“Everything’s all set up, Kyungsoo!” Sojin chirped, gesturing to a black box-like contraption that Jongin couldn’t make heads or tails of at all.

Not to mention, the brightness of Nurse Park’s familiar way of addressing the ophthalmologist was grating his nerves, as always.

“Thank you, Sojin!” Kyungsoo beamed at her before turning to the artist. “How are you today, Mr. Kim?”

“Fine,” Jongin answered shortly. “What are we doing today?” he asked without preamble. The sooner they got the small talk out of the way, the sooner Sojin would be gone.

“You’ll be taking the Farnsworth lantern test today.” Dr. Do swept a hand in the black machine’s direction as he made himself comfortable on his ivory-colored wheelie stool. “Do you remember the Farnsworth-Munsell one hundred hue test that you took last month?”

The artist instantly grimaced, recalling the unnecessary frustration and agony that the colored caps had inflicted on him that afternoon.

Dr. Do seemed to notice Jongin’s discomfort and quickly said, “This is a much simpler version of that test. I promise that it won’t take as long and it shouldn’t be as difficult.”

“Okay…” The artist gazed warily at the box-like apparatus before looking back at Kyungsoo and asking, “So what am I supposed to do?”

“I’ll be using this machine to show you several pairs of colored lights and you’ll call out the names of the colors in order from top to bottom,” Dr. Do explained while lightly patting the top of the black device. “Each pair of lights will appear for two seconds only, so you’ll need to pay close attention so that you don’t miss seeing what they look like. We’ll go through nine pairs of colored lights, so this will be a relatively quick test.”

“Okay, sounds good.”

“I’ll be taking my leave then, Kyungsoo. See you on Monday!”

The ophthalmologist smiled and waved to Sojin before turning back to the artist with a hesitant look on his youthful face. “Before we start, I’ll be upfront with you, Jongin,” Dr. Do started once Nurse Park exited the examination room, leaving the two men alone in the dimly lit room. There was a slight pause before he admitted, “I was actually a bit hesitant to administer this test for you in the first place.”

Jongin narrowed his eyes, slowly asking, “And why is that?”

“The Farnsworth lantern test doesn’t quite have…the best track record for detecting color vision deficiencies and color blindness in general,” Dr. Do explained, smiling sheepishly while gesturing again to the black machine. “It was originally used to screen the color vision of sailors in the Navy in order to ensure that they would be able to identify signal lights at night. The Farnsworth Lantern test is also used to screen the color vision of pilots. However, the Air Force no longer sees it as an accurate assessment, so it’s now only utilized for commercial pilot licenses.”

“Then what's the point in even having me take this test?” The artist crossed his arms over his chest as he stared straight at Kyungsoo, both eyebrows raised. “We’ve already wasted so much time on those other stupid tests. I didn’t agree to continue coming to this eye clinic so that I could waste even more time than I already have.”

“Yes, of course. I completely understand your concerns and frustration, Jongin,” the ophthalmologist said with a patient nod. “But because your test results have been so perplexing, I ultimately came to the decision to see if the Farnsworth lantern test can shed some light on the situation, even if the chance is relatively low. At the very least, it doesn’t necessarily hurt to try.”

Jongin still didn’t look convinced.

However, he had no other alternatives at this point either. And Kyungsoo was the expert here, so who was he to argue with the ophthalmologist on what the appropriate measures to take were?

“Alright,” the artist eventually conceded. “Let’s hurry up and get this over with then.”

With that, Dr. Do turned off the lights in the examination room and the Farnsworth lantern screening machine. “When the lights appear, list the top color first and then the bottom color. I’ll switch to the next pair as soon as you’ve answered.”

The artist nodded, so two colored lights suddenly appeared on the wall that Jongin was facing. And just as quickly as they materialized, the lights vanished without a trace. “White, red,” he reported. Dr. Do nodded and notated Jongin’s answers on his medical file, which was perched on the ophthalmologist’s knee.

The cycle repeated like clockwork. And it soon became clear that, just like the Ishihara test he had taken two months ago, the Farnsworth lantern test was laughably easy. Nothing at all like the nightmare the Farnsworth-Munsell one hundred hue test had been.

