" we've arrived , sir " the driver said 

yonghwa left the uber car , he head toward the main entrance and the muscular bodygaurd gaurding it immediately opened the heavy door for him ..

walking past an empty hallway with Exqusite statures occasionally placed on the sides implying how pricey the services here would be , he passed by another door  

after one hectic day in work , it was yonghwa's time to relax and thankfully Lee Joon was more than welcoming to take the lead for the rest of the night at the hospital to let yonghwa free . 

the destination was a VIP bar he sought a few times in the last couple of years with jonghyun , he had no much free time to spend here anyway but sometimes he needed it 

a perfect place to clear his mind , a place where he’s merely a man with money . no other restriction or limitations , no responsibilities and no one asking him to save their lives .. 

a breath of air after how much he went through for a single night 

" Hyung , here " jonghyun waved for the hyung to sit down across from him , the faint manly call barely made it through the loud music playing all to reach yonghwa's ears 

yonghwa had to follow and sit down on the brown leather couch as he was the one who called and invited him in the first place , now that he's regretting the fact 

the customized private table was already loaded with all kinds of expensive liquor and side dishes , an extra empty crystal glass was also there prepared for him 

jonghyun immediately poured the whisky down for his hyung while his eyes never moved away from checking him " you're killing it tonight , Hyung " 

yonghwa was handsome as a respectful assistant professor , but whenever he made an effort to look y he would usually ace that appearance .. let aside women , even men couldn't resist his charms most of the time .

Yonghwa outfit consisted of a matching black shirt and black pants , leaving the shirt's first two ed showing his fit muscular chest .. a gold and black Rolex watch over his wrist , a strong Armani perfume trailed after him  

as for his hair , he let his glossied dark bangs down unlike his usual formal styling as he went for the casual look tonight .

ignoring jonghyun , he quietly reached for his glass and savoured the whiskey taste , his eyes checking everyone else around as he had no idea how was the world working in the moment , it had been a while since he came out from his professional bubble .   

despite his dashing appearance his Hyung still kept his calmness and professionalism , so jonghyun teased for a response " how is your wife doing ? " he asked

yonghwa didn't wish to talk about her for many reasons , mainly it would make all his efforts for coming here go in vain " I was with her until a few hours ago " 

" I see " Jonghyun nodded , a wicked grin planted over his lips 

yonghwa poured another glass for himself , he rose the crystal glass and watched the whiskey clear color , asking this time " jonghyun , is there a word that could make you happy ? " 

jonghyun almost spit the whiskey from his mouth, he couldn't hide his surprise to hear such a cheesy question from his cool hyung 

and being drunk was absolutely no excuse 

too sudden and shocking for jonghyun , he struggled to come with an answer " ah I don't ... know , maybe hearing that I'm handsome from a y woman " 

yonghwa shook his head dissatisfied , such a mischevious answer didn't go along with his mood  " does that genuinely make you happy ? " 

 jonghyun gulped down at the cheesier response , buzzled by his Hyung behavior he awkwardly asked " what about you Hyung , the word that could make you .. happy ? " 

it surely backfired yonghwa but it will not hurt to remember that scene one more time 

a chilly rooftop that would make his fingers go numb from being too cold , a cigarette which tasted terrible yet was his sense of relief 

and a stubborn woman , who said the words that he hated to hear yet comforted him . 

a woman too beautiful for her own good , that he almost lost his calculating self to her 

“ her pink plump lips were the defintion of temptation , her twinkling eyes were so pure inviting me to kiss her , she probably would have allowed me to do so and more to her if it wasn’t for my stupidity ... “ 

“ shut up , jonghyun “ yonghwa scoffed as he raised the expensive whiskey to his lips , “ could you shut up for a moment “ he murmured before sipping the liquor 

“ i’m just dubbing your thoughts , Hyung “ jonghyun giggled , his hand reached for the cigarette packet laid on the table , “ if you would ask me , the only thing that would make a man go nuts , is a woman “ 

jonghyun casually pulled a cigarette out and straight to his lips , he reached for the lighter next and lighted his cigarette , grey smoke streak rose up in the air coming from his mouth .

another dejavu to the encounter with seohyun , she laid her hands on his belongings again .. it was just a mere cigarette so his anger is completely out of proportions 

anger ? .. more like frustration ..

