Suho checks his watch. It’s almost three in the morning and his shift doesn’t end for another three hours. He could take a nap, the clinic is empty anyway, but he’s not sure he would wake up for a patient once he fell asleep. He heaves a sigh and goes to pour himself yet another cup of coffee before settling behind his cheap desk in his poor-quality rolling chair. Sometimes Suho laments turning down the ritzy surgeon position at Seoul National University Hospital, but he had always wanted to use his talent as a doctor to help the less fortunate, which was why he is now running a small free clinic in a poor neighborhood with three other similarly exhausted but well-meaning doctors. Suho is easily the best doctor out of all of them, and has earned an enormous amount of respect from the community surrounding his little office, which gives him a sense of fulfillment that he knows he wouldn’t have been able to find in a fancy hospital. It’s hard work, but he’s happy with it. He places his coffee cup down on the crocheted coaster a little old lady had given him as a gift several months ago and gently shakes his computer mouse to bring the screen to life. With almost unconscious movements, he opens his internet browser and clicks on his most-visited site.  

In addition to his work in the physical world, Suho has a blog that he runs half for fun and half to stay awake on the graveyard shift. It was called ‘Ask Dr. X’, and allowed anyone to ask him questions about medical concerns (usually very embarrassing ones). Some of the questions made Suho blush, but he answered them with dedication and clarity, happy that he was helping someone who otherwise might not visit a doctor’s office in person and have their condition worsen. He clicks on his blog’s inbox, seeing that he has new messages. Only five today. He answers the first four with practiced ease. Two hypochondriacs worried over a small cold, one person with a rash on a part of their body that was doubtless very uncomfortable, one stubbed toe that had turned purple...and then there was the last one.

Dear Dr. X,

    So, like this is really embarrassing, but I think I have an STD!!!  I’ve got this itchy rash on my and stuff, but the problem is, I have no idea where it came from?!?!?! I have a girlfriend, and we’ve been exclusive for a month, so I haven’t slept with anyone else. At least, I don’t think I have?  Last week I got really hammered with a couple of friends at a bar and woke up at home the next morning with no memory of what happened that night, so I’m really worried I cheated on her!! What if I get memory lapses again?! Or what if she cheated on me?! And what do I do about my ?! Aggghhhhrrr. Please help me!!!!!!

-galaxydude00

    Suho just stares at this message for a minute, a little smile twitching up the corner of his mouth. He can’t help it, he laughs a little bit. Galaxydude00 writes like a teenage girl on steroids and seems like he must have been close to tears when he’d written the note. It’s time stamped one hour ago. Suho picks up his Mickey Mouse patterned mug and takes a long sip. This response will take a while.

    Dear galaxydude00,

        I’m sorry to hear that you are having such difficulties. It does, indeed, sound as though you have contracted an STD. I would highly recommend visiting a doctor’s office so that they can conduct further testing and prescribe a treatment for you. For now, I would suggest you avoid ual activity and have a conversation with your girlfriend to see if she is also infected and needs to seek treatment. If you are too uncomfortable visiting your regular doctor, free clinics are an excellent option to receive treatment.

    Best of luck,

    Dr. X

    Dr. X hits the send button and leans back in his uncomfortable chair. He doesn’t know why, but galaxydude00 makes him laugh. He really does hope that everything is resolved between his cyber-patient and his boyfriend, but at the same time, he can’t help how amused he is by the whole affair. He takes another sip of coffee and decides to spend the rest of his shift reading manga online.

    Two days later, Suho has the afternoon shift: twelve until six in the evening. It had been a pretty busy afternoon so far; spring cold season had just begun and many little old ladies had been popping in to get cold medicine. The last one is just leaving when someone unusual walks in. Suho’s regular patients are elderly people or parents with young children and low incomes, so he is a little surprised to see a tall young man in his twenties slope into the clinic. He's wearing sunglasses, a mask, and an oversized sweatshirt. His hair, Suho notices with interest, is dyed a honey blonde color over his dark, heavy eyebrows.

    “Hello, sir. How can I help you?” Suho asks pleasantly, trying not to show his surprise.

    “I, um, have a small problem that...uh...I’d like to have checked out.” The man stutters, shuffling from foot to foot, obviously uncomfortable.

