"Soojin-ah, are you all right?" Her mother asked, settling down on her bed with weariness that stabbed Soojin's heart. 

 

Soojin's jaw muscles clenched. She stopped her revision and put down pen. Had she noticed that I had a loss of appetite and showed slight reluctance in going to school? She inhaled sharply.

 

 Her mother patted the spot next with her with a little up-turn of her lips. Soojin went over. 

 

Her mother's gaze softened and spoke in a soft voice, "Soojin-ah, talk to me... Anything..."

 

Soojin's head shot up immediately. Had she found out? She darted her eyes from left and right, thinking of a way to avert this conversation. She picked up the tattered bear which her mother had given her on her third birthday from the tangle of sheets and pillows. She plucked at one matted ear and sighed inwardly. Her eyes were b with tears but she tried to blink them away.

 

Soojin did not want her parents to worry.

 

At sixteen, Soojin was pretty and curvy. She was of a medium height. Long, brown hair framed her friendly face and her teeth were even and pearly white. She was a quiet and obedient. In her parents' eyes, she was a daughter whom they did not need to worry about. Although her grades were not the most excellent ones in her school, they were also not something which caused her parents to frown whenever they received her report card.

 

However, being quiet was making her an outcast in school. She did not mingle with her classmates and she could not find a clique which she found suitable. She could not be with the goody-two-shoes group because her grades were not as good as theirs. She did not want to be with the classmates who were at the end of the spectrum. She was afraid she would get bad influence. She tried to settle with the average students, yet, she was not as outgoing as them. In other words, she was alone despite her having a friendly aura.

 

Her classmates soon found out that she was the odd one among them. They started avoiding her at all cost and rumours had spread that if anyone were to be near her, they would be cursed for the rest of their lives.

 

Soojin heard them. She knew what was going on. She was in despair – everywhere she went, she was branded as a 'wang-dda', an outcast. It was fine if they did not bother her, but them deliberately shying away at the sight of her had hurt her feelings – a lot.

 

Even though her homeroom teacher knew what was happening, she could not do anything about it. He talked to Soojin. She listened but did not say anything. When he wanted to call her parents to inform them of the current situation, Soojin begged him not to do so. Reluctantly, he obliged. He managed to pin-point the culprit who started the rumour and called the parents. Instead of solving the bullying problem, he got in trouble with the school upon a complaint that he was trying to ruin the culprit's reputation. He almost lost his job. Unwillingly, he stopped all efforts to further improve the situation for Soojin. Bugs and tacks never failed to make their way to her locker on a daily basis. She was at her limit.

 

Facing her mother once again, she heaved, "I-I'm fine."

 

Her mother gave her a dubious look and sighed, "I'll always be here for you whenever you decide to open up, Soojin-ah."

 

She stood up and left the room, closing the door with a soft click.

 

Once she was sure that her mother was out of earshot, waves of sadness rushed towards her like white-water rapids. A sheen of tears appeared in her eyes and her bottom lip quivered. Tears fell and rolled down her cheeks, soaking the collar of her shirt. She tried wiping them away but more fell. She took a shuddering breath. Pressing her hands to her face, she kept on sobbing.

 

Was it too much to ask for somebody else to care for her like a quarter —no, one-twelfth — of how her parents did?

 

*****

 

Kibum analysed the blood test report with a frown etched between his brows. He could hear the pumping of the heart. It was as soft as a flutter of the butterfly's wings yet he could hear it without the use of a stethoscope. The thought of warm delicious blood coursing through his patient's every vein made him hungry. He shook the thought away. He had long decided that he would drink from nothing else except a blood bag. 

 

"Mr Shim," the doctor began.

 

"Y-Yes?" Changmin replied almost immediately, wringing his hands.

 

Kibum had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. He took another glance at the report and said, "Everything's fine with the exception that your cholesterol level is slightly higher than the optimal range for adults."

 

Changmin swallowed a lump in his throat. Kibum pushed the report over to him and explained the details. Relieved that he did not need to take any sort of treatment, he sighed in bliss that seemed all too obvious. Knowing that the doctor was silently questioning his actions, he cleared his throat.

 

"Have you ever thought about donating blood, Mr Shim? Y'know, some charitable work?"

 

 Kibum had noted that Changmin's blood was of a pretty colour when he drew it. He had a strong urge to taste what it was like.

 

 "W-What?" Changmin said. "No. The head prohibits any activities that would reduce our productivity, even if it's a little bit."

 

Disappointment was visible on Kibum's face. When the patient  was about to bid goodbye, Kibum grabbed his wrist instinctively.

 

 "Would you be my... mate?" Kibum asked. 

 

He had a certain attraction towards the man that he could not quite explain.

 

Changmin set his jaws at a stubborn angle, like he wanted to say no but then he brew out a deep breath and briefly looked away.

 

Kibum was ready to use his powers on Changmin if he refused.

 

"Mate? Do you mean a partner, a friend, a companion or an assistant?" Changmin bantered.

 

Kibum blinked his eyes a couple of times. He never knew that 'mate' had so many meanings to it. 

 

He lowered his gaze to the ground and tried, "One who can share kisses?"

 

Changmin laughed, holding his stomach.

 

"You mean, a lover, Doctor?"

 

Kibum nodded, suddenly feeling embarrassed.

 

"Honestly speaking, I don't feel a thing for you... But, you can try making me fall for you," teased Changmin, smirking.

 

Kibum leaned over, held Changmin's chin in his hand, pulled him closer and kissed him. His lips, full and soft, gently shifted about Changmin's . The patient's once widened eyes are now closed, enjoying the sensation. Kibum's arms circled his neck, closing the distance. When both of them were out of breath, they moved away from each other. They stared at each other, dazed. Changmin had his smirk completely wiped off his face.

 

Maybe... Just maybe, falling for the doctor was not too hard of a task.

 

 

 

____________________________________________________________

Lol, desperate attempt to make u empathize with Soojin. *awkward* Info on bullying, credit goes to here. Haha. Yunjae meets in next chap!! Ahahaha... Btw, I estimated that this fic would be 20 chaps long. It may change if I over or underestimated the length of my descriptions for the scenes that I planned out. 

 

See ya!