the nursing home: seokmin & seungkwan

featuring grandpa seokmin and teenage seungkwan. 

as requested on twitter.

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Seungkwan knocks on the door and opens it with a smile; a basket of freshly picked hallabong swinging on his arm.

"Good morning, Grandpa Seokmin! I brought hallabong today, like I promised last week."

The elderly man sits in a chair by the window, which offered a majestic view of lush fields and the vast sea beyond. He's tapping his fingers anxiously, and Seungkwan instantly knows that something is wrong.

Seungkwan had started visiting the elderly home a few months back, and while all the other grandmothers doted over him, Seungkwan had taken a personal interest in Grandpa Seokmin. The old man, weather-beaten, with traces of smile creases at his eyes, never had anyone visiting him. So Seungkwan did, talking to him, making the old man laugh at his little impersonations.

When Grandpa Seokmin smiles, the whole world lights up. Seungkwan loves that.

Old Man Seokmin has Alzheimer's, which made him forget things. Sometimes, he'd be in a jovial mood, cracking his own puns and laughing, the way Seungkwan imagined a younger Grandpa Seokmin had been. But there are times like today, where he'd appear anxious, and start asking odd questions from the past, where Seungkwan never exists.

"Grandpa? It's me, Seungkwan."

Grandpa Seokmin turns to the teen, a melancholic look in his eyes. Sometimes, Seungkwan wonders what those eyes has seen - the eyes of an old soul who'd seen the world at its worst.

"Where's my wife? She's supposed to be here; she loves the sea." Grandpa Seokmin's voice comes out hoarse, and Seungkwan quickly pours out a glass of water from a pitcher nearby, holding it for the old man, who recieves it with trembling hands.

Seungkwan perfectly knows the answer, but he's too soft-hearted to tell the old man the tragic truth. Once in a while, he gets asked this question by the old man, and it breaks his heart trying to think of the proper response.

"She's at a better place, Grandpa." The teen says gently, once Grandpa Seokmin finishes drinking his water.

"Ah, she should've taken me with her." Grandpa Seokmin sighs, a sad smile on his face, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, before Seungkwan could hand him a tissue. 

"Let's go for a walk outside? The weather's nice. Later, I'll make you hallabong juice; I just picked them today." Seungkwan suggests, pointing at the basket he'd brought in.

The elderly man reaches over to touch Seungkwan's hand gratefully. "I don't know who you are, but you're very kind. Thank you."

Grandpa Seokmin's not Seungkwan's biological grandfather, but it still hurts when the confused old man doesn't recognise him. Seungkwan has to remind himself that it's the disease that's eating at the old man's brain - it's not on purpose.

The teen smiles patiently, and grabs Grandpa Seokmin's walking cane. "Let's go."

Patience, and kindness.

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