As they walked through the hospital, Heechul held Kibum’s hand tightly. For some reason he was being extremely moody that morning and had not wanted to come. He knew that if he loosened his grip the slightest bit Kibum would make a run for it. Honestly, he couldn’t blame Kibum either because he didn’t particularly want to be there either.

“Look, there’s Jongwoon,” Kibum said suddenly, nodding towards the nurses’ station. He pulled his hand away from Heechul and darted over to his favorite nurse, his attitude disappearing completely. When he reached Jongwoon, he smiled softly at him, waving hello.

“Hey, kiddo,” Jongwoon said. He ruffled Kibum’s hair playfully. “You need a haircut. You’re starting to resemble a young lady.”

Heechul chuckled as he joined them. “See, Kibum? I’m not the only one who thinks so. Let’s go to the salon after you’re done.”

“I guess so,” Kibum said, twirling around a strand of his hair. “Well, let’s get this over with. The sooner we start, the sooner we can leave. Jongwoon, lead the way!”

“I’ll be back in an hour, Kibum,” Heechul said, checking the time on his phone.

“Oh, didn’t Dr. Choi tell you?” Jongwoon said with a frown. “Starting today we’re switching things up a bit. I’m going to take Kibum for counseling and Heechul you’ll be spending the hour with Dr. Choi talking about Kibum’s six weeks with us.”

Heechul and Kibum shared a look, but the conversation came to an end as they followed Jongwoon to the elevator. Heechul waited patiently as they rode down to the lower level of the hospital, wondering what sort of things Kibum had talked about during his stay there.

When they arrived in the psychiatric unit, Dr. Choi was waiting in his office for them. Kibum inched closer to Heechul, hiding from the doctor. Heechul glanced down at him, wondering what his deal was today. He didn’t have a chance to ask, though.

“Heechul, I’m sure that you got my message,” Dr. Choi said, sitting behind his desk. He pulled out a manila folder, opening it up on the desk. “Jongwoon will be taking over Kibum’s counseling. In the mean time, you and I are going to have a very long talk.”

Heechul resisted rolling his eyes. He hated how Dr. Choi always seemed to talk down to him, as if he had done something wrong to cause Kibum to be the way he was. None-the-less, Kibum needed help so he would just have to grin and bear it. He turned to Kibum, smiling softly at him.

“I’ll see you in an hour, then,” He said quietly, Kibum’s cheek lovingly. Kibum shrugged, looking down solemnly without a word. Jongwoon patted his shoulder, beckoning him to follow him down the hall, leaving Heechul alone with the good doctor.

“Please, have a seat,” Dr. Choi said, waving his hand towards the leather chair in front of the desk. He adjusted his glasses, looking up from the folder at last with a serious expression on his face. Then he said the last thing Heechul had been expecting him to say. “My days left with Kibum are numbered.”

Heechul looked at him in surprise, a deep sense of dread filling him. “I thought he would continue to receive counseling with you after he was released from the hospital. Has something changed?”

“For the most part, Kibum has reached the end of his journey here,” Dr. Choi explained, giving Heechul a small smile. “He has made some great progress, although it took longer than expected because he has a hard time taking his therapy seriously. He’s a very troubled boy, as I’m sure you know.”

“Oh, I know,” Heechul replied quietly, trying not to think of all the horrible things his little deviled angel had done. It didn