Kyungha should’ve known the first thing Kyungsoo was going to do when he visited her was lecture her. And she’d almost admitted to missing home. Of course, she’d been back and forth, but she’d never stayed for anything but sleep.

Kyungsoo had decided today was the perfect day to check up on her. So when her phone rang and Kyungha didn’t answer, Sehun had picked it up for her, “mm, who’s this?” He slurs.

Kyungha heaves a long breath, letting out tired mumbles that go unheard apparently.

Sehun thumbs the sliver of skin exposed under her shirt that was pulled up during sleep. She sighs, moving closer to his touch. Sehun seems to be half-awake as he finally figures that he isn’t holding his phone, but Kyungha’s.

He frowns at the caller ID, squinting. Then, he hands it over to her, casually saying, “it’s Kyung.”

Kyungha jerks away from Sehun. Her mind blanks as she falls backward toward the linoleum, but Sehun is quick to wrap his arm around her waist, steadying her.

“What was that?” Kyungsoo’s voice bursts from her phone. “Kyungie, are you—are you having with someone?”

Sehun and Kyungha cough in unison. In full panic, she turns to glare at Sehun, muffling his cough with her palm. “W-what? No, I’m at work.”

“Hm, well, I asked your coworkers where you were but no one knows your whereabouts,” Kyungsoo deadpans.

Kyungha jerks her hand away from Sehun, feeling something wet and slimy. “Did you just ing me?” She blurts incredulously.

Sehun bites his lips to keep himself from laughing as he signals to her phone.

She glares at him but she pulls her phone back up to her ear. “Sorry, what did you say?”

Kyungsoo is not satisfied. “I’m fine with you being ually active—just give me a warning next time, geez.”

“I’m not having ,” she protests. “Besides, why are you even here? I was going to go home later.”

Her brother snorts. “You’re so grateful, Do Kyungha. I raised you well.” She makes a face at her phone that Sehun must find adorable because he ruffles her hair. She squirms away from him. “Yah! I can hear you, you know?”

Kyungha jabs her finger into Sehun’s stomach. As result, he lets out a loud yelp, clutching his stomach. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Where are you? I’ll meet you.”

“When’s your next shift start?” He asks, fed up with her at this point.

She scratches her chin. “I think at 10 PM…”

“I figured you weren’t going home, moron. I brought you food and clothes,” he asserts with his usual brotherly, snarky love.

“What time is it?”

Sehun answers, “8:30. In the evening.”

Kyungha’s jaw drops. She fell asleep for almost 6 hours? With Sehun? It was annoying to admit this, but as long as he was beside her, she didn’t need a damn sleeping pill. He was the best one yet. But he hadn't been on the market. Shame.

“I’ll meet you in the lobby, Kyungsoo,” she says quickly into her phone. “Mm, okay. Bye.”

Sehun squeezes her nose. “You’re so cute,” he notes for the hundredth time. Like he didn’t jump at it every chance he got.

She twists her lips in an unamused manner. “And you’re ugly. Go home, you smell like fart.”

Kyungha ignores his usual deep, chesty—full of energy—laugh. He sounds like he hadn’t been sleeping for hours. Sehun is always in his element, and it charms her as much as it annoys her. It’s weird, and she doesn’t really know how to handle him sometimes.

When she sees Kyungsoo, his eyes narrow at her in suspicion. But, really, he was reading way too much into this. Kyungha hadn’t had an in a while. Maybe since medical school ended.

“I’m here for my meth,” she says in a serious tone. People walking by crane their neck, squinting their eyes at her.

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes in disdain. “You’re a piece of work.” Then, his tone changes, catching onto something that strangely resembled curiosity. “So,“ He begins vaguely. “Who’s the guy you’re seeing?”

Kyungha laughs dully. “If I was seeing anyone, I would tell you.”

“Don’t lie to me,” he retorts, knowing her tricks like the back of his hand.

“Exactly. In other words, it’s none of your business, big brother. I’m also not seeing anyone. Period. Stop asking.”

Before Kyungsoo answers, his eyes grow round as he whips his head back and forth between her and something behind her. Kyungha is slow to turn around, but it’s too late.

Kyungsoo tackles Sehun to the ground. She watches the tall man fall limply. Maybe she should’ve told Kyungsoo he was injured from earlier.

“You!”

Sehun laughs nervously. “Me…” He winces in pain. Kyungha scoffs, walking over to them to pull Kyungsoo off of him.

Kyungsoo purses his lips unhappily as he dusts himself off like he hadn’t just gone full tiger mode. “You’re an .”

Kyungha agrees, “he’s an ,” as Sehun also says, “I’m an .”

Kyungsoo glances between them suspiciously. “So, am I the only one who doesn’t know that you two work together?”

She shifts on her feet. “Jongin doesn’t know.”

Her brother locks his jaw. “And Haeeun knows?”

Sehun hums, “long story short, Baekhyun does too.”

