Taekwoon squinted his eyes as soon as light hit them. The sun was warm on his face, a sweet reassurance, and the only good thing in his life now, it seemed. 

”How long?" He spoke, letting his eyes adjust.

"You've been out for at least a day. How are you feeling?" Hakyeon leaned over, placing a hand  on his friend's.

"I've had better days."

"It seems so."

"What is it?"

"What's what?

"You using that voice again."

"What voice?"

"The one that implies you want to say something. So go on. Just say it."

"You know I'm worried about you."

"Yes, I do. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here in the first place."

"So are you going to tell me what's wrong?"

Taekwoon avoided looking at Hakyeon,  silently picking the name band around his wrist. The beeping of machine he was hooked up to whirled,  notifying him that he was alive and well, inside a hospital. These dreaded institutions. He wasn't too fond of them.

"Why are you avoiding the question? Or your just not going to answer me?" 

Taekwoon continued to ignore his stare, mentally blocking out anything that could make him face the reality of this. He didn't want to admit he was sick. It all seemed so unreal. Nobody had told him that he had the genetic predisposition toward mental illnesses. Not his sisters, nor his parents, and certainly not his grandparents.

"Taekwoon-ah, you're not listening, are you?"

 Nothing, except for the insistent beeping noise of the monitor.

"If you don't tell me whats wrong, then I'm going to leave. I can't help if you refuse to say anything."

He blinked quietly, his attention focused on Hakyeon, but no words coming out. There seemed to be nothing he could say. Hakyeon was his best friend, his only friend, the one who truly knew him. Would he still stay even though he's becoming ill? That's ridiculous. Of course he would.

The older sighed, and turned his back. If he couldn't get Taekwoon to talk, then no one will. It was only when he was about to shut the door that he heard a quiet "Wait".

Hakyeon slipped back into the room. "Are you going to tell me now? The doctor's gave me no update whatsoever on your condition, and truthfully , I'm scared sick. Please, please tell me your fine?"

A moment of silence flitted by before he spoke once more. "I don't think I am...I…, how am I supposed to tell you if even I don't even know myself?". A solemn look crossed his face.

"You don't know? How? If your telling me this, it means that the doctors don't know either?" 

"Hakyeon, they aren't that type of doctor."

"Oh, ohhh... I'm just, I…I really care about you, ya know and, and.." his voice cracked a little. "I can't bear the thought of you, lying sick somewhere, alone. It hurts too much…"

"Hakyeon."

"…and then there's the fact that you live alone. What if you get mugged, or killed in a home invasion…"

"Hakyeon."

"…if you died I'd have no one. Not one. There aren't much people that can stand my incessant talking, even if they liked my voice. God dammit Taekwoon, looked what you've done to me…"

"Hakyeon!"

Hakyeon quieted instantly, snapping out of his emotional rant. "You need to get a hold on yourself. How are you supposed to stay by me if you break down constantly?" 

How are you suppose take care me when I become to I'll to do so for myself? Taekwoon thought. Hakyeon needs to be strong, in case I'm not.

"Ohh…ye-yes." Normally he wouldn't, wouldn't be so weakened, but something was pushing Hakyeon, coaxing him to be like this.

"When did the doctor say you can leave?" Hakyeon asked, trying to bring back a sense of normalcy to the conversation. The feeling of dried tears on his cheeks didn't help one bit, but it was a start, at least.

"Not for another day, it seems. Dr. Moon has yet to locate the source of my illness. But I have a hunch."

"W-What do you think it is?" 

"I don't want to say anything yet, but I know one thing for sure."

"That is?"

"It isn't going to show up with the tests they're about to do."

That night, Hakyeon stayed over, despite words of protest from the bed-ridden Taekwoon. He was in luck; there was a bed next to the younger, one that was thankfully vacant.

Hakyeon slept like a baby, which was envious, to his quickly dissipating luck. Unlike his colleague, Taekwoon was still wide awake, and if it wasn't for the steady beeping of the monitor, he'd otherwise appear dead with how still he was. To be honest, he'd be kidding himself if he thought of getting any sleep after what happened. That, and the fact that he was in a hospital, which undeniably made it harder. The whole beeping and whirling of machines made him feel like he was in some alien sci-fi movie, instead of a place that was constructed to help him recuperate. 

It wasn't all that bad.  At least he had a familiar face to ease his discomfort.

The next day proved uneventful, as he was discharged from the hospital. The results of any tests they did the night before were still being processed, so chances were he wouldn't know until the end of the week. Which was soon, considering it was like, Wednesday, or Thursday, somewhere around there. He'd already lost track of current and coming days. Things weren't looking too good for him.

Hakyeon on the other hand, looked like he just stepped out of a photo shoot, hair windblown , and messy, even though he'd just woken up. Leave it to Hakyeon to look like a god wherever he went.

"Ready to go?" He asked.

"Please. I had a enough of being here."

"You never really had it well, huh. I just remembered you never like being hospitalized."

"Yeah, well, it sure does make you think twice about bringing me here, doesn't it?"

"Don't be so smug. I think the drugs are getting  to your head. I'll have to remind the doctors not to give you so much next time."A moment later, a  smirk appeared on his face. "On second thought, maybe I should tell them to drug you up more. All this sassing should be good for you.

That earned him a smack on his arm. A very, very light smack.