   “Alright then, if you’d like to step back into the examination area, we can get started.” Suho gestures at the single door in the office. He follows his patient into the back room and collects his medical information. He learns that the man’s name is Wu Fan, but he prefers to be called Kris. Suho finds it amusing that he felt the need to give a doctor, who he was unlikely ever to see again, his nickname. It was adorably childish, and contrasted entertainingly with his sharp eyes and enormous stature.

    “Now Kris, what seems to be the problem?” Suho asks kindly as he snaps blue latex gloves onto his hands.

    “I, um, think I have an STD.” The man stutters, tugging the mask down to hang around his neck. Suho thinks his mouth is very pretty. “Normally I would have gone to my regular doctor, but he’s a family friend and I REALLY don’t want my parents to find out about this...” The man’s voice squeaks when he says the word ‘really’ and it makes Suho smile.

    “That’s not a problem, I can take care of that here. Now, if you wouldn’t mind, please take off your pants and underwear so that I can perform an examination of your s.”

    “You have to do what?!” Kris squeals, a pink blush rising in his cheeks.

    “Examine your s. If it makes you feel better, I can leave the room while you remove your clothes.” This young man was getting funnier by the second.

    “No. No, that’s alright.” Kris blinks, seeming to resolve himself to the situation. He stands up and unbuckles his belt, pushing his pants and underwear down to his knees. His boxers have pictures of alpacas on them, Suho notes with enjoyment. He conducts the examination as briefly as possible.

    “Yes, Kris, it does appear that you have contracted an STD.” Suho goes on to explain that it’s curable with a few doses of medication and that he should avoid ual activity for at least six weeks. As he’s finishing up the prescription for the necessary antibiotics and scheduling a follow-up appointment for the next week, Suho says “This particular STD doesn’t show symptoms for at least two to three weeks, so you should alert any partners you may have had in the past month or so that they might be carriers.”

    “Okay! I can do that!” He grins, but then seems to realize something and his face falls. Without another word, he takes the prescription and shuffles forlornly out of the office.

    That night, when Suho’s at home, he checks his inbox for more messages for Dr. X. A new one has arrived since he last checked an hour ago. He opens it.

    Dear Dr. X,

        I went to a clinic today, like you said I should do, and the doctor there said that it would have taken at least two weeks (!!!) for me to show symptoms?!?! But I totally know that I didn’t cheat on my girlfriend that long ago?! My blackout was only last weekend!! Does this mean she cheated on me?!?! HELLLLPPP!!

    -galaxydude00

    This guy again. Suho grins. He knows that this is a very delicate situation, but he thinks he’s always been a little bit amused by other people’s problems. He wonders if, by some miracle of a chance, galaxydude00 is the tall man who came into the office today. That would be exceedingly entertaining. If they are the same person, then Suho gets a front row seat to the drama unfolding between the man and his girlfriend!

    Dear galaxydude00,

        I’m sorry to tell you this, but yes, it is very likely that your girlfriend gave you the STD. It would be advisable to talk with her about this and decide what to do from there. She may not be experiencing symptoms yet, but will still require treatment.

    -Dr. X

    Suho is very excited for Kris’s follow-up appointment the following week. He can’t wait to see if he can figure out if the online patient and the real-life patient are one and the same! Kris arrives right on time. Today he is wearing a snapback and eyeglasses. Suho thinks he looks very handsome. The two of them go back into the examination room and Suho asks some questions as he snaps on his gloves. This time, Kris drops his pants without being asked, and Suho conducts his examination. When he finishes, Suho asks,

    “Have you spoken with your ual partners about your STD?” A strange look crawls across Kris’s face.

    “My only partner was my girlfriend, and I found out that she cheated on me so we broke up. She was totally mean about it too! She said that I never even seemed interested in, well, you know...” Kris blushes and pouts and Suho fights down a smile. Kris and galaxydude00 were definitely one and the same. That afternoon, he gets another message on his blog.

    Dear Dr. X,

        I went back for my follow-up appointment today and now I am totally confused?!? When the doctor did the examination, I was totally afraid I was going to get a hard-on!! The doctor was a guy, too!?! Does this mean I’m gay?!! I even thought that he was really handsome when he smiled at me!! It made my heart flutter??? That never happened with my girlfriend!!!! What do I do?!?!?!

