And then I met you: 06
And then, I met you
ATIMY // 6
Seungcheol stayed rooted to the ground as he watched Jihoon rush towards his son who was now lying on the cemented road, bleeding and unconscious. The owner of the vehicle stopped his car and stepped out to help.
"Sunghoon-ah..." Jihoon sobbed and cradled Sunghoon in his arms.
Seungcheol shook his head and ran towards them. The younger's body was visibly shaking but Seungcheol took the child from Jihoon and glanced up at the driver, "Ahjussi! Take us to the hospital, hurry!" he screamed, making the driver nod and scurry back to the car.
"Jihoon, stand up! Lets go!"
They all got into the vehicle but Seungcheol didn't know how to comfort the crying Jihoon as he caressed his son's face. "Ahjussi! Drive faster! Please..."
"This is all my fault." The older mumbled with gritted teeth.
The nearest hospital was about thirty minutes away but the driver managed to reduce it to twenty-five. When they arrive, both adults hurried inside. Nurses approached then with a hospital bed and immediately attended to Sunghoon with his mother holding his hand tightly and never letting go, repeatedly calling his son's name while sobbing.
"I'm sorry, sir. You can't come in here." One of the nurses said when they get to the emergency room.
"No matter what happens, you have to save my son."
"We will do out best." and with that, the doors closed in front of the pink haired man.
Jihoon kept sobbing as his eyes never left the closed doors. Seungcheol stayed quiet behind him only because he didn't know how to approach him. Slowly, he put an arm over Jihoon's shoulder and said, "I'm sorry."
The smaller male finally turned around. Seungcheol was surprised when the younger started hitting his chest. "Its your fault! This... this is all your fault!" he screamed and sobbed without caring how loud he was being. Seungcheol let him, feeling sorry and responsible.
"This is all your fault..." with one last hit, all of his strength vanished. He silently cried on the older's chest.
The taller male wrapped his arms around Jihoon's small frame and whispered sorry and reassured him that Sunghoon was a very strong child and that he was going to be okay. The other calmed down a bit later and so Seungcheol ushered him to sit down.
Minutes turned into an hour and them a few more minutes before the door of the emergency room opened. Seungcheol was secretly thankful because he really needed to escape the awkward silence. The same nurse from before approached both male.
"Jihoon-ssi, your son is not in a dangerous situation anymore but he lost a bit of blood since he haven't received first aid. Also, because we ran out of reserved blood that is compatible with your son's type, we need a family member to donate since it is the fastest way. Other than that, there's nothing to worry about."
"I'll donate blood. Take as much as he needed. I just want Sunghoon to be completely out of danger." Jihoon stood up and responded. Beside him, Seungcheol stood up too for he was worried as much ad the shorter man.
"May I know your blood type, Jihoon-ssi?"
"I'm type A." he replied immediately.
"That wouldn't be compatible, Jihoon-ssi." Sunghoon is an AB- type." the nurse explained.
Jihoon was dejected and he seemed worried about something else. Seuncheol realized he had the same type as Sunghoon and so, without hesitation, he volunteered.
"I can donate, nurse. I have the same blood type as Sunghoon."
"Please follow me."
Suspicions flooded the man's mind. Why did he have the same blood type as Sunghoon when Jisoo was supposedly his father? Was this pure coincidence? The skin in between his brows creased. Jihoon should really give him answered as soon as possible because he was seriously starting to lose his mind.
"All done." the nurse said and pasted a band aid on the pricked area. He was asked not to carry heavy things for the next few hours and the nurse gave him a cup of orange juice.
"Thank you." he bowed politely before walking out of the room.
Slowly, he made his way back to where he left Jihoon. He stared at the sitting figure and walked towards him. Feeling the other's presence, Jihoon glanced up at him. They had a staring contest until the younger started to get goosebumps and looked away.
"He's mine... Isn't he?"
Jihoon's breath hitched but he ignored Seungcheol's question and stayed silent.
"He's mine. Sunghoon is my son. Isn't he?" Seungcheol took Jihoon's silence as a 'yes' and started tearing up.
The pink haired male shook his head but Seungcheol scoffed, now sure that he was indeed the toddler's father. If he wasn't, Jihoon wouldn't have hesitated to answer him. But what was bothering him now was Jisoo. Who was he and what role was he playing in Jihoon's life?
"Jihoon... please. You can't run away from all these forever."
"Okay.." The older looked at him hopefully and waited. "Okay, I'll tell you everything... but only after Sunghoon wakes up."
-
"Its so grassy in here! Where are you taking me?!" Mingyu whined while dragging their bicycle along as he followed Wonwoo deeper into the bushes.
"Shut up and just follow me! God, you're so whiny." Wonwoo laughed and continued walking ahead until he could finally see their destination. "We're here!" he announced.
