Jongin never knew that he ever wanted to kiss Lee Taemin like he did right now, considering that he was his forever enemy. Even when he remembered that Taemin guy was the cause of his broken shoulder, explaining why he was treated in the room 504 in Seoul Hospital. 

Being friendly, or like Jongdae Hyung said, a cassanova, or like the girls always mumbled, a playboy, he had felt like home already. It might be better than his home, since there were around two or three nurses who came in and out his room every hour. He made self notice to thank Lee Taemin later, when he got off. 

"Geez, stop winking at the nurses, won't you?" Junmyeon Hyung stepped into his room with a plastic board on his hand. Jongin hissed, his brother always looked so different at his job space, moreover with stethoscope around his neck and white blazer with his tag name on it. "You ruined my reputation here," 

Jongin laughed, "I told you to book my room in C section, where Chorong Noona is,"

"And found you winking at my fiancee?"

"Nope, but her nurses and her patients," Jongin rubbed his head after being hit by his own brother. 

"She's gynecologist,"

"I'm aware of it," he chuckled. 

Junmyeon checked on his board again, mumbled yes and uh-uh at Jongin's story, how he could get broken shoulder. He reacted on the knock at the door, "Come in,"

Nurse Choi peeked behind the door with panic face, "Doctor Kim, Son Naeun-ssi from 505…." 

She was definitely his regular patient, looking how he run outside without saying goodbye to Jongin. 

The door left open. And Jongin got all of the commotion, since she was staying at the opposite room. He overheard the nurses, today could be her last day. 

At that time, he shrugged. He never prayed even for himself, so why he did it for a stranger? 

***

Soojung was the third girl that called him today (and it was still 9 in the morning). Seulgi was on the line an hour before and Mijoo was the one who woke him up earlier. He shook his heads, sometimes he asked the loyalty of his friends (the male one), why they weren't bother even a bit to be worried about him. Not from Sehun, Jaebum, or Taehyun. 

Jongin took pill pouches beside the drawer, Nurse Choi said that he had to take it half an hour after his breakfast. He knew that Soojung always called him for at least thirty minutes, so now should be the right time to take his medicine. 

Or not.

When he read the prescription wasn't for him. 

It was for Naeun Son, room 505. 

***

Jongin was a good kid. He never wanted to make commotion. He didn't want that Nurse Choi (who had milky skin and sweet smile) got problem from his brother just because she accidentally swapped his pouch with Mrs.Son. And it wasn't like he had complication from it, so why he had to complain? He could bring the pouch to Mrs. Son from room 505, and then got his back. As simple as that. 

Jongin took his slipper under the bed, trying to neat his hospital uniform with one hand (he still hadn't forgive Lee Taemin just yet), and then walked towards the door. When he opened the door, he smiled happily that he didn't have to search for a long time. Mrs. Son was staying at the opposite room. And he suddenly remembered what the nurses had said, yesterday could be her last day. 

Jongin looked left and right into the hallway, it could be better if the nurses didn't know what he did (he still didn't want Nurse Choi got problem). He knocked the door quiet firmly, before got a approval from Mrs. Son to come in. He raised a brow, she hasn't passed away yet. 

"Morning," She wasn't Mrs. Son. She was a Miss. Jongin was aware that he had cheerful voice and beautiful smile. And he knew whom he should give it to. 

"Who are you?" Looking from how she curled her brows and a bit startled by his visit, Ms. Son definitely wasn't swayed by his toothpaste commercial smile. She recognized his blue patient uniform, "Patient?" 

"Hi, I'm Kim Jongin. You can call me Kai, if you want," he was still smiling, took steps toward her bed. Jongin never knew that someone who was near to death could look so beautiful. She looked pale and simple with the very same uniform, but still beautiful. If he knew she had this beauty, he would definitely pray for her yesterday. Looking from the equipments behind and beside her bed, she didn't have just broken arm like him. "Have you already taken your medicine?" 

Son Naeun threw him suspicious look, "What do you want…. Mr. Kim?" She even didn't call him Jongin, so forget about the nickname Kai. 

Jongin laughed, "Don't tense up, I just want your medicine," he showed the pouch on his hand, "Don't tell anybody that Nurse Choi accidentally swapped up our medicines," he put his point finger in front of his lips. "She'd get problems from my brother," Naeun even didn't bother to ask, who his brother was, she looked confused and a little bit scare. 

