“Quick! Bring him in!”

The physician entered the nearest room with his son, and Chanyeol followed them in while carrying his unconscious friend in his arms. The limp body was carefully placed on the low creeking bed, and the physician sat beside to grab his hand and check his pulse.

“I think I know...” he muttered, placing the hand on Baekhyun’s side and moving downwards to check the snake bite on his leg. He pushed up the trouser fabric and stared at the two maroon spots for a moment. “Jungsoo-yah... bring me that poison antidote box. It’s in my room.”

The girl didn’t move at all, or rather she couldn’t move at all, as she stared at the unconscious man lying on the bed. “Jungsoo what are you still doing here?” her father turned around raising his voice, and saw his daughter standing rooted to her spot and staring at his patient with horror struck eyes.

“I’ll bring it.” Kyungsoo rushed out of the room in place of his sister.

The ruckus had caused everyone in the house to crowd into the small room, and even Sehun who had been half asleep in his room, had come running in. Everyone watched Baekhyun with utmost worry, not knowing what to do except wait for the doctor to perform his treatment.

“He’s still half conscious I think.” The older man held his patient by the shoulder and gave him a soft shake. “Captain, can you hear me?”

Regaining her senses, Jungsoo fell on her knees by the bed followed by her dad’s words, and held his hand in both hers. “Baekhyun! You are awake aren’t you? Open your eyes Baekhyun...you have to wake up so we can give you the antidote...”

* * * * * * * *

Although none of them could actually fall asleep, the head of the house had ordered everyone to stop worrying about Baekhyun and go to bed. He finished with his treatments, giving his patient the right antidote and cleaning his wound and bandaging it after placing a carefully chosen set of crushed herbs on it. Jungsoo declared that she’s going to stay up beside him until he woke up, and Chanyeol offered to stay beside his friend as well, just in case he needed any aid. And after midnight, only Chanyeol and Jungsoo were left in the patient’s room, staring at the half unconscious figure in silence.

“I know Baekhyun more than anyone else.”

Chanyeol broke the silence, making the girl avert her eyes off the blood-drained face and look at him. “Maybe it’s because we’re the same age, I understand him even more than Sehun does. And we’ve been together since like, forever... So I can understand what’s going on with him even before he does.”

The girl listened in silence and the General kept talking. “He’s been through a lot since he was a child. I don’t know if he has told you those things or not-”

“He told me everything General.” Jungsoo answered. “I think he told me almost everything.”

Chanyeol stared at his friend as he heard those words. “Strange. Baekhyun is not the type to talk about his life even with me. I just force him to spill everything out so he’ll feel less burdened at heart, but he’s never the one to speak first on his own will.”

And a small chuckle left his lips. “I think the man really loves you.”

Jungsoo bit her lower lip. “He said he doesn’t want any serious relationship in life.”

“That’s the line he’s been chanting for more than a decade now. But believe me Jungsoo. Byun Baekhyun is a man with such a soft heart that’ll get hurt by the smallest things, and that yearns for love and affection. He pretends to be a tough guy outside that doesn’t care the single bit about anyone and anything, but I know what kind of soft heart he has inside that chest.”

He sighed. “When my first wife passed away... I didn’t step out of my room for about a week straight. Sehun came every morning and even tried to break down the door to forcefully drag me out, but not him. He just sat outside the door throughout the night...and I have heard him sob in the middle of the night just because he couldn’t bear to see me devastated like that. He’s a man with a heart of that much caring.”

Chanyeol went silent for a moment, staring at his best friend.

“You also have feelings for him don’t you Jungsoo?”

The girl widened her eyes at the General.

“Tell me first, do you know that he has feelings for you?”

“He... he has never directly told me.”

“That coward... he’s head over heels fallen for a girl for the first time in his life...but is hesitating to admit it. I seriously don’t know what to do with this dimwit.” Chanyeol sighed.

Meanwhile, slightly opening his eyes, Baekhyun looked at the girl. She had turned around just in time, and she hurriedly leaned towards him. And the gesture was followed with a string of questions.

“Baekhyun! How are you now? Can you talk? No can you see me? Does it hurt a lot?”

He didn’t reply, and just remained still with half closed and unfocused eyes. And his gaze travelled past her to finally focus at his friend, who was leaning forward on his chair and looking at him intently. “If you need something, just tell me Baek okay?” Chanyeol said, realizing that he was listening.

Baekhyun felt Jungsoo’s hand rake through his hair, and his head gently. “It must hurt a lot. Abhuji said that the serpent as he recognized is quiet venomous, and fighting against its poison would be hard. So Baekhyun if you feel any kind of discomfort, tell me at once okay? I’m here all the time beside you.”

He closed his eyes, trying to ignore the pain that was slowly shooting up his leg and spreading through his entire body and focus on her touch. And Chanyeol too leaned back on his chair, and closed his eyes, after instructing the girl to wake him up whenever she needed any assistance.

* * *

“Baekhyun, Baekhyun!!”

Chanyeol woke up with a jolt hearing the girl’s urged calling, and saw her standing at the bed while holding Baekhyun’s body at his shoulders. To Chanyeol’s horror, his friend’s body was jolting and jerking as if a shock wave was running through him, and he unconsciously gripped on the sheets on either side of the bed, struggling so hard.

“What’s going on?” Chanyeol sprang up to his feet, and ran to the bed to hold Baekhyun by his legs in order to prevent him from falling off the bed. As if having a seizure, the half conscious man wriggled and tossed on the bed, feet rubbing hard against the sheets and head turning left and right frantically. His entire face was covered in sweat, as well as the drenched locks of hair stuck to his forehead and sides of his face. “Baekhyun! Yah wake up Baek... come back to your senses!”

“He’s having convulsions...” Jungsoo said, tears welling up in her eyes. “His body is trying to fight the poison, but it must be really painful...it happens because of the venom running through his blood...he can’t bear the pain that’s why... Baekhyun wake up...!”

The young man’s body kept shaking at an irregular rate as he struggled to fight the pain for more than another hour, his grip almost tearing off the bed sheets and making it hard even for Chanyeol to hold him. Jungsoo couldn’t help but clutch on to him and wait for the seizures to naturally come to an end, because the antidote was already given. His chest was heaving up and down, ash-pale lips apart, unconsciously reaching one hand out to hold whatever was in his reach which happened to be her arm.

Gripping at her upper arm until his knuckles turned white, he struggled to breath for the entire time before finally his moves started slowing down a bit and the creases on his forehead loosened a bit. He tried his best to strain open his eyes, and loosened the fistful of bed sheets he was clutching. His grip on her upper arm loosened leaving deep red marks under her skin, to reach for her hand on his shoulder. The girl at once took his hand in his, and sat beside him. “Yes Baekhyun... I’m here. Can you hear me now?”

Unable to comprehend any of her words, he just loosely held her hand with his sweaty palm. “He’s still not co