“So what are the relationships between you two and the patient?” the doctor asked, flipping through his notes. They were seated in row of uncomfortable chairs, an hour having passed since Taemin passed out and Onew had called an ambulance.

“I’m his neighbour,” Key said, eyes still flicking toward the door of the ward they had just left, where a unconscious Taemin was hooked up to IVs.

“I’m his.. brother,” blurted out Onew, and Key let out a little tsk sound that the doctor didn’t pick up as he noted it down.

“Okay, and you are the ones who found him?” asked the doctor and both of them nodded. “So it seems Taemin is extremely fatigued and slightly malnourished, and that probably added to his paranoia, as lack of sleep is very damaging to the brain. So a good sleep and the drip we’ve got him on should deal with that. His head wound he sustained was mostly superficial, it just bled a lot because head wounds tend to do that. We’ve had to put five stitches in the wound, and it should heal nicely. Bleach got onto his scratches on his arms, and we’ve washed them out thoroughly and none of them look infected. Those are the things that are easily fixed and physically, he’s good to go. I’m afraid that won’t cure Taemin. What Taemin has needs a lot more treatment and maintenance to manage.”

Onew swirled the plastic cup of lukewarm coffee in his hand, watching the little bits of unmelted coffee swirling round and round.

“From what you’ve told us, it’s clear that Taemin has a mental disorder. We’re doing a tentative diagnosis of obsessive compulsive disorder, possible depression, anxiety, insomnia… we can’t really come to a conclusion until he wakes up and he talks to the psychiatrist. We believe he had a nervous breakdown which led to his decline in mental health and collapse. Luckily, there are many medications out there that can help this.”

“So he can just take some medicine and he’ll be fine?” asked Key hopefully and Onew couldn’t believe how dumb Key was.

“Unfortunately not. The medication doesn’t make the person better, it alters their general mood, but it’s therapy that helps them improve.  Taemin’s case is very serious. His mental state is so bad that he has caused harm to himself, and is a threat to his own survival. It sounds like he was slightly unhinged from reality, and he could’ve easily killed himself.”

“So he has to stay here?” asked Onew wearily.

“Yes, sir.”

“But he’s not physically sick,” said Key.

“No but he mentally is. Please think of it this way- at hospitals we prevent people from dying. Those close to dying are our highest priority, and to heal them so they don't. If we let Taemin go, his likelihood of hurting himself or worse is very high. I'm sorry, but he really should stay here. I cannot in good conscience, release him. With your permission Onew-ssi, we’d like to check Taemin into the mental health ward where he can monitored by trained staff and start treatment.”

Onew ran his hands through his hair. “How much will it cost?”

The doctor paused. “I’m afraid it doesn’t come cheap, but we can do weekly or monthly payments for however long his stay amounts to. There is no medical insurance cover from anyone in the family?”

Onew shook his head. “His- I mean our- parents live in Gangwon, and no medical insurance. I want him to get checked in, but I would really like to talk about payment details.”

“We’ll move Taemin right away after you sign these forms, and the receptionist over there will talk about different billing ways in detail. You might be able to apply to some welfare grants if he's eligible.”

Taemin still hadn’t woken up when it was nearing 5, and no one expected him to- apparently he was slightly sedated and he had a massive sleep debt to make up on. Onew had signed paper after paper, stuffed information booklet after information booklet into his workbag and had trailed after Taemin as he was wheeled to a different portion of the hospital, where he was sharing a room with three other beds. Onew could see that two other people were also staying in this room, but they weren’t there.

“I wish I could put him somewhere more private,” sighed Onew as he looked at Taemin’s pale face, head swathed in bandages. “I just wish I could give him so much more.”

“You’re already paying for his bills,” Key said, playing with the edge of Taemin’s blanket. “You’re still doing so much for him even though you don’t need to.”

Onew chuckled without humour. “Oh, I do need to. I need to because I still love him.”

“What happened between you two?” Key said quietly.

“I found out he had been dating a string of taken guys and had ruined the marriage of one of our coworkers before he met me. We fought because I couldn’t trust him. What about you two?”

“Wow. I found out he slept with my father, who owns the apartments we live in, in exchange for cheap rent.”