Although he was incredibly thankful that the Farnsworth lantern test wasn't torturing him like those cursed caps had at that time, Jongin couldn’t help but wonder if any of these tests would come to fruition in the end. Skepticism was rife in the artist’s mind, especially with Kyungsoo’s earlier lack of confidence in this particular test. That in itself was a less than favorable sign that Jongin would rather do without.

But he also had to consciously remind himself that the ophthalmologist had asked for his patience, that Jongin had brought this upon himself by agreeing to stay at Bright Vision Eye Clinic. So the artist grit his teeth while identifying the colorful pairs of lights that danced mockingly on the wall in front of him.

Luckily, true to Kyungsoo’s words, the Farnsworth lantern test came to an end almost as quickly as it had begun and the ophthalmologist flipped on the room light switch after writing down Jongin’s final answer. “When I’m back in my office, I’ll score this and analyze the results in conjunction with what we know so far from your other test results.”

“How long will that take?”

“It’ll be ready by your next appointment,” Dr. Do promised. “This particular analysis might not be conclusive overall when it comes to your situation, but I’ll see if I can squeeze in some time to do more research on color vision and come up with any new theories.”

“Thank you.”

“Happy to help,” Dr. Do said with a warm smile. He then asked, “You didn't have any problems with your color vision when you were in the military, correct?”

Jongin shook his head while saying, “I completed my military service about ten years ago. If anything, my color vision was perfect around that time.”

Dr. Do hummed in acknowledgement as he wrote down the information in the margins of the artist’s medical file before snapping the folder shut. “Military service feels like it happened a lifetime ago and just yesterday simultaneously,” he pensively commented.

“When did you enlist?” Jongin curiously asked.

“After my freshman year of college,” Kyungsoo answered. “I didn’t want to disrupt my studies later on, especially since I was majoring in medicine. So as soon as I finished my general education requirements, I enlisted for two years and completed my military service before returning to school.”

“And then you met Ok Taecyeon.”

The ophthalmologist let out a chuckle and nodded in confirmation. “I guess another reason why we became so close so quickly was because most of the friends that I made during my freshman year either became my upperclassmen, since they didn’t enlist as soon as I did, or they enlisted after me and were still in the military when I came back to school. I had to make new friends if I didn’t want to hang out by myself in the library,” Kyungsoo remarked.

“When did Chanyeol enlist then?” Jongin asked. Not that he particularly cared about the specific details of the guitarist’s life. But just like that night when the Jongin and Kyungsoo had gone stargazing together, question after question spilled from the artist’s lips.

“I believe he enlisted after graduating from college,” the ophthalmologist recalled with a small smile. “He was hoping to gain some acclaim as a musician during university, but things happened and he decided that it was better to enlist sooner rather than later.”

Understanding that it wasn’t his place to ask what kind of circumstances fell upon Chanyeol back then, Jongin just nodded and circled back to Kyungsoo’s enlistment. “Were you active-duty?”

The ophthalmologist nodded again. “I was drafted into the Navy and worked my way up to the rank of Sergeant by the time I was discharged.”

“Isn’t Navy service an extra two months? Why didn’t you just stick with the Army like everyone else does?”

“Well, considering that I had actually contemplated being a military doctor for three years after medical school, an extra two months in the Navy isn’t that long in comparison,” Kyungsoo said, smiling ruefully.

“Oh, yeah, why didn’t you serve as a military doctor instead?”

“I didn’t want to spend three years in the military,” the ophthalmologist answered simply. “As important as it is for all of us to serve at some point while we’re young and able, since we’re still technically at war, three years is a long time. I had other plans in mind for my professional development that wouldn’t have been actualized if I had enlisted as a military doctor instead of a regular active-duty soldier.”

Jongin nodded in agreement. If he’d had it his way, he would have skipped military service and focused on his flourishing art career during those precious two years in his early twenties. The artist envied Yixing, who hadn’t been bound to the same laws due to his Chinese citizenship.

His career could have propelled to even greater heights if military service hadn’t been mandatory. His artwork could have been plastered on every wall of every art gallery, museum, and exhibition hall in the world. His paintings could have graced the halls of every notable institution, adding a vibrant splash of color to the otherwise blank spaces.

Not that it really mattered in the grand scheme of things. Not with the untimely disappearance of his muse and his color vision.

Jongin also knew that military service was a necessity, albeit an annoying one, that kept the country safe. And the safety and wellbeing of Korean citizens was of the utmost importance. So until these political conflicts that kept their nation tense and poised for battle eventually ceased, young men would continue to be drafted into the military year after year.