Jongin was now beside her bed, he had to admit that she was naturally beautiful. Not as pretty as Soojung, but yeah, she just had different beauty. "Did you take your medicine already? We had to tell the nurse if so, you could get complica…" 

Naeun shook her head, "I didn't take it yet," 

"Thank's God," Jongin smiled. "If someone as pretty as you…" 

"…but I didn't have it anymore,"

Jongin raised his brows, "What do you mean?"

"I flushed it into the toilets," 

***

It was Kim Junmyeon self who got new pills pouch for Jongin, after he made up story to the front desk, how he could lose his medicine. Junmyeon handed over the pouch and cup of water from the table. "You always lost your stuff. But please, medicine is important," 

Jongin immediately took his pills and gulped it down in one go, "Yeah… sorry…," 

"Could you sleep well last night? How's your arm?" Junmyeon sat down in a guest chair after checked his schedule. He got ten minutes to spend with his brother before the next operation. 

"Erm… yeah… good," Jongin didn't really concentrate on the question. The strange behavior of Son Naeun bothered him for the whole morning. "Hyung, you know… the patient from opposite room..."

"Son Naeun?" Junmyeon tilted his head, wasn't suspicious even a bit. "You met her?" He crossed his legs and gave a disapproval look to his brother. "She's out of league, Kim Jongin. Don't go to her and break her heart," He knew that Jongin was one of certified playboy in his high school, he got a complete different genetic with the other three siblings. 

"Hyung!!" Jongin slapped his brother arm lightly, disagreed. "You know I never go to them. They approached me first," 

"Not with Son Naeun," he said. And Jongin, somehow, had to agree. 

"She is… sick?" Jongin knew that Junmyeon had this complicated ethic stuff to not telling anyone about the condition of his patient. 

"Apparently?" Junmyeon raised his eyebrows nonchalantly, "If she's here in our hospital," he squinted his eyes to the younger, "When I think once more.. she's the same age with you… I tell you, Kim Jongin, stay away from her, okay,"

"What? I didn't do anything," Jongin tried hard to dismiss the guilty trace from his face. 

Junmyeon was considering if he could trust his younger brother, he sighed, "She… doesn't need another drama in her life, Jongin-ah," he paused about another second, before added, "… so do you," 

"I don't know what you meant, Hyung," Jongin shrugged his shoulder casually. What did his brother think? Falling in love with her? Meh. 

***

Meh. 

It was really big fat meh. Jongin couldn't forget Naeun's face when she said she had flushed the pills. He asked Junmyeon this morning about her, and he said nothing's wrong with her, she still took her therapy diligently and of course, took her pills everyday. After two or three more sentences from Junmyeon, he knew that she got stomach cancer in bad stadium. 

Jongin sighed. Sometimes life wasn't fair. 

***

"Naeun-ssi?" Jongin opened the door quietly. 

"YAH!! ERT!!" 

He barely escaped the flying book. 

But, she got nice slim body, if Jongin may add. 

***

Naeun let him in for the second chance, but still, she wasn't really friendly (and he didn't hope for the drastic change though). By the third time, Jongin had already prepared his homework books (that Mijoo delivered a day before, with big bouquet of flower). But Son Naeun didn't see any reason why she had to let him do his homework in her room. This should be a private room. That's why her father paid a big amount of money to get this room. 

Jongin also didn't know, why he was so persistent to get in her life, it was not like he liked her or something. Pity. Yeah it was maybe pitying, that he never saw anyone go in and out her rooms. When he got Sehun, Jaebum, Taehyun, Soojung, Mijoo, or Seulgi, she had no one. Not even her family member. Minseok Hyung and Jongdae Hyung had already visited him two times, but she had not even one. 

And that was why, he asked her on his fourth trial, "Don't you feel lonely?" 

That day, Son Naeun let him stay for an hour. Not in the guest chair beside her, but in the living room area. 

Still. Progress. 

***

Jongin still remembered the writing in the medical pouch; once after breakfast and once before dinner. That's why he tried to visit her on that pointed times. And not even once, he saw Naeun took her pills. He just reassured himself that Naeun had it already before he came. 

It took him seven visits, to get offered a cup of water and getting asked, what kind of homework he had. Jongin smoothly took the guest chair beside her, and he cheered secretly when Naeun didn't say anything, "I have history, economic, and math," 

"It must be good… to go to school and all," Naeun had pretty dreamy look on her face. Jongin looked over the drawer and she had picture in a frame with her and an older woman in it. Maybe she was her mother. Looking how she arranged her drawer, he knew that she lived in hospital for awhile now. He didn't feel to put picture on his drawer, because he'd only stay for ten days. 

