.

"Not named after me," Taehyung jokes.

I don't get it.

"My stage name is V," he explains.

I nod my head but I still don't get it.

"Hey, I'll teach her the basics of reading when we get into the dorm, that way we won't bother you, Hobi," Namjoon says, clapping Hoseok on his back.

"Hobi - ?" I wonder aloud.

"It's my nickname," Hoseok explains.

"But not your stage name," I say slowly.

He shakes his head. "My stage name is J-Hope."

I like it, too. It gives off his personality immediately.

"It's darker out, now," Yoongi says.

I nod my head. "Where's my room?"

Yoongi grins but Jimin's the one who shows me where it is.

"It's big," I say, looking around. "Are you sure you don't want it?"

Jimin nods. "I want you to be comfortable," he says.

I smile and then meet Namjoon out in the hallway.

"Here's my room," Namjoon says, leading me to a different room. "I share it with Seokjin, but he's eating again right now, so we'll be alone for about two hours."

I laugh and sit tentatively on the floor.

"Hey, the floor belongs to me!" Jimin pokes his head into the doorframe, playfully glaring at me.

I roll my eyes but take a seat next to Namjoon.

"I have to get used to this new you," he walks away saying.

I grin and lean my head on Namjoon's shoulder. He immediately tenses up.

Which makes me tense up as well.

"Sorry," I say apologetically.

"No," Namjoon says quickly, "it's fine."

That's when Korean class starts. Or - reading class. We start with the basic vowels.

"This is 'oh'," he says, holding up a flashcard with a hand-drawn symbol on it.

"Oh," I say, taking the card in my hand and staring at it until my brain puts two and two together.

"Oh-kay," I say, making a slight joke. Thankfully, he gets it and laughs.

"This is 'oo'."

The flashcard with a symbol on it.

"Oo?" I question. "Like in the English word, 'fOOd'?"

"Yes," Namjoon says, surprised.

"I can speak English," I say, touching my mouth in amazement.

"You can," Namjoon says. Next, he holds up a sign with another symbol on it.

"Ah," he says.

"Ah," I reply.

Pretty soon, after about 20 minutes, I can spell my name and write Namjoon's.

"You're a fast learner," he says.

I smile. "Yeah."

I look out the one window that's in his room.

His room is pretty neat for the most part. There are two doors in it, most likely leading to the closet and bathroom. The window overlooks a street, which is actually quite narrow and small. There's not a lot of people crossing on it in, in consequence.

"Your room is nice," I say after a few seconds.

"You could sleep in here tonight, if you want," Namjoon says, shrugging. He realizes what he said a second too late. "Uh - I mean... you used to be fine with that."

I shrug as well. "It's fine."

I feel a slight pain in my arm suddenly, and when I turn to look at what caused it, I find the window open.

"Did you open the window?" I ask, my eyelids drooping.

"Uh - no..." Namjoon says, quickly closing it.

I feel myself fall forward, but Namjoon catches me.

"I don't feel good," I say.

He places a hand to my head, feeling it.

"You have a fever," he says after a few seconds.

My eyes close all the way and he places me on his bed.

Somehow I'm still aware of everything that's happening, for some reason.

Soon even my subconscious falls asleep and I'm falling into a deep dark void.