Why again ? 

was it the cheesy words she said .. or was it her dazzling beauty .

“ hello , handsome “ a high pitched female voice could be heard getting closer 

“ thanks god you’re here , do you know how boring having hyung as your drinking buddy “ jonghyun complained with flashy smile 

the woman in her thirties , of Chinese origins, who worked as an underground model and a hostess , made her way and sat next to yonghwa   

the leather dipping next to him , made him look beside and what first caught his glance was her hysterically short dress code , snow white thighs revealed shamelessly 

“ it had been a while oppa , but i’m not hurt i’m sure you were busy “ chacha said , her hand rested on yonghwa's thigh comfortably 

used to her touch , yonghwa sipped some more whiskey ignoring her advances .. 

“ i was busy but i could have made time if i wished “ he coldly replied  

chacha laughed , she cupped his cheeks with her hands directing his face to look directly at hers “ say this , looking at my eyes “ 

looking at her eyes he said it again in a monotonous tone “ i was busy and i didn’t wish to see you “ 

she whispered “ but you do tonight “ , and kissed his lips without a proper advance or a sweet talk .. 

“ pffttt , you’re both crazy “ jonghyun giggled as he watched their abrupt kiss  

he just continued to drink , while waiting for his regular hostess 

nothing out of ordinary , it was this kind of bar all along which they regularly visited for a few years now ..

of course it was jonghyun’s recommendation and yonghwa rarely accompanied him 

even more rare that yonghwa would take the initiative and suggest a night out , tonight was one of those unique nights .

jonghyun poured more whisky into his glass , he stole a glance at his friend  

the music being too loud , he didn’t hear much of the whispering following their kiss , but he could make up the whole point from yonghwa’s passive behavior and chacha overflowing excitement , obviously both are hitting it tonight.

jonghyun frowned as he put back the whiskey bottle on table 

for the past twelve years - yonghwa wasn’t the ideal friend but he felt responsible for him , he watched that hyung go through life with a shallow heart 

it was simple to accompany him , he demanded nothing and he cared about nothing and jonghyun was never judged for the way he lived by him 

but jonghyun himself couldn’t abandon yonghwa , he cared for him .. he wanted to see his hyung filling his empty heart with something valuable , wether it was care or hate or any other emotion 

wanted yonghwa to experience the ups and downs of life , not only downs . 

jonghyun believed Seohyun could be the game changer , she had influence over his mood 

but she failed miserably to reach that heart of his .. it was no use .. and yonghwa asking to come here was the absolute failure for her

yonghwa’s phone on table made a subtle buzz , yet he noticed that and stretched his arm to reach for it 

chacha complained , her arms engulfing his neck “ it could be work “ 

“ more the reason to check it out “ yonghwa murmured as he opened the text message 

( Seo stubborn : i figured it out .. what’s wrong with the little boy . ) 

yonghwa quietly stared at the text for a few more seconds before he escaped the hostess tight grip “ i have to go “ 

he stood up and took out his wallet from his back pocket , he cashed thick sum of bills and left it to chacha on table “ treat yourself “ 

 jonghyun surprised stood up too , he knew his hyung wouldn’t react this much if it wasn’t for work “ where are you going , hyung ! don’t tell me you're heading back to the hospital when you‘re this drunk “

yonghwa didn’t care to explain , he just walked out 

——————————-

1 :30 am  ~ seohyun’s POV 

i reviewed each patient medication in the ward ,making sure the doses were modified according to their current renal functions . 

antibiotics starting dates and wether they an upgrading .. 

in the quiet dark residents room i clicked against the computer keyboard endlessly 

 i would lose it every now and then thinking about his every word and move , he gave me a plenty of words to understand and tons of emotions to feel ..