“You guys are unbelievable!” He throws his hands up in frustration. "Firstly, you, Oh Sehun!” Her brother wriggles an angry finger at the latter who is currently letting his gaze run everywhere else but at Kyungsoo. She kind of feels bad, but she doesn’t. “I hate you. I genuinely hate you.”

“Sorry, Kyung.”

“Sorry doesn’t cut it! You just—how could you? I thought we were friends!”

“We are friends, hopefully?”

“ you. You can’t just—“ Kyungsoo loses his bravado as his face crumples. “I missed you, Sehun. You just disappeared on all of us.”

Kyungha stiffens, not believing what she’d just heard. What did her brother mean by Sehun disappearing? When?

Sehun looks relatively uncomfortable in his skin. She knows exactly what’s going through his mind. He doesn’t want to talk about it. “I’m sorry. I had a problem that I had to deal with,” he murmurs.

“Kyungsoo, what did you make?” She asks, trying to change the topic.

Kyungsoo, thankfully, takes the bait. She could always count on her brother being the naive one. “I made pan-fried dumplings. Mom sent me the recipe this morning, so I thought I would try to recreate it. Honestly, it was a whole mess. I told Jongin to watch the first batch, and he still burnt them all.” She watches him pinch his temple. “Why, oh, why did I marry Kim Jongin?”

Sehun pats him. “Because you love him, Kyung.”

Kyungsoo glowers at the man across from him. “You’re terrible,” he grumbles.

Kyungha decides that there have been enough surprises for all of them, so she tries to get her older brother to leave as quickly as possible.

“You disappeared?” Kyungha asks when they’re alone again.

Sehun laughs awkwardly. “Your brother was just being dramatic. I didn’t disappear.”

She isn’t convinced. Narrowing her eyes at him, she heaves a sigh. “I despise how similar we are in certain aspects.”

He throws a casual arm over her shoulder. “I guess that’s why we get along so well.”

“I don’t know how you came to that conclusion, but I don’t recall ever making that claim.”

Sehun ignores her and reaches to grab the tote bag in her hand filled with tubberwares. “I guess this is the closest we’re coming to Mama Do’s cooking.”

Kyungha snorts. He had a talent for deflecting. She would know. It’s also something she’s pretty ing great at.

“Can you call Dr. Oh? We have a twelve-year-old with an open fracture,” Kyungha asks, glancing at the girl on the stretcher that was carried by two paramedics.

“Should I call someone from orthopedics as well?” Suzy responds, already tapping buttons on her phone.

She nods then quickly turns to the paramedics. “You can follow me.” Along the way, she asks for some extra information.

It turns out the girl was with her friends, and she was dared to jump off of a bridge. She’d missed the water and landed on hard concrete. Apparently, the bridge was only fourteen feet off the ground, so she was lucky.

“Have you contacted her parents or guardian?” Kyungha questions.

“Her older brother is coming in a couple of hours. He’s in Washington DC as of right now,” one of the paramedics answer.

She glances down at the silent girl. “Do you have anyone else closer?”

The girl meets her eyes. “If I did, they’d be here. Don’t you think so?”

Kyungha ignores this and turns back to the paramedics. “Thank you for sending her. I’ll figure out the rest from here.” After they leave, she pulls the curtain closed. “What’s your name?”

“My brother says I shouldn’t speak to strangers.”

“Fair enough, but keep in mind that this stranger is going to be the one that prevents your leg from falling off,” she informs matter of factly.

The girl snorts. “Are you even allowed to be rude to your patients?”

Kyungha shrugs. “And who gave you permission to be rude as well?”

The girl turns her face with disdain, but she coughs, “Somi. That’s my name.”

“Somi, I’m going to clean up your wound as best as I can, so we can prepare you for surgery,” Kyungha explains, getting up to grab the rack of medical tools.

Somi pales. “I need surgery?”

“Yes.”

“Is it…mandatory?”

“Nothing is mandatory. In your case, it’s having surgery to keep your leg or not having surgery and losing it. It’s your choice, of course.”

“You’re a terrible doctor,” Somi notes.

Kyungha sends her a loopy smile. “Oh, did you want a doctor who sugarcoats everything? He’s coming in a few minutes, don’t worry.”

“I heard that, Dr. Do,” Sehun grumbles. But contrary to his tone, he has a boyish smile plastered on his face.

“I had no intention of hiding that.”

He ignores her. “What’s our course of treatment?”

Kyungha replies seriously, “I was beginning to dress her wound. Then, take her for an x-ray, and refer her for surgery since it’s an open fracture.”

Sehun nods, indicating that he’d agreed. “Did you call orthopedics?”

“Suzy did. I think someone should be coming down.”

Somi blinks at the two, then focuses her gaze onto Sehun. “Are you going to cut me open?”

Sehun sits down on the stool to get to her eye-level. “Unfortunately, I don’t specialize in bones, so one of my friends will be doing that.”

She looks crestfallen. “Oh.”

“Don’t look so down. You’re a strong girl. I’ve seen adults who’ve bawled their eyes out with simpler cases than yours. Just keep this up, and we’ll help you get better in no time, hm?” Sehun gently grasps her hands, giving it a tight squeeze.

