003

 

 

The emergency room is filled with people, their injuries ranging from mild to severe and Sunggyu finds himself tirelessly running about while assisting the senior doctors. His shift had ended half an hour ago but since the hospital needs all the help that night, he decided to stay a little more until the situation has calmed down.

 

“What are you doing?! Call Dr. Cho now, Sunggyu!” Jinki, another intern, yells.

 

Everybody is at the end of their wits because a woman in labor just came in fully dilated and the baby is just ready to come out. She is sprawled on a bed with her legs parted and the sight between them is something that would haunt Sunggyu for the rest of his life. He could hear his colleagues yelling at him in frustration and Jinki storms past him to call Dr. Cho.

 

“Sunggyu-shi! Get back to your senses we are dealing with an emergency here!”

 

When a slap lands on his cheek, Sunggyu snaps out of his trance. Jinki returns with Dr. Cho and they start attending to the woman in labor. There’s blood and other fluids gushing out of her and the protruding head of the baby looks like an alien. Sunggyu isn’t someone who is sensitive at the sight of blood and other disgusting things in the human body. In fact, it is something he deals with everyday but today is a different story. Sunggyu places a hand on his mouth, feeling nauseous and before he knows it, he is wobbling out of the emergency room until his jelly legs take him in the empty comfort room.

 

The door opens again and the sound of Jinki’s worried voice echoes as Sunggyu empties the contents of his stomach into the toilet.

 

“Sunggyu?! Are you okay?!” Jinki cries out when he sees the other’s state.

 

Jinki stands beside him, helplessly fidgeting with his hands as Sunggyu continues to throw up.

 

“What are you...doing here? They...they need you there,” Sunggyu pants as he stands up to wash his hands and mouth.

 

“They have everything under control. Dr. Jung asked me to follow you because she’s worried,” Jinki says, thick brows furrowing together. “What’s wrong, Sunggyu-yah?”

 

Sunggyu washes his face and shakes his head in an attempt to get the image of the woman in labor out of his mind but to no avail. He rubs his face in an attempt to calm himself but his heart simply won’t slow down.

 

“I’m fine...the image of that woman was just too much, I guess,” Sunggyu replies.

 

“Are you sure? You look quite pale,” Jinki incredulously presses on.

 

“Yeah, Jinki. It’s okay. I think I’m just worn out,” Sunggyu assures.

 

“Maybe...you’ve been here for almost twenty-four hours already, after all. I’ll go ask Dr. Jung if you could go home already,” Jinki says.

 

“Thanks, Jinki,” Sunggyu sighs.

 

Jinki replies with a smile before walking out of the comfort room, leaving Sunggyu with his thoughts. Sunggyu knows perfectly why he’s acting that way and why the image had been too much for him. He had seen countless birthing videos and other things that are far worse than those but they were only unknown people or cadavers that Sunggyu feels no emotional attachment to. But now that Woohyun is pregnant with their triplets, his brain is suddenly associating those things with him.

 

It’s been almost a week since he found out about the babies and there hasn’t been a day that he’s not worried about Woohyun’s wellbeing. Since they barely see each other, Sunggyu is constantly anxious if his boyfriend is eating his meals on time and taking his prenatal vitamins religiously. Woohyun has the tendency to neglect himself especially when he’s busy with his songwriting and now, managing the restaurant. If he’s not extra cautious, things might go wrong.

 

Sunggyu’s heart is still beating hard against his ribcage and his worry still hasn’t faded. He knows it’s already a little past midnight and he shouldn’t be disturbing Woohyun but he just needs to hear his voice so he makes his way to the fellow room and pulls out his phone from his bag only to see more than 50 kakaotalk messages from the said person.

 

I’m finally home~

 

Are you busy?

 

Did you eat?

 

Why aren’t you answering me, Gyu-gyu??????

 

I guess you’re busy!! >_<

 

Don’t forget to eat dinner!!!!

 

I miss you, you ugly hamster…-_-

 

Me and the babies are having kimchi fried rice and lots of cake tonight. Are you jealous? :P

 

Sunggyu silently laughs to himself when he sees that Woohyun sent him a ridiculously adorable picture of himself with a huge slice of chocolate cake. He scrolls through other random yet endearing messages until he gets to the latest one which was sent thirty minutes ago.

 

Are you going overtime again :( Call me when you can, okay? I can’t sleep without talking to you.

 

He immediately calls Woohyun and after one ring, the younger answers.

 

“Why aren’t you sleeping yet?” Sunggyu asks after Woohyun’s eager greeting.

 

“I told you, didn’t I? I can’t sleep without talking to you!” Woohyun whines.

 

“Yeah?” Sunggyu smiles, immediately feeling much calmer now that he heard Woohyun’s voice.

 

“Uh-huh...I really miss you, you know,” Woohyun says.

 

“I miss you too, Woohyun-ah. I wish I could be with you right now and just hold you,” Sunggyu whispers.

 

Woohyun chuckles after letting out a scoff.