Mingyu was busy whining and didn't pay attention but he was glad to finally walk in an actual path. When he lifted his gaze, he nearly choked at the sight. It was a tree house. Simple and not decorated, just plain but the view from where they stood was quite amazing and he couldn't wait to see from a higher perspective. There was a small river and big trees in front of the tree house. While admiring the said view, Mingyu didn't notice the older climb up the tree house until he called him.
"Hurry and climb up here or I'll devour every single food we've got!" Wonwoo grinned and then his head disappeared from the tree house's window.
Mingyu grunted and he hurriedly parked the bicycle beside the tree and hesitantly looked up the wooden and obviously hand made ladder. It succeeded in holding Wonwoo's weight so it should be safe. The younger climbed up and the more steps he took, the more beautiful the view became. He reached for the final ladder and arrived safely at the top. Inside, there was a small fluffy blanket and a few throw pillows here and there. Mingyu then threw the other a questioning look.
"I come here lots of times to nap and relax. The view is calming and the trees give me a fresh and soft breeze but this wooden surface is too hard," he said and pat the surface. "So I figured, why not bring a blanket and some pullows?" Wonwoo continued and smiled.
The younger laughed and found his idea childish but also adorable. He had to agree that the view and the air up there was indeed calming. He sat down in front of the older and grabbed one of their store-bought lunchboxes.
"We're having these for lunch?" Mingyu looked at his wrist watch, "Its almost two-thirty!"
"We're gonna have lots of snacks later! You're driving me nuts. Eat quietly!" the older complained and shoved a spoonful of rice in his mouth.
Mingyu let out a small huff and started eating too. Wonwoo thought.
The atmosphere was good and the silence wasn't awkward as the younger thought it would be. The sound of the plastic bag being blown by the wind was kind of comfortable too.
"Ugh. I'm so full." Wonwoo placed the plastic container down and sprawled down the blanket.
The taller male imitated him laid down beside the older, grabbing two pillows. One for his head and one to hug.
"Hey..." Wonwoo started.
"Hm?"
"I don't know if I heard wrong from Seungcheol hyung before but he told grandma Jungah that you hated the province." Wonwoo frowned as he remembered Jungah and Seungcheol's conversation. "Why do you hate the province?"
The younger thought for a moment, "Honestly I don't really know for sure."
"Its just that... when I was young, my family and I went on a vacation at my mom's hometown. When I asked them, they said we're going to a province. When we got there, I got lost, I got bitten by bugs and I fell so I scraped my knees. Then, some old man found me. I was petrified of course! He was so old, I thought he was a mummy." he paused for a moment and cringed at the memory, "I screamed and ran away as far as I could then I met my parents who were looking for me. From that moment on, I swore to myself I'm never returning to the province again. The stereotypical stories of provinces not having signals didn't help either. But here I am and now that I think about it, its not that bad because you're with me."
Wonwoo blushed but he nodded in understanding anyway. He smiled because its not like Mingyu is staring at him.
"But I still don't think I can stay much longer here." Mingyu finished.
The older eyes him, "Why do you like that?"
"Well, I grew up in the city so technically, I belong in the city. I'm a city boy." he laughed at his own words.
Wonwoo gave him a judging look and shook his head. He wanted the other to stop hating the province because, it was a lot better than the busy city. It was definitely a lot safer and cleaner too but he stayed quiet and closed his eyes. On the other hand, Mingyu felt a lot lighter. He shared his story and it was very comfortable. Wonwoo didn't judge him and didn't pressure him to explain more. (He didn't see the look the older was giving him) Maybe, the province was okay. Especially when he's with Wonwoo because apparently, Wonwoo means interesting and fun. He smiled and closed his eyes and felt the wind brush softly against his face.
-
Mingyu... Mingyu wake up! Wake up!"
The sleeping boy whined and turned to the side. Wonwoo frowned and then pulled the younger's pillow harshly which resulted to a Mingyu bumping his face on the solid surface.
"What the hell! Wonwoo! What was that for?!" Mingyu bolted up and help the side of his face, silently cursing and then glared at the laughing person in front of him.
"Sorry! Oh- oh God! I-I'm sorry!" Wonwoo apologized while clutching his stomach. He couldn't contain his laughter while looking at Wonwoo's scandalized face.
"What do you want? Damn, that hurt like !"
"First, stop cursing freely! Second, its already past five. A few more minutes and the sun is gonna set soon. We should watch it. You're gonna love it because I'm sure you haven't seen an amazing sunset yet!" Wonwoo babbled excitedly after his laughing fit and reached for the plastic bag full of snacks.