Somi tears up. “Promise me that my operating doctor will be as nice and handsome as you?”

Kyungha snorts in response. Sehun chuckles. “I’m the most handsome doctor here, but I’ll try. In the meantime, what’s your name?”

“Somi,” she sniffles.

“Somi, are you in pain?”

“It hurts a lot,” she whimpers, grimacing when her eyes catch the sight of her left leg.

Sehun turns to Kyungha. “Get her some local pain meds, for now, finish dressing her wound, and call radiology for the x-ray. Page me if there are any emergencies.” Then, he turns back to Somi. “I’ll see you around, Somi.” He gives her a friendly wave before leaving.

Kyungha finishes cleaning Somi’s injury and begins wheeling her down to radiology. “What’s his name?” Somi asks, breaking the silence.

“Who?”

“The guy doctor from earlier.”

“We passed many,” Kyungha feigns.

Somi groans, “no—ugh—are you a moron or something? The cute doctor!”

Kyungha hides her smile. “Dr. Oh Sehun,” she finally answers.

“Is he married?”

She hums, “yes, no, maybe so.”

Somi turns her neck to shoot Kyungha a pointed glare. “You’re so frustrating! I thought you guys were close or whatever.”

“Minus a hundred points for Gryffindor.”

“He looked snuggly with you though,” the younger protests.

Instead of commenting on her observation, Kyungha asks, “weren’t you in immense pain? When did you have time to be so nosy?”

Somi blows a raspberry. “I was, but I don’t want Dr. Oh to see that side of me. He’s just so—“ Kyungha amusedly watches the younger clutch both of her cheeks. “—gorgeous. Anyway, I want to seem mature for him.”

“You’re twelve.”

“Age is just a number. Besides, you shouldn’t be the one to speak, grandma,” Somi snarks.

“I’m twenty, which makes me only eight years older than you. But, of course, you’re free to keep dreaming. He’s only—what—twenty-one years older than you?”

Somi laughs haughtily. “If you’re the youngest, then you’re probably the worst doctor here.”

Kyungha bites her lip. She debated whether to tell the girl that it was the exact opposite, but sure, whatever helped her sleep at night.

“Somi?” A voice calls from behind them.

Kyungha turns around. “Do you know him?”

Somi’s eyes round. “Oppa?”

“Kyungha—no way. Kyungha?” Recognition flashes across the man’s eyes, but Kyungha doesn’t recall who he is and how the hell he knew her name.

Somi glances between them. “Do you two know each other?”

Kyungha answers, “no,” as he answers, “yes.”

Cue the awkward silence.

Kang Daniel. It turns out Kyungha did remember some things about him. He was number one on her list of hookups during medical school. They had a short fling before he graduated. He was a fourth-year when she was in her second year.

She almost forgot about him. Well, she did forget about him. He didn’t really have a presence in her life. Many of her ual partners were separated from her personal life. She’d preferred it that way.

They spent the next hour making small talk as they waited for his little sister to finish her x-ray.

“So, this is where you were stationed?” Daniel asks, smiling at her amicably.

“Yes.”

He continues, “how long have you been working here?”

“A few weeks after I graduated, so six months?”

“How’s residency been treating you so far?”

He’s persistent. She’d give that to him. “Work is work. It’s more exciting than medical school.”

He laughs. “I agree with you there. The first year is usually the toughest. Have you begun studying for the intern exam?”

“When I have time, I glance over my books and notes,” she answers.

“I’d offer to study together, but the...um...space doesn’t help.”

Kyungha wonders if she should ask him where he works to be nice. She decides that she should as a formality. “Where are you working?”

“In Washington DC. I’m just a regular, boring resident though. Not as exciting as surgery.”

Before she can reply, someone appears in her peripheral. It’s Sehun, and his eyes are currently darting between Daniel and her with rolling suspicion. “Dr. Do, how’s Somi doing?”

Kyungha points to the door of the x-ray room. “Still alive.”

Annoyance flits across his face, and he doesn’t hide it. “Right, and who’s this?”

Daniel introduces himself without her help. “Kang Daniel, Somi’s older brother. Nice to meet you, and you are—“

“Oh Sehun, and same.” Didn’t sound like he fancied the latter very much, but sure, Kyungha would humor him. “I’m Somi’s attending physician for now.”

Kyungha pretends not to hear the edge in his tone. “I’m going to head in there and check on her. I’ll see you around, Daniel.” She moves to stand, and Sehun follows closely.

He waves at her. “Do you still have my number?”

Sehun stiffens beside her. Kyungha smiles cordially. “Maybe.”

Then, they head into the room with the radiologist who greets them on sight. Sehun fakes a brief smile and turns to Kyungha after the radiologist goes back to taking pictures of Somi.

“He’s cute,” Sehun grunts. His tone seems to signal that he means the opposite.

Kyungha merely shrugs. “Sure.”

He scoffs as if the most offensive statement graced his ears. “You