Onew didn’t even have the effort to be angry at Taemin for that. It was nearly impossible to be angry at someone who was already at their very lowest.

“I need to get home,” sighed Onew. “I might come back this evening. What about you? Are you going to stay?”

“Yeah. He needs me to. I need to because I still love him too. I’ll leave when you get here though, give you some private time.”

“Ha, good choice of words. I’ll catch you later. Thanks for being here. Taemin and I really appreciate it.”

“Where were you?” growled Taeyeon.

The table was empty. No dinner had been cooked, and for Onew who was starving after missing lunch, was not happy.

“I was at work, where’s dinner?”

“Stop lying to me!” screamed Taeyeon. “I know you weren’t at work. You got an email hoping that your daughter would recover because apparently she was in hospital? You skipped work Jinki. Why? Where were you!?”

“You read my emails?!” yelled Onew back, slamming the table. “You’re not allowed to do that Taeyeon, that’s personal! Confidential matters could be in it! I could sue you!”

"Stop trying to change the subject!” screamed Taeyeon. “Where were you? Were you with your ing mistress? I can’t believe you Lee Jinki. You lied to your boss saying your daughter was sick to hang out with your ? How dare you even bring her name into this!”

“I wasn’t with anyone!” yelled Onew. “I really was in the hospital. Taemin collapsed, and his neighbour called me and then I had to go to the hospital with them!”

“Bull,” sneered Taeyeon.

“You can’t even tell the difference between me lying and not, Taeyeon!” Onew yelled again.

“That’s just it with you, Jinki. You’re always ing lying and swerving and hiding. I have no ing clue what goes through your mind. I can’t believe I married you. I can’t believe I thought you were one of the better men I had met. How could I’ve made such a disastrious mistake?  You’re worst decision of my life, and you’re going to be the ruin of this entire family."

Onew wanted so badly to say that he wanted to get divorced, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t because of…

“I wish I could divorce you,” Taeyeon spat scornfully like she had read his mind. “It’s not enough that you’re sinking, but you have to pull Taelinnie and I down with you, but Taelin can’t grow up without an Appa. My poor baby, to have such a horrible father like you! Do you even love her, Jinki? How can you do this if you love her? I don’t even care about how you feel about me. But how could you do this to our family? All this money that’s been disappearing, what lie are you going to spin now, huh? I saw that purchase at Louis Vuitton for a new wallet on our banking transaction history. You’re not using it and it’s certainly not mine. That money could’ve paid for a year of daycare for Taelinnie, new clothes, or a uniform when she starts school. We’re not millioniares Jinki! You could take her on a vacation. Why would you rather spend time with some than with your own daughter?!”

“I’m not going to argue with you,” growled Onew. “And how dare you accuse me of not loving Taelinnie. You know I love her so much. Or else I would’ve divorced you long, long ago! I provide for us well enough, when was the last time you went hungry, Taeyeon? All you’ve done in the last year is spend my money and I’ve never said a ing thing, am I not allowed to spend the money that I, not you, earnt? I’m really hungry, because I have actually spent the entire day at the hospital. Where is dinner? You don’t do anything all day, you couldn’t ing cook?”

Onew was miserably angry as Taeyeon burst into tears, scurrying from her seat to the bedroom.

She emerged minutes later, holding Taelin and some bags. “I spent the day packing for the two of us actually,” she said venomously, her eyes red. “We’re staying with my parents for a few days. So go have fun with your at the hospital, you bastard.  And you better hope that isn’t pregnant or you’re never seeing Taelinnie again.”

“No, you can’t take her from me!” screamed Onew, leaping up as Taeyeon opened the door, and Onew could see Taelin’s wide eyes staring at him, rimmed with tears. Onew felt his heart physically lurch at the sight of Taelin’s face, he loved her so, so much. She was the reason for everything in his life. He loved nothing as much as he loved her. “Taeyeon, she’s my daughter! Taelinnie!”

Onew could hear Taelin wailing “Appa” as Taeyeon walked away, and he felt like he had lost everything.

There were no teddy bears at the hospital gift store for some reason- the sales assistant said that there had been an unexpected flow of people buying bears for new babies that afternoon.
“Or maybe it was the same baby,” joked the sales assistant.