even though his story was known for all medical personnel around seoul , i appreciated him opening up and telling me the story the way he pictured it .. obviously his childhood had some drawbacks , his father ignorance was the ultimate abuse he could face at such young age .

young aged boy  ..  I checked my phone and went through the young boy chest xray once again .

too naive to notice the red flags and Dr.jung’s subtle hints told through his story , i went on and on ignoring the reality ..  

i had a feeling the answer had been there all along , so i texted Dr.jung and went my way .

i arrived the 2nd floor , walls with cartoonized characters and cheerful colors passed by me as i walked further into the pediatrics department  

on may way , the nurse station was deserted .. however i could see a male nurse taking a nap through the half opened door of the storage room .. 

Then head toward the young boy ward  , the boy was asleep on the bed while his father sat next to him .. when the latter noticed my presence i quietly asked “ songki father , can i have a word with   

i walked further away from the ward heading toward the quiet end of the hallway while the father eagerly followed me , i couldn't gamble with possibility of his son eavesdropping on our talk  

when i made sure we were completely alone , i asked him " was your son ever admitted to any other hospital or had a previous accident perhaps ? "  

" no , it didn't happen " he replied  

Not all parents cared for their children , some were wronged , others were abandoned ..

i my lips , rephrasing more assertively “ maybe you were not living with him at some point of time ? he had another accident and you didn’t hear about it ? “ 

his senile eyes had more resolution to them as he answered with a new hostility “ look here miss , i have never left my son side and i assure you this is his first and last accident “ 

" please calm down ajussi , are you that worried about him , or are you afraid you might get exposed this time ? " 

his eyes froze on me in a shock , that's when i knew that he was the bastard .. 

" you .. what are you talking about ? " 

“ i thought you cared for him so much that you never left his side , but apparently you were afraid we would have an honest talk with him . you never left his side because you were afraid he would tell someone the truth “ i started pouring my reasoning into an endless concern , " why are you being like this toward a weak kid , what had he done to deserve this " 

how awful bullying the weaklings rather than fighting your own demons , and you call yourself a father 

" you don't know anything , so stop talking " he impulsively grabbed me by the collar , knuckles pressuring on my neck so tightly that it was almost throttling 

I knew everything about living with a single parent , when your little ambiguous world revolved around someone who loved you dearly and made it up for every other thing you didn't own , but i would never know how hellish would it be for kid to have such a cruel father 

I tried to pull his hands off me with my hands , and it was obvious how his manly strength dominated mine , when i had no choice i confronted him " it's no one but you , why else would you lie about his previous healed fractures " 

he tightened his grip further pushing me against the wall in a painful thud " shut up or i'll shut you up forever " 

i muffled a groan and talked back " using force against a child is that where your strength comes from " 

And despite how it added fuel to the fire , i had to say what i came here to say

a 2 meter long IV metal holder existed on an arm distance from me , it was my best option for self-defence 

I let go of him and focused all my efforts on one thing , stretching my left arm beyond it's length to reach out for the metal holder 

slowly , bit by bit , i was getting closer so close that i could virtually sense the cold metal underneath my fingertips 

Maybe i could have succeeded if it wasn't for my weak nerves , maybe i could have survived this ; But once my trembling fingers touched the metal it fell on the floor with a loud thud   

the thud distracted him momentarily so i used the chance to kick his groin with my right knee , unplanned yet it did the trick , he let go of me to shield his sensitive organ as he whined in pain 

taking a shaky breath as i fixated my eyes on him so he'll not run away , i took a few backward steps until i pumped into someone .. his both hands supported my arms to stand up straight " are you okay ? " 

hearing a familiar voice was enough of a rescue and i could finally take a proper breath " Dr.jung , this man - he's the one who ... " 

a male nurse appeared from the other direction , looking lost yet flustered he quickly ran toward us “ what’s going on “ 

Dr.jung directed his words toward the father " we will file a medical abuse report and officially call the police , so you can wait here or run away , whatever your choice is “ 

he then notified the nurse " he’s not allowed into the ward , got it ? “ 

“ ah yes .. yes “ the nurse nodded on full guard 

what .. run away ?? 