"You don't… go to school?" he asked carefully. 

Naeun folded her feet under the blanket, "I stop going to school a year ago," she said. Jongin didn't really expect that she'd answer his question so lightly. 

"Why?" 

"Because I'd die in the end right? Isn't it too obvious?" 

***

Because I'd die in the end. The words that Naeun said this morning bothered him so much. Not just the sentence alone, but also how lightly she said it, as if death was always in the corner of her bed. And it was just not right how she was alone all the time. Where was her mother? Father? Her friends? 

"What happened, Jongin?" Mr. Kim, his father, woke him up from his trance. "You can still study here, can't you?" 

"Dad, he's still sick," Minseok Hyung, still on his business attire, defended him. "He still has time," 

"He has no time to slack off," Mr. Kim said, more to his older son. He turned his head to the younger, "Why do you still dance? Look at this, you are like this because of your unimportant event. You have to take care of yourself so you can go to go to law school this year,"

"Your father is right, Jongin. You have to study hard," 

Jongin scoffed, "So I can become lawyer like dad and Minseok Hyung? Go to law school like Jongdae Hyung? We have already discussed this," he said tiredly. "My path has been decided. I'll go to law school. I won't take the scholarship to go to Art School. I'll just dance until this semester end and then study hard. Isn't it enough?" 

Mr. Kim wanted to say something-- probably explained to him again why he should be a lawyer like his father or the oldest Kim. But then Minseok sighed, the sigh that said 'you are hopeless kid', the sigh that made Jongin wanted to punch him so much in the face. Minseok looked at his watch, "Let's go dad, we have meeting with Reed Smith Corp. at 1 pm,"

His father raised from the guest chair, "You are our hope, Kim Jongin. I don't want another doctor in my family," he took his leaving after Minseok, "Moreover, a dancer," 

Jongin fisted his hand, because I'd die in the end. He scoffed. He felt his life almost the same with Son Naeun, they just knew where it led. 

*** 

Jongin had to bribe Nurse Lee with his bright smile and flower that Seulgi brought, so she could spill the history of Son Naeun. And Jongin had his heart break after Nurse Lee left his room with request not to tell his brother anything she said. 

Son Naeun came alone to the hospital almost a year ago. No family. No friend. Her mother had died a year before she came because of the very same disease she had right now, stomach cancer. Her father was a famous politicians from an opposite party, that's why he hid the fact that he had child from his second wife. But he always paid a big amount of money every month, for Naeun's treatment, which costed him so much. It also explained why Naeun treated like first class patient and had that big room for her own (that Jongin also had because he was the brother of Dr. Kim). 

Jongin knew he took the risk to come into her life, like Junmyeon Hyung had said. But he couldn't leave her either-- not, where he had already known everything about her-- her loneliness. 

Coming from big family with three siblings, he was practically never left alone. But sometimes, he still felt lonely in the middle of their family dinner. He really didn't want to think what Naeun felt-- alone, for a whole year, in the cold hospital room? 

***

Jongin still came for visit, twice a day. There was even rumors between the nurses that they got together (and it broke their heart too; how the younger Kim had been taken). Junmyeon Hyung had shot him with worried eyes this morning, "Jongin-ah, just don't… fall in love with her. She's different, you know that right?" 

Jongin only rolled his eyes, "Hyung! You heard it from the nurses, didn't you? I'm not with her. She's just in my age and she's alone. That's all," 

Every visit, Jongin always told her funny stories in his school. What happened with Jaebum and stark glue, or Sehun and his parrot hair, and Naeun would laugh until her stomach hurt (and made him a little bit worried). When he got nothing to tell, he'd text Jongdae Hyung ten minutes before his visit, and retold her the story from him. The worst case, he'd make up one. 

On his ninth visits, he succeeded making Son Naeun gulped down her medicine by saying, "What if your stomach would hurt after you laughed so much. This story is really daebak, Naeun-ah," 

Although she grumbled at first, she still took her medicine, and she even didn't reject the over-friendly name Jongin called her with. 

***

And then it came the last visit. Jongin brought her flower in a bouquet, "What for, Jongin? You are the one who got home today," 

"I'll come and visit you again," he brought up his pinky finger, "I promise,"

"Don't promise me, Kim Jongin. You know I hate that word," Naeun was back to day one Naeun, where he came to her to get his swapped pills. But she did really hate the P-words; her mother left her alone in this cruel world, she had promised to stay by Naeun's side forever. His father promised her everything would gonna be alright, but looked what happened now? Not even once she got visit from him. 