 

“Tough day at the hospital, Dr. Gyu?” he teases.

 

“Very tough. Just a few minutes ago, a woman in labor came in. She’s fully dilated and the baby’s head was almost out,” Sunggyu shares.

 

“Ya! That’s disgusting! Must you tell me that?!” Woohyun scolds.

 

“Sorry. I just wanted to share it to you. I myself almost fainted at the sight,” Sunggyu laughs.

 

“Who wouldn’t?” Woohyun says, laughing along with him.

 

“It’s really late, Woohyun-ah. You should sleep now,” Sunggyu says after a few moments of comfortable silence.

 

“Hmm, I’ll go to bed when I’m done writing this song. It’s way past my deadline and I feel guilty for delaying the preparation for the comeback of these girls…” Woohyun says.

 

“Ya, do it tomorrow. Do I have to remind you that you’re pregnant with three babies? You need to sleep, Woohyun,” Sunggyu reprimands.

 

“Fine, fine, fine. Are you going home now, Gyu-gyu?” Woohyun says.

 

“The emergency room is still packed, but I’ll see if Dr. Jung lets me out early,” Sunggyu answers.

 

“Alright, be careful on your way home. Drive safely, my Gyu-gyu.”

 

Sunggyu makes a face because Woohyun is being extra mushy and disgusting tonight but deep inside, the older knows he secretly loves this side of his boyfriend the most. They say their long goodbyes and countless declarations of their undying love for each other until Dr. Jung enters the fellow room and tells Sunggyu that he can go home. She laughs at his embarrassed face and tells him that he could take the rest of the weekend off.

 

♡

 

Woohyun finds it the hardest to get up on Friday mornings because the rest of the week had already worn him out so much that he couldn’t even find the energy to be happy at the thought of the coming weekends. But that particular Friday morning, Woohyun shoots up from his bed so fast that his vision starts spinning. He throws his blanket off his body and bolts to the bathroom, vomiting as soon as he kneels next to the toilet. He wretches until his eyes become teary and his nose becomes runny. Woohyun knows that his face is also red from all the throwing up and when he’s done, he groans, finding no strength to pull himself up back on his feet. He attempts to stand once again but he doesn’t have the strength to.

 

I’ll just stay here until someone finds my dead body then...

 

“Woohyun-ah?”

 

    He could recognize his Gyu-gyu’s voice no matter where he is or what state he’s in so as soon as he hears him, Woohyun perks up like a puppy hearing its human’s voice. Sunggyu walks in the bathroom wearing his usual over-sized clothes, thick hair ily disheveled and small eyes blinking away sleep.

 

“Gyu, did you sleep here last night?” Woohyun asks, puzzled.

 

Sunggyu helps him up and leads him to the sink while yawning.

 

“Yeah, Dr. Jung gave me the rest of the weekend off to compensate for my countless overtimes. Your mom had let me in when you wouldn’t answer my phone calls,” Sunggyu explains.

 

Woohyun smiles as he washes his hands and mouth, happy that his boyfriend is with him right now.

 

“Is your morning sickness getting worse, Woohyun-ah?” Sunggyu asks.

 

“Hmm, but I’m okay now that my lovely boyfriend is here!”

 

Woohyun immediately attaches himself to Sunggyu’s side as they walk back to bed. It’s just five in the morning and he still has at least an hour before he has to start getting ready to go to Haneul. They slide in bed together and cuddle each other before Sunggyu drapes the covers on top of their body. Woohyun nuzzles his cheek against the crook of Sunggyu’s neck while the latter squeezes him in his arms.

 

“I missed you,” Sunggyu says, almost drifting back to sleep because of how comfortable he feels next to Woohyun.

 

“Missed you too. That’s our most said phrase for the last month, don’t you think?” Woohyun whispers.

 

Woohyun lazily wraps a leg around Sunggyu and pulls their bodies closer, feeling intoxicated because of Sunggyu’s smell and warmth.

 

“We can’t go on like this,” Sunggyu says, kissing the top of Woohyun’s head.

 

“Huh?”

 

“I don’t think I can take it anymore. You know, only having you in my arms once a week or on the weekends.”

 

Woohyun looks up and places a kiss on Sunggyu’s chin, noticing that a short and rough stubble is starting to grow there.

 

“Yeah, we might as well be called weekend lovers,” Woohyun says.

 

Sunggyu laughs at that but Woohyun looks at him seriously.

 

“Shall I move in with you, Sunggyu?” he asks.

 

The older closes his eyes and gently presses Woohyun’s face against his chest.

 

“That’s a very tempting proposition,” Sunggyu admits. “But my place is too--”

 

“Your apartment is fine. Seriously, I don’t care about how it looks. I just want to be with you,” Woohyun interjects.

 

“I was going to say that my place is too far from Haneul. I don’t want you to drive for so long especially when your stomach gets bigger,” Sunggyu says.

 

“Move in with me then. Even if the hospital is far from here, you could do a tiny sacrifice since you’re not pregnant,” Woohyun suggests.