i was going to stop any possible runaway but Dr.jung grabbed my wrist and pulled me away from the scene 

" Dr.jung , we can't let him go " I managed to say , trying to keep up with his pace without stumbling . “ we should keep an eye on him until the police arrives “ 

He opened the door to the emergency staircase and got us inside for a moment of privacy , I was thankful the running across the hallway came to an end , but we were far away from the ajussi now

" wether he runs away or get handcuffed , it's all the same for the kid anyway " Dr.jung reasoned , 

" throwing him into an orphanage while he's bloody sure his bloodline is alive and kicking would that make him any happier , i think not " 

again, his words always remind me how oblivious i was to my surroundings , to this cruel world " are you saying we should ignore the father crimes " 

" i'm saying it's no difference for the kid now " 

" then why did you come all the way here if you are not going to help , if you think it is all pointless “ i countered hastly 

he didn't seem to care that much about the kid or the father , so what was the reason for him coming here . 

" because I knew your way of handling the situation would be the worst , i wouldn’t call a culprit in the face and expect a nice reaction " He reasoned calmly 

I bit my lip embarrassed at his accurate  description , it sounded like I was a troublesome child who gave him a hard time but it had some truth to it  

i maintained my professionalism again ," I was going to handle it by myself anyway " 

“ i was sure you would , but then i couldn’t stay put .. you sent me a text “ 

his fingers traced feathery over some points on my neck , with a slight frown knotting his brows as if he felt actual physical pain ,  he complained " I see a change of color , what are you going to do about this " 

 I could tell the ajussi knuckles left some brusies on my fair skin ; just from the stinging pain it left for a few minutes now , and certainly from the way his charming eyes were soft and worried ..

why would Dr.jung spare those emotions for me ; worry .. care .. 

something about him was different .. it could be his casual style for tonight , his ed shirt revealing his hard chest to seduce , or maybe the way he wore his shiveled hair down ..  the way he looked at me with caring eyes , his touch .. it was all different 

" Dr.jung , are you drunk ?! " bluntly i asked

Connecting the dots , he reeked of alcoholic smell mixed with cigarettes , the subtle unstable gait and how he let his guard down saying what actually been on his mind for the first time ..

he took a couple of steps backward and denied " I had a couple of drinks before coming here but I wouldn't go as far as calling myself drunk " 

No one call himself drunk anyway .. but..

I voiced worridly " what if the hospital call you for it , you even interacted with a patient's relative in that state " 

He snickered " then I might lose my job " 

Feeling a little guilty It was partially my fault for him to rush here , I had to protect him 

" you should leave immediately " I held his hand and went down the stairs , the plan was to send him home as quick as possible without anyone noticing him around " Dr.jung , you probably didn’t drive here right ? " 

My other hand busy with the phone asking for an Uber with the villa directions as a destination 

We arrived the lobby as the last checkpoint we needed to pass safely , easy and smooth ..

" well , if it wasn't Dr.jung yonghwa " 

I heard some stranger recognizing the drunk man , so I just pulled him away but he wouldn't budge anymore

I had to stop and look at the stranger too , a handsome young man who beamed with a celebrity like vibes 

the man looked at me next  " and you must be Dr. Seo juhyun "

I stared at him not patting an eyelash , puzzled wether I should recognize him or not ; though i would definitely remember if i saw an artistic man before 

He extended his hand for a formal handshake 

" I'm Dr.Han Kyuhyun , an assistant professor at Cambridge university hospital , and a fellow of the Queen association , i also have fellowship at ..."

Dr.jung cut through his long introduction as he introduced him instead " if it was a novel , he would be the obnoxious character with inferiority complex "

despite him earning a glare from Dr.kyuhyun , Dr.jung continued “ and he’s known around here as - Pro.Han ‘s son - “

the man frowned in real annoyance " are you drunk ? " 

Dr.jung smirked " whoever your intel man , he deserves a bonus  "