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AUTHOR'S NOTE: WHAT IS GOOD Y'ALL~ I am back from a long time (sorry~~~) I hope everyone still remembers this story lol XD

Well, enjoy this chapt.~ And don't forget to leave as many comments as possible~

See you soon~

Stay healthy and safe~ 

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    Rummaging through the pile of surgical scrubs in the disposal bin, Youngjae’s current state of mind is running wild by the second. The doctor wouldn’t dare dream of ever losing his ring, but he did. And now he’s panicking, because what if. . . What if his ring accidentally slipped and dropped inside a patient’s stomach or some . . . What if. . . Just what if-

    “Jae-ah,” the doctor’s husband called softly, “did you find it?”

    Immediately, Youngjae turned to look at Jaebum, with his eyes wide and face drained of color. “I-I- Jaebum- I-“

    “Hey, calm down, it’s okay,” Jaebum took a hold of Youngjae hands and reassuringly gave them a squeeze, “at least you didn’t willingly took it off to hide the fact that you’re married.” The agent tried a joke, hoping to cheer up his husband, who’s looking like the world just betrayed him. 

    “No, it’s not,” Youngjae sighed, “it’s not okay.” He pouted, clearly disappointed in himself for losing something so important to his life. Youngjae just can’t believe he’s this irresponsible. 

    Jaebum pursed his lips. He was a bit disappointed, but he understands that sometimes things like this could happen. He’s just relieved that Youngjae wasn’t doing anything behind his back. Not that Jaebum doesn’t trust Youngjae. But more like Jaebum’s constant insecurities of something will happen was rather high up the list. The agent reached out and pulled his husband in for a hug. “Stop looking like that. I’ll feel sad, too.” 

    “You should be, though, I lost our ring,” Youngjae muttered against Jaebum’s shoulder, returning the hug, because he honestly needs it right now. 

    “Let’s just hope it didn’t end up in someone’s stomach,” Jaebum smiled. And that earned a smack on the chest from Youngjae. “Ow.” The agent hissed, faking an exaggerated pain. 

    Youngjae rolled his eyes, but leaned in and kissed Jaebum’s cheek, “I swear I’ll find it. I’m sorry I-“

    Jaebum quickly pecked Youngjae’s lips, mildly silencing the doctor, “Don’t worry. You’ll find it. No need to apologize. I get it.”

    “But Jaebum-“

    “I have to go now. I’ll see you at home.”

    “A-about that. . .” Youngjae lowered his head. And Jaebum knows all too well.

    It was silence for about three seconds. Jaebum’s face fell, and he sighed. He released his hold on Youngjae and sighed again. Another sigh followed after that. And another one. Until Jaebum wore a hurtful expression of a kid whose candies got stolen from him. Youngjae felt bad and hugged Jaebum from the side, “I have a night shift. But I’ll be back tomorrow’s morning,” he placed a kiss on Jaebum’s neck, “okay?” 

    Nodding reluctantly, Jaebum selfishly wants to just wrap Youngjae up in his arms and kidnaps the doctor back to their house, where they could be with each other all day. “Guess I’m sleeping alone tonight, again. Fun.” 

    “Stop being a kid, Jaebum-ah. You’ll be fine,” the doctor sighed, chin resting on his husband’s shoulder. 

    The agent turned and stole a kiss from Youngjae’s lips, “fine, I’ll call you.”

    Smiling into their kiss, Youngjae nodded, “I’ll wait for you.” 

===

    The line of people stretched out even longer as the securities continued to, for the lack of better words, slowly and thoroughly patting down every boarding passenger, making everyone groaned in annoyance. First, the flight was delayed, and now this. Who was the bastard that threatens to bomb the place anyways? What a stupid idea. 

    An elderly man, maybe around his mid-sixties, wore a disgusted look on his strict face as he huffed out an exhausted breath. This was not how he had expected. He knew he should have listened to his wife and take their damn private jet. Now she’s going to rub it all over his face about how right she is. 

    “See? I told you, but you never listens,” the man’s wife, a woman who’s in her late-fifties, rolled her eyes. “Why do you have to always go against my words? What’s the use of it? I know what I’m talking about. We would have been there by now if it weren’t for your dumb idea of 'wanting-to-be-civil.’ We’re different. There are things that work better for us.” 