Mingyu nodded. It has been a long time ever since he sat down beside the shorter male and grabbed a snack. "Did you really have to damage my face just for a freakin' sunset? You're brutal!"
"Shut it! Its not like your face is damaged. The worst thing you'd get from it is a bruise." Wonwoo scoffed and munched on his chips.
After waiting for almost an hour, one by one the rays of the sun slowly hide behind the clouds which left the sun painted in a shade of orange. The two boys sitting in front of the window admired the sun's reflection on the small body of water. It was amazing. Mingyu nearly forgot how to breath. The view was picturesque and it was a very rare sight which couldn't be seen in the city where only tall buildings exist.
"Make a wish." the older nudged the other.
"We're supposed to wish during the sunrise, idiot. Not the sunset." Mingyu whispered as if the beautiful view would run away if he spoke too loud.
"Stop arguing and make a wish." Wonwoo repeated sternly, clearly annoyed at the younger's faulty cooperation.
Both closed their eyes and let their minds speak.
I wish I can go back home soon.
I wish Mingyu would realize that anywhere he is welcomed is where he belongs.
-
That night after Sunghoon was transferred to a room, Seungcheol never left his side. Not even when Jisoo arrived and convinced Jihoon to go home to atleast take a bath. Not even when he felt hungry and sweaty.
At around six o'clock, Mingyu and Wonwoo rushed to the hospital after hearing from Jungah who received a call from Seungcheol. They got the oldest a change of clothes and some towels. The two however, had a hard time convincing him to take a bath even if the washroom is only five meter away from Sunghoon's bed.
"Hyung, seriously? You gotta take a bath! What if Sunghoon wakes up and smells your stinky odour?" Mingyu ruffled his hair in annoyance.
"Hyung, Sunghoon is fine now and you taking a bath wouldn't change that. We'll be here until you come back hyung and we'll tell you immediately if something happens." Wonwoo said calmly.
At long last, Seungcheol complied to their advices. He went to the bathroom and couldn't help but choke on his breath if that was even possible as he saw blood on his shirt. It was his fault. If only he hugged the toddler, his son, when he saw him. None of these would have happened.
He let the hot water run down his body and it helped clearing his mind a bit. Now that he knew Sunghoon could possibly be his son, he swore to himself, he would protect him from now on. When he finished, Mingyu handed him food from the hospital's cafeteria and asked if he'd be okay for the rest of the night because Wonwoo and him haven't had dinner yet. Seungcheol only replied with a nod before sitting beside the toddler's bed again.
That late night, he fell asleep while holding Sunghoon's hand tightly.
-
The man woke up hungry but he checked on Sunghoon first. He smiled when he saw his hand still laces with the child. It was almost time for lunch and he didn't want to leave because he needed to watched Sunghoon until he wakes up then he noticed that he was wrapped with a blanket that he didn't have last night. As if on cute, the door opened and revealed Jihoon carrying two trays of what looked like food.
"I... I arrived here this morning after sending Jisoo off." he said as Seungcheol temporarily let go of Sunghoon's hand so help Jihoon.
"Send Jisoo off? He went back to the city already? What about Sunghoon?" the taller asked curiously. What if Sunghoon looks for him when he wakes up?
"He can't help it. There was an emergency at work and he was needed as soon as possible. But, we're here... we're here so..." the younger stuttered while answering like he was having a hard time forming his words and Seungcheol found it cute.
"Appa.. Cheol-appa.."
Both males turned their heads simultaneously. Both of them sighed in relief and approached the hospital bed.
"Sunghoonie... Umma's here baby." Jihoon answered and caresses his son's forehead as if he hadn't seen the boy for an eternity.
"Umma... appa.." Sunghoon called, his voice a bit groggy.
Jihoon was sure his head hurt too because the nurse that checked on him this morning said he had a light concussion because of the impact from the vehicle. Fortunately, it wasn't too hard to actually have an effect on the child's brain. Sunghoon, apart from small stitches, he had a few cuts and bruises. The ahjussi that had hit him helped with the bills and he swore to help anytime.
"Appa's here, love. I'm here now. I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." Seungcheol held Sunghoon's hand and kissed it. "Appa will protect you from now on, I promise."
Seungcheol's vision started to blur and Jihoon felt how sorry he was. Sunghoon smiled and nodded his head slightly before drifting back to sleep.
-
A/N: Hello hello! If you guys have time, will you visit this? Shameless self-promoting. Hehe :3
Here's another update! I'm a failure when it comes to drama so I'm not sure if this turned out well or not. Thank you for waiting! I hope you had fun reading this!
Please don't forget to subscribe, upvote and comment!
If you read until here, comment 'Jihoon is a mushroom' because I realized, I always write him appearing from somewhere.
SEE YOU NEXT TIME!
-ellemoonbin
Comments