"You have to take your medicine, Naeun-ah," Jongin tried to reach her finger tips but she moved her hand quickly. 

Naeun scoffed, "Make me," 

Jongin left ten minutes later, brought back his flower bouquet, didn't know why he wanted to cry. It was maybe because he felt what she felt-- Naeun was alone. Again. 

***

Jongin knew that Naeun tried hard to hide her beamed face when he opened her door this noon. She didn’t throw a big wide smile or grinned stupidly like Jongin did, but her eyes were shining and one statement flew from her lips, “You came,” 

“I promised you, right?” Jongin came in, this time with box of chocolate on his hand, “I will continue my story about our April Fool Prank,” 

Naeun chuckled, giving a light gesture that he could seat on the guest chair, “I know you are a liar. I don’t believe that you all cover the whole class with aluminium foil,”

“Yeah, we did,” Jongin took the pill pouch and gave it to her, along with a glass of water, “But, first thing first, Miss Son,”

Naeun took the pills and gulped it down, saying something that Jongin didn’t expect at all, “I took my morning medicine, just for your information,” 

Jongin smiled even wider, patting Naeun’s top head, “Good girl! I promise I will come tomorrow and tell you about my dumb friend Oh Sehun,” 

***

Days after days. Jongin still came for visit. Naeun unexpectedly waited for him. And she decided to take her pills regularly now. 

***

But unfortunately, Mr. Kim found out what his maknae son was doing, instead of visiting cram school and studying. He opened the conversation in the family dinner, which made all of them in silence. It was always the same; he should put his school over anything and of course the will to become law student, following the path of Minseok and Jongdae. 

Her mother didn’t even try to defence him, knowing her husband’s personality, she just threw reassured smile to her son. Minseok was always on the father’s side, nodding once or two times between his speech. Even Jongin could understand why the almighty Jongdae couldn’t say even a word in front of his father, he just stared at his meal and shut his mouth. It was Junmyeon who always helped him, trying to explain to his father to let him decide his future by himself. Most of the time, Mr. Kim always shook his head in amusement, telling Junmyeon not to be arrogant just because he was a doctor. At that time, Jongin only could throw guilty face at his brother. 

“Sorry, Hyung,” Jongin swayed Junmyeon’s door lightly, finding his brother was still reading a thick medical book on his desk. “Because of me…”

“Don’t worry, Jongin-ah,” he turned his whole body with the roll chair, now facing Jongin who sat on the bed, “He would never tell me to move out,” he grinned, tried to reassure the younger, “But what was that? You are still coming to the hospital?”

Jongin kept silent, sighing. 

“Jongin-ah…”

“Don’t ask me why, I just don’t know okay,” He laid on the bed, still aware that Junmyeon kept an eye of him. “Just… she’s too… fragile… alone…” 

“You know how big your responsible is? When you enter her world recklessly?”

“I’m not reckless! I’m just…”

Jongin couldn’t make up an answer. Maybe he was really too reckless. 

***

It wasn’t only his father. Soojung was also in panic mode, knowing that Jongin was no longer available to company her after school. Normally, he just went to cram school with Mijoo or Seulgi, but not this time. The girls didn’t even know where he disappeared directly after school. Mijoo even beg Soojung to let her know, if she had found out what happened with Jongin. His appearance was still bright like the last time she remembered, but he started to say no (something that a Jongin wouldn’t normally do), keep saying that he was busy to do dance practice or back and forth to hospital because of his arms. Maybe he just needed a little time, she thought, and he would comeback like he always did. 

Jongin’s team said more or less the same thing, they wanted him to get serious in the dance practice, since the school event was just two weeks away. Sehun, Taehyun, and Jaebum confronted him last time, saying that the jury from the Art School Scholarship would also come and Jongin should show off himself. It wasn’t the time to go to hospital and flirting with patient or nurses (they knew about Naeun by the way). Jongin just grinned widely, shrugged his shoulder, “You know I won’t take the scholarship, right? I would stop dancing after high school. Law school, way to go!!” 

It wasn’t the first time that he said the lines and it wasn’t the first time that they tried to convince him. They knew that he had no competitor to get the scholarship. Not even Lee Taemin. 

a/n

did I say one shot?