    “Would you just calm down?” The man sighed, vexed and tired from the wait. 

    “Right,” the wife rolled her eyes again, “because I can stay calm in this ridiculous situation. I've told you not to leave Korea. And again, you never listens! And now, look what had happened while we were gone! We only have one child for God’s sake! And he went… He went…” She sighed heavily as she slumped down on an empty seat, unable to finish her sentence. 

    The husband sat down next to the wife and took her hands in his, “it’s okay. It’s nothing we can’t solve.” 

    The woman leaned her head on her husband’s shoulder, “hopefully. We both know how much he hates us.” 

    “We’ll be back before you even know it.” The man said reassuring. 

    They waited for a little more, maybe over ten minutes, until a group of suited men in dark glasses were rushing towards them. One of the men in the front quickly bowed and apologized, “we’re sorry for the wait, sir.” 

    “You finally dragged your asses here!” The wife stood up and huffed her anger on the guards.

    “Madam, we’re so sorry. There was a lot of traffic and-“

    “Just take us to the jet,” the husband cuts in. 

    Another guard took over, seeing how his comrade couldn’t handle the situation of an impatience madam and an annoyed master. “Master Im, Madam Im, please, this way.” He led them out of the airport and into a personal car.

    “How’s my son?” Master Im asked his guards. 

    “Young Master is doing fine, sir.” 

    “Fine? Fine?” Madam Im was enraged, “I can’t believe none of you useless scums informed us about his wedding three years ago?! Actually, you should already be informing us the moment they started dating! What the Hell have you been doing? We’ve fed you and trained you to be of help, not this lazy, intolerant, act of sitting around!” 

    “Honey, calm down, please,” the master was beyond tired, and his wife wasn’t helping the case. 

    “I can’t possibly calm down knowing that my prestigious son married a man! What about this family’s reputation and grace? He’s our only son, and he’s doing this? Could it be to anger us? Because it did a wonderful job ripping hairs off my head right now. That bastard could be using our son for money and fortune!” Her son definitely got the impatience trait from her. 

    “He’s a doctor, Madam,” the guards informed in a quiet voice, afraid to fuel more flames, “a very good and famous one.” 

    “Shut up!” Madam Im yelled. 

    Master Im rubbed his temples, closing his eyes to find a second of relaxation. But there were none. He opened his eyes and glared into the reflection on the tinted glass of the car’s window. “It’s nothing we can’t fix.” 

===

    The clock hasn’t actually struck the wild hours of midnight, yet, but Youngjae was feeling nauseous. He wants to go home, like, right now. There weren’t any patients coming in, and Youngjae had already did a round of night check-ups on his patients. Now, he’s just sitting by the lobby, a bit bored and tired. 

    Sana happened to walk by, “Youngjae?” 

    The doctor looked up as his name was being called. The nurse set her stack of clipboards down on the table and took a seat across from her friend. “What’s going on? You look like someone ran over your dog.” 

    Youngjae sighed, “I lost my ring. And still haven’t found it.” 

    Sana gasped, her pretty eyes widened in concern and a tad bit of horror, “Youngjae!” 

    “I know!” the doctor groaned, burying his face in his hands, feeling ashamed by himself. “Jaebum said it’s fine, but I know him. He looked so disappointed. I feel so bad, Sana…” 

    “Youngjae-ah…”

    “What do I do? It hasn’t even been our fifth year anniversary, and I’m already such a bad husband,” Youngjae sighed, “I don’t want to live anymore. I’m a disappointment.” 

    The nurse reached out and grabbed her distressed friend’s hand, comforting the doctor, “don’t say that, Youngjae-ah. Jaebum doesn't think that. You’ve been a great boyfriend. And now, you’re a wonderful husband. We all know that. Jaebum couldn’t ask for more. He loves you, so don’t doubt yourself like this over a ring. Your love is deeper than a gold band.” 