-galaxydude00

    Suho blushes as he reads the message. He’s always known that he was gay, but had never really found time to date. Between medical school and part-time jobs, and now with the clinic, he had never had a steady boyfriend before. For the first time, he finds himself wondering what dating Kris, dumb, air-headed Kris, would be like. Sure he’s had -buddies in the past, friends he could bang in between shifts as an intern at the hospital, but he’s never been interested in more than that until now. Kris is different, though. Something about him makes Suho want to cuddle him more than bang him into a wall. Suho decides that he’s going to have a little more fun with this man before he asks him out, though.

    Dear galaxydude00,

        I’m not usually the recipient of questions like this, so forgive me if I don’t really know how to answer. It could have just been the stimulation of having someone touching you that you felt. Can you give me any more details of what you felt?

    -Dr. X

    Another message from Kris arrives within half an hour.

    Dear Dr. X,

        It felt good. Really good! I never felt so fast when my girlfriend touched my !! And my heart started beating really fast when he looked at me?? I’ve never considered that I might like boys before!! What should I do?!?

    -galaxydude00

    Suho sends a short reply.

    Dear galaxydude00,

        I would suggest getting to know this man better. If you still have feelings for him after speaking to him in a less intimate setting, then I would suggest you take time to consider that you may be attracted to men.

    -Dr. X

    Kris comes back to the office two days later. He has gotten a haircut since Suho last saw him, and the doctor thinks it is very attractive.

    “Hello Kris, what can I do for you today?” Suho asks calmly, giving him a gentle smile. When they make eye-contact, Suho sees the tall man blush. Suho thinks he’s absolutely adorable when he blushes. Seeing the way Kris’s cheeks go pink makes Suho want to make him blush again and again.

    “I came in yesterday, and the doctor who was working here said that you were already gone for the day so I left so that I could come in to talk to you....so here I am...” Kris rushes through his words without stopping to end the sentence. He runs a big hand through his hair in obvious embarrassment. Suho thinks he would like to have those hands tangled in his own hair.

    “What did you want to talk to me about, Kris?” He’s calm when he speaks, he doesn’t want to scare Kris off.

    “I wanted to ask you out on a date, Dr. Kim. Is that okay?” Kris says quickly, his voice cracking with nerves. Suho pretends to take his time deciding, happily watching Kris squirm under his gaze.

    “Sure, Kris. I’d like that. My shift is actually ending in just a minute, so we could go get a coffee if you’re free now?”

    “Really? Awesome!” Kris’s eyes widen with childish delight and Suho smiles in response.

    The date is fun. Suho likes that Kris’s personality is equal parts dorkiness, childish energy, and coolness. He finds out that Kris is a successful police detective and that everyone who works for him seems scared of him, but Kris doesn’t know why and it makes him sad. They go on several more dates over the next five or so weeks and Suho finds out many more things. He discovers that Kris isn’t the hugest fan of chicken. He learns that Kris’s favorite animal is a dragon.  On their latest date, Suho  finds out that Kris is a very good kisser. When the tall man bends down to give him a chaste peck on the lips when they say goodbye at Kris’s car, Suho feels a little bubble of happiness rising in his chest. Unable to resist, he pushes Kris back against his car and kisses him harder, nipping his lips apart and exploring the tall man’s mouth with his tongue.  That night, he gets another message from galaxydude00, the first one in six weeks.

    Dear Dr. X,

        I followed your advice and went on a date with the cute doctor today!! We had coffee and talked for a long time which was super great!! He’s very handsome and kind and he laughs at all my jokes even though they’re really bad!! I even got to kiss him! It made my heart go all funny and I liked it A LOT. I know it’s way too soon to say this, but I think I really like him!! I really like touching him and talking to him and DEFINITELY like kissing him! I guess this means I like boys, but Suho’s so cute that I can’t help it!!!! Thanks for all of your help, Dr. X!!!

    -galaxydude00

    Suho giggles, yes giggles, when he reads this message. Suddenly, an interesting and somewhat evil idea appears in his mind. With a sly smile, he hits the reply button and begins to type.

    Dear Kris,

        So you like touching me? Did you like me touching your during our last examination? Does the thought of me pushing you against your car and kissing you deep and hard make you hot? Do you want me to stick my tongue in your ear as I run my hands up under your shirt? Do you want our next date to last all night? I know I do...Come see me at the clinic tomorrow at 2 and I can give you another examination....This one will be more fun, I promise.

    Suho can’t wait to see Kris’s reply. He imagines the look on Kris’s face when he reads the message and laughs out loud. He really hopes that his dorky galaxydude will show up tomorrow.