Onew remembered when Taelin was born. It only felt like yesterday, excitedly calling his parents, Taeyeon’s parents handing Onew soft toys.

“I’ll just go with the dog then,” said Onew. “And maybe a balloon that says get well soon? And a card, please.”

Onew was tired, having ended up eating at a McDonalds close to the hospital. His bones were weary, but he had to see Taemin. He just wanted some time with him, just to look at him. He couldn’t bear being at home all alone right now, no Taelin to return to.

“Hi sweetheart,” said Onew quietly as he sat next his bed, the endearment slipping out. Taemin’s bed was next to the window, and the blinking Seoul lights were very pretty- red, white, gold, all winking at them. The ward was so quiet, the other two people still not in their beds. Onew had drawn the curtains around Taemin’s bit so that they could have more privacy, not turning on the lamp so that Taemin could have a better sleep.

Onew looked at Taemin’s sleeping face, and try as he might, he could not muster up hate for him. Taemin looked so small, pale and vulnerable that this all couldn’t be his fault. Onew knew that the person who had driven this young, beautiful boy to literal insanity, who had destroyed his own family and potentially scarred and deprived his own child, was himself.

But all that aside, there was one bigger reason for why he couldn’t hate Taemin. Because he still loved him.

Onew gently picked up Taemin’s warm hand, not liking how rough it was due to all the slight scarring it had, and gently placed a kiss on it.

Onew had never met anyone else who had made his heart so gentle. The way he had felt when he had spent time with Taemin, it had been the best times of his life. He had never been in love, but he knew this boy had been special.

Ever since he had caught sight of that slim body in the staff kitchen, walking slowly across the room with a mug his voice had shouted the name out in glee, and he knew something was different. The first time he had touched Taemin had been to pick him up, and something in his chest had unfurled at the scent of clean vanilla, the feel of Taemin’s smooth skin, the sound of Taemin’s whimpers. Those eyes, big pools of shock as they stared into his- it was like he had drunk a jug of cool colour in his grey life.

“I bought you a gift,” Onew said, taking the toy dog out of the bag. “They didn’t have any bears left.”

He tied the balloon to the side of Taemin’s headboard and tucked the dog next to Taemin, lifting up the sheets and making sure the dog’s head was sticking out.

“There we go,” he said soothingly. “Oh wait- you’ve always wanted a dog, haven’t you? This works out perfectly then, a little dog to protect you. There we go.”

Onew didn’t realise he was crying until he heard a soft drip on the covers.

“I’m so sorry Taeminnie,” he said, and he didn’t even know what he was really apologising for. “My Taeminnie, I’m so, so sorry.”

Everything came pouring out, and there was so much. Taemin could’ve died and wasn’t awake. Taelin and Taeyeon were gone. They had all left him. He had no one to talk to, and he had honestly loved them all differently, but he had somehow managed to royally it up. He wondered if this was what Taemin had felt when Onew had left him. If Taemin felt hopeless, like the world was not worth living in. Taemin must’ve felt like he had hit rock bottom and add that in with the stress of him losing his chopsticks- Onew could see why Taemin had a nervous breakdown. But the worst thing was, Onew could’ve indirectly led Taemin to his death. He couldn’t get that out of his head. Even if he had just messaged him, or called him up to argue, at least Taemin could’ve gotten angry, at least they could’ve worked on it together. He could’ve saved Taemin the pain. Taemin already had been dealt with a lot of pain in his life.

Onew couldn’t remember the last time he had cried. Maybe it was when Taelin was born, only a year ago. But those had been happy tears- these tears hurt, his throat seizing and his eyes burning as he tried to keep relatively quiet.

“I’m so sorry Taemin, my darling,” he repeated again. “I love you. I don’t know what to do. I love you, and I love Taelin. I don’t know how, or who to choose. I can’t decide.”

He laid his head down on the blanket and sobbed.

A/N

Dumb reason for why it took so long for me to update:

I WROTE THE LAST CHAPTER WRONG LOLOL. It was two days after I posted it and then I was like ‘oh crap… I FORGOT THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN DURING TM’S MELTDOWN OOPS’ so then I had to think of some new way to incorporate what I wanted and make everything make sense for what I have planned for the rest of the story.

I have about only three chapters left to Homewrecker!