    Taking Sana’s words to heart, Youngjae smiled a bit, grateful that Sana also has a night shift, because it’ll if there weren’t anyone for him to turn to in the quiet, emptiness of the hospital at night. Despite his friend’s comfort, Youngjae still sighed and pouted, “but that ring…”

    All of a sudden, Sana’s expression darken devilishly, exposing her sinful, trickster self. She crackled evilly, “everything comes with a price, Youngjae-ah~” 

    Youngjae raised his eyebrow at the nurse, judging her. Sana wasted no time in digging into her pocket and pulled out a small, shiny object. Youngjae gasped loudly, hands reaching out to grab it, but Sana was faster. “I said everything comes with a price.” 

    The doctor groaned annoyingly, “what do you want, Sana?” 

    Sana giggled, “nothing much. Just pay for my lunch for a month.” 

    Youngjae smirked, “well, you could have said that earlier. Okay! I’ll pay for your lunches.” 

    “Deal!” Sana cheered happily and handed the ring back to its rightful owner. 

    Youngjae couldn’t stop smiling and slipped the ring on his lonely finger. God, he missed seeing that gold band wrapping around his finger, reminding him that he has a loving husband and a happy marriage. “Thank you so much! Where did you found it?” 

    “I was cleaning out in the surgery room, and that beauty was just laying there on the plate near all the bloody tools,” Sana shook her head, “you treasure it so much, yet, how could you abandon it like that! What if it’s not me who’ve found it?” The nurse scolds her doctor. 

    “I’m sorry… I was just in a hurry, I guess…” Youngjae looked down at his ring, “but thank you so much, Sana~ You’ve saved my life~ I’ll even give you a free two-weeks vacation~” 

    “Holy ! Really?” Sana’s eyes lit up. “You’re the best!” 

    “You’re part of my circle of nurses that I’m responsible for, so it’s easy to get you a break, plus, I’m Second-in-Command,” Youngjae winked, “I’ve got enough powers.” 

    Sana grinned, “it’s such a convenient to have you as a friend!” 

    Youngjae laughed. Sana had been one of his first friends here at the hospital. Not only she’s a good friend, she’s also like a sister to him. Youngjae adores her a lot. They sat there for a while in a comfortable silence, grinning at each other ridiculously. Until Youngjae’s phone went off in a disturbing vibration. The doctor took out the device and looked at the caller’s ID. Sana took a peek and immediately smirked, excusing herself. 

    “You’re not sleeping, yet?” Youngjae picked up. “It’s late.”

    “I wish I could,” Jaebum said in a scratchy, grumpy voice. “But this last-minute paperwork will be the death of me.” 

    “You’re not home?” 

    “No, Jae, I’m not.” 

    “Guess we both got night shifts then.” 

    Youngjae heard his husband yawned tiredly over the phone. Jaebum chuckled softly, “I’d rather have night shifts than return to an empty bed.” 

    The doctor bit his lip, smiling affectionately, “have you eaten?” 

    “Yeah, Jinyoung got me some bread.” 

    “How’s Jinyoung, by the way.”

    “Not really doing well, but he’s fine pretending he is.” 

    Youngjae sighed, “any news on Mark-hyung?”

    Jaebum also sighed, “no. I wish there were. I’m worried, Jae-ah.” 

    “I know you are. I am, too. But Jinyoung is hurting the most.” 

    “It’s tough on him, but he's always trying to act strong.” 

    “That’s how he is, babe.” 

    The agent laughed, “what’s up, Youngjae? Suddenly calling me ‘babe’ is suspicious.” 

    “Sana found the ring!” The excited doctor didn’t even tried to hide it for longer. He was anxious all day long, and now, it’s like a boulder has been lifted off his shoulders. Youngjae could smile again, feeling revived by the welcoming surge of energy. He won’t be needing coffee to keep him awake all night. 

    “Don’t lose it next time, okay? I’m glad it’s been found,” Jaebum said, voice a lot more softer and less tired. “And what was Sana’s deal?” The agent knew that cunning nurse too well. 

    “One month of free lunch,” Youngjae smiled, “and I gave her a vacation, because I was so happy!” 

    Jaebum laughed, “of course you would.”

    “I-“ Youngjae was interrupted by an envelope ing in front of his face. He looked up and Sana quirked an eyebrow at him. The doctor accepted the envelope from his nurse with a questioning gaze. Sana just shrugged, telling him wordlessly that she doesn’t know either. “Hold up, let me see something real quick,” Youngjae told his husband. 

    The doctor opened the envelope carefully. He pulled out a folded piece of paper from inside. The paper was mildly drenched in a fading red, as if a couple of drops of blood were spilt over it. A wave of unease crashed against Youngjae. He unfolded the paper and read what’s written. 

    “Jae-Jaebum…”

    “What’s wrong, Youngjae? Are you okay? Are you hurt, baby? What’s wrong?” 

    “You have to see this.” The doctor looked up at his nurse with panicked eyes. “S-Sana, take over for a bit. I-I need to go.” 

    Before Sana could utter another word, Youngjae had already bolted out of the hospital, tears swelling up in his eyes and hands gripping tightly onto that piece of paper. He needs to go. He needs to see Jaebum. To see his best friend, Jinyoung. 

===

    Jinyoung stared at the folded paper in his hands. “Whose blood is this?” He asked. “What the is this?” 

    Youngjae looked over at Jaebum, who looked back and nodded. “Jinyoung, I know it’s late, and you’re feeling uncomfortable and stressed, but you need to read it.” Youngjae said, “please, hyung.” 

    Sighing, Jinyoung rubbed his exhausted eyes that are straining to stay awake from the many sleepless nights. He unfolded the paper and reads: 

I’m fine. I just want you to know that I’m fine. Don’t worry about me, I can handle this. Let me handle this. Do you understand? Let me deal with this. Don’t meddle in, Jinyoung-ah. You’ve already promised me, so don’t break it. You promised me not to return to that world, so don’t, Jinyoung. I can deal with this by myself. It’s okay. All I want you to do is wait for me. You can do that, right? I’m really fine. And I’ll be back home soon. Until then, keep your hands clean. 

    “This… Is Mark’s handwriting,” Jinyoung said after a while, voice oddly calming and hands didn’t shook even once. 

    “Hyung,” Youngjae stepped closer, a bit cautious, because Jinyoung should not be this calm. It’s unnerving. “Jaebum’s going to run it down the labs to see if it’s Mark-hyung’s blood-“

    “If it’s his blood, then he’s not fine,” the look in Jinyoung’s eyes was unreadable. And Youngjae hates it. 

    Jaebum took the paper from Jinyoung’s hands and folded it up. The Captain looked at his Vice. “Listen to him, Jinyoung. You always do." With how the situation was going, Jaebum wasn’t sure who he’s more worried for. He just hoped Jinyoung wouldn’t do anything reckless, and Mark would come back safely in one piece. 

    Jinyoung scoffed, “call me when you got something better to tell me, like my husband is back. Other than that, off.” 

    The exit of the Vice Captain left the doctor feeling a raging emptiness. Jaebum sighed and wrapped an arm around Youngjae, pulling his husband close. “I don’t feel good about this. Mark was supposed to be undercover. He’s supposed to return early, since the mission wasn’t even that hard. But he’s nowhere to be found, and then this letter showed up with, probably, his blood on it? What the is going on?” 

    “I don’t like this, Jaebum,” Youngjae exhaled quietly, allowing himself to melt into his husband’s embrace. “Jinyoung… He doesn’t look too good… He looked scary… Like…” 

    “Of course,” Jaebum hugged Youngjae tighter, running his hand through the doctor’s soft bed of messy hair, “Mark is literally the only thing that kept Jinyoung grounded.” 

    “I want to go home.”

    “Let’s go home, then.”

    “Don’t you have paperworks to finish? And I have to get back to the hospital.”

    Jaebum pulled Youngjae for a quick kiss, “honestly, it’s only me and Jinyoung here. I don’t want to stay with him when he’s like that. I could get kill here without anyone knowing. I’ll just follow you to the hospital. It’s safer there. And, maybe, I could figure out something there.” 

    For some reason, Youngjae’s nerves couldn’t settle. A huge wildfire is going to sweep by this place soon enough. And there’s nothing anyone could do to stop it.