 

“No. You live with your mom and that’d be weird and uncomfortable,” Sunggyu yawns. “I’d rather use that time to sleep than to drive…”

 

Woohyun slaps his chest indignantly.

 

“So you’d rather sleep than see me?!” Woohyun yells then slaps Sunggyu’s chest again.

 

“Ouch! Woohyun, stop that!” Sunggyu complains.

 

“Whatever. Just tell me honestly that you don’t want to move in with me instead of making excuses!”

 

With that, Woohyun slaps Sunggyu’s stomach before jumping out of bed and leaving the room. Sunggyu tries to yell for him to come back and that he’s sorry but the younger ignores him so he rolls around in bed and decides to just continue sleeping to let Woohyun cool down a little.

 

♡

 

When Sunggyu wakes up after an hour, Woohyun is still upset with him. He walks out of the bedroom and calls the younger’s name but only gets silence in return. Sunggyu finds Woohyun in the kitchen with Mrs. Nam. He is angrily flipping an egg roll on his non-stick pan, the coffee maker already steaming with a fresh brew and the table neatly set for breakfast. Mrs. Nam gives Sunggyu a knowing look before escaping with a wink and pat on Sunggyu’s back as if to wish him good luck.

 

“Smells delicious!” Sunggyu comments after Mrs. Nam disappears into the garden as he pulls out a chair for him to sit on.

 

The way the legs of the chair scrape against the tile grates on Woohyun’s nerves but what annoys him more is the cheerful tone of his boyfriend as if nothing happened. Woohyun burns one side of the egg roll a little because he knows Sunggyu hates it. It’s his little revenge for how insensitive Sunggyu is being.

 

“What’s for breakfast, Woohyun-ah?” Sunggyu asks, Woohyun’s back still facing him.

 

Woohyun remains silent and now, Sunggyu finally gets a hint that his boyfriend is still upset with him so he clears his throat and clasps his hands under his chin. The younger transfers the egg rolls on a plate and places it on the table with a distinct thud. He scoops rice from the rice cooker and puts it in front of Sunggyu wordlessly. Woohyun sits with him and starts eating breakfast, still not uttering a single word so Sunggyu clears his throat and tries to strike up a conversation once again.

 

“I really missed your egg rolls, Woohyun-ah,” Sunggyu says and as soon as the words are out, he wants to smack himself at how stupid he sounds.

 

Woohyun doesn’t reply and just continues consuming his breakfast.

 

“Hey, don’t be mad anymore…” Sunggyu says, reaching out to touch the other’s hand.

 

“I’m not mad,” Woohyun curtly lies.

 

“If you say so...” Sunggyu shrugs, deciding to play along his passive boyfriend. “I’m going to pick you up after lunch tomorrow, okay?”

 

Woohyun grumpily stuffs his mouth with fish and egg roll before saying, “I have to go to Haneul tomorrow.”

 

“I’m sure your staff can manage on their own. Come on, we’ll go apartment hunting.”

 

Sunggyu glances at him and stifles a laugh when he sees the surprised expression on his face.

 

“What...what for? Who needs an apartment?” Woohyun croaks out.

 

    “We do,” Sunggyu says. “Because we’re moving in together, right?”

 

Woohyun’s eyes are wide and shining as it takes him several moments to process what Sunggyu just said. He blinks and puts his eating utensils down, continuing to stare at the older incredulously.

 

“Are you serious, Gyu-gyu?” Woohyun whispers.

 

“Dead serious. I realized I wouldn’t stop worrying about you and the triplets unless I see you everyday,” Sunggyu shrugs.

 

Woohyun snorts at that when he finally gets over his initial shock.

 

“About time!” he sarcastically remarks. “But why do we need to go look for a new place?”

 

“For practicality reasons. We have to find a place that’s convenient for the both of us. The place has to be...kids friendly too, don’t you think?”

 

Woohyun looks around his apartment and sees what Sunggyu means. Sure, his place is still new, it’s neat and very presentable. It’s big enough for him and his mom but if Sunggyu moves in and the triplets come along, it’ll be too crowded. On the other hand, Sunggyu’s place is just a student’s flat: tiny and empty (not to mention messy). Also, Sunggyu’s neighborhood isn’t the most family friendly neighborhood.

 

“I guess,” Woohyun shrugs with an adorable smile on his face.

 

“It’s going to be easier to move to a new place now that you’re not yet showing, right? Imagine hauling moving boxes with a heavy belly…”

 

“That would’ve been a nightmare,” Woohyun agrees as he imagines himself carrying boxes into messy apartment with a huge baby bump.

 

Sunggyu smiles at him through a mouthful of rice, cheeks bulging like a chipmunk before swallowing.

 

“I’m quite excited. It seems like my ramyun days would soon be over with a y chef living with me.”

 

 

"You bet! I'm going to make you fat...fat but healthy, of course."

Author's Notes: Thank you so much for subscribing, commenting and upvoting! See you guys in the next chapter <3