The white, sleek door shut with a quiet click as Jongin passed through. He had a large bag in his left hand and came shuffling into the room. Kyungsoo turned his head in anticipation, automatically salivating.

“No mandu today, sorry. They ran out.” Jongin smiled sympathetically at the other man. He walked over and placed the bag on the drawer. “But, I got something else that you might like.”

Kyungsoo sat up. He was visibly disappointed since the mandu from the other day was overwhelmingly delicious. For the entire night, he craved for the aroma once more--for his taste buds to embrace the oh-so-lovely delicacy. The following morning, he was still yearning for it, especially since he was hungry and ready for breakfast. He looked over and stared at the mystery bag.

“What’s inside?” he asked, slightly curious. Jongin opened the bag, which compelled him to lean in.

“I’ll get to that. Here, lean back.” the younger man said as he started to reach out to push the other back, but stopped. Kyungsoo stared at him without uttering a single word, holding onto a poker face. “Sorry, I forgot we’re not that close yet.” he laughed awkwardly, then combed his hair back with his fingers. Kyungsoo’s ears lingered on that simple word: yet. The moment lasted for awhile as the older man continued observing him silently. Jongin, on the other hand, cautiously pulled out the built-in table from the side of the hospital bed. He grabbed one of the boxes and placed it down in front of Kyungsoo.

This was the first time Kyungsoo truly looked at Jongin. His facial features were soft, similar to that of a baby, yet they were still striking. He had an overall charming face and even in all angles, he had an almost angelic aura surrounding him. It was as if he was Kyungsoo’s guardian angel, taking care and looking out for him (excluding that one time he accidentally shot him). This wasn’t completely wrong, since he was actually bringing food in everyday so far. However, it wasn’t only the appearance that left Kyungsoo feeling a sense of peace and comfort.

It was also in the way he moved, the way his face transformed from each emotion to the other smoothly although always having that tiny shimmer of guilt in his eyes. The glances that stayed a little bit longer than necessary and the gentle, nimble fingers that was always carrying something whenever he appeared. The way he was careful--perhaps too careful with his actions every time he was near Kyungsoo. He didn’t seem tense, though, but rather as though he feared one wrong move could hurt the shorter man.

Through all of this, Kyungsoo realized he has never spent time to actually understand Jongin. Spending the long days in the hospital was making him feel dreary and tired of the bland white walls trapping him inside. It was only times when visitors came that he felt alive. Even so, that was rare, but that was also the reason why he asked, or at least demanded that Jongin come everyday. Looking at him now, he felt bad for making him do this. They weren’t close friends, or even friends for that matter. Nevertheless, it made his heart warm in the fact that Jongin was actually fulfilling it. At this point, Kyungsoo was positive that he really would come everyday for a week.

“Hey, you there?” Jongin was waving a hand in front of his face before he snapped out of his trance. He stared at Kyungsoo with a concerned expression. Laid out in front of him, the bowls and plates were all set-up and ready to go. The only thing left to do was actually eat.

“Uh, yeah. Thanks.” The nurses had removed a couple of wires, so his hands were now much freer than the day before. This was a huge relief for him since the thought of Jongin feeding him felt like humiliation. Kyungsoo started reaching his hand out toward the chopsticks. He stopped. That is not a pair of chopsticks. He picked up the fork and observed it. Then, he looked at the other man in confusion.

“The box.” Jongin urged him. Kyungsoo pushed the clip of the take-out box in and popped it open. The smell waft all the way up into his nose and overwhelmed him. He flinched so hard that he almost slammed his head against the wall. His nose crinkled up in disgust as Jongin also backed up. Slowly, Kyungsoo looked down at the source.

“W-wow...spaghetti...my favorite.” he said, trying extremely hard not to gag. It was true, spaghetti was his favorite food. However, the “food” in this particular box seemed more like expired meatloaf with noodles mixed in (it didn’t help that the aroma was very pungent). He looked over to Jongin with his mouth gaping open, though closing quickly in order to prevent the ungodly scent from roaming into anywhere else, other than his poor, unprotected nostrils.

Jongin smiled weakly in response.

“If you want, I’ll take you out tomorrow for a walk.”