Before the artist’s train of thought could chug off any further, Kyungsoo’s smooth voice brought Jongin back to the present.

“Well, as lovely as it’s been chatting like this, I’m afraid that our time is up now,” the ophthalmologist said apologetically after glancing at his gold-plated watch. “Ms. Jung needs to clock out soon and I have a large stack of paperwork waiting for me in my office that I need to get through this weekend. Yours included,” Kyungsoo added with a wave of Jongin’s medical file.

“Is that all you do on Sundays? Paperwork?” the artist asked with a raised eyebrow as he stood up from the black examination chair, stretching his back slightly before straightening up and towering over the shorter male.

Kyungsoo nodded while meticulously wiping down the Farnsworth Lantern screening machine and then placing it in a cabinet that was filled with other equipment. “Even though I have breaks in between appointments to sort through paperwork here, I don’t get as much done as I should since some appointments end up going on longer than usual or I get a flood of emails that require immediate responses. Or if Junmyeon needs an extra hand in the operating room or someone to take over an appointment last-minute—”

Jongin snorted loudly, reminded of how he had landed under Kyungsoo’s care in the first place.

“—I’ll usually step in and that leaves me with more work to take home,” the ophthalmologist smoothly explained. “I don’t mind it though. It’s comfortably working at home and whenever I need a break, I stop by Café Noir for some coffee and pastries.”

“Are you planning on going there tomorrow?”

“Most likely,” Kyungsoo answered. “Why?”

“Oh, um, I—I dunno,” Jongin mumbled, surprised at himself for asking as well. For some reason, whenever he had a relatively casual conversation with the shorter male, his mouth seemed to operate on its own without any filter. His brain also seemed to short-circuit each time, causing him to speak like a stiff piece of wood. “I guess, uh, I was thinking of, uh, going there tomorrow afternoon. Maybe.”

Oh god, his mouth was somehow steering him into uncharted territory and Jongin suddenly wished that he could slice it off of his face in order to prevent it from landing him in even more trouble than it already had. He could feel himself wincing and internally cursed how he wasn’t wearing a trench coat to hide his face in, since the spring weather was now too warm for him to wear such heavy clothing.

“In that case, I can set aside some time to stay there longer and sit with you,” Kyungsoo offered with a bright beam. “That is, if you’re alright with me joining you. I don’t want to intrude if you’re going to be there for some alone time.”

“No, no, I, uh, wouldn’t mind the company,” Jongin clumsily replied. His brain was also racing to conjure a plausible reason, explaining his newly planned trip to Café Noir, to tell Yixing that night. “And, um, this won’t disturb your work, will it?”

“I’ll be fine,” Kyungsoo reassured the artist. “I can spare an hour or two and it’ll probably help me be more productive overall, since I won’t be so burnt out. And I can also get a head-start on some paperwork tonight before I go to bed.”

“You really don’t have to go out of your way—”

“Trust me, Jongin. It’s fine,” the ophthalmologist cheerfully reiterated, gently patting Jongin’s arm before sliding open the door of the examination room. Both men stepped out into the brightly lit hallway, a stark contrast to their previous surroundings. “What time should we meet tomorrow?”

“Uh, what time works for you?”

Kyungsoo slightly tilted his head to the right and thought for a moment before answering, “How about four o’clock? The coffee shop usually isn’t too busy around that time.”

“Sure.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow then,” the ophthalmologist said as they began splitting off, Kyungsoo on his way to his office and Jongin on his way to the waiting room to schedule his next appointment at the eye clinic. “Have a good evening, Jongin!”

“You too, Kyungsoo.”

♈♈♈

A/N: Kyungsoo is officially discharged from the military! I had this chapter planned long before he even enlisted back in 2019 and it just happened to work out that I posted it when he finished his military service. But I guess that also shows how slowly I'm working on this story and for that, I sincerely apologize! I'm juggling a lot IRL right now, but I try to write when I can and I'm really appreciative that you all are so patient while waiting for updates! Anyway, thank you so much for reading! Subscribe, comment, and/or upvote if you're enjoying this story so far! And if you'd like to join my crowdfund, I'd really appreciate the support! Have a lovely day and see you next time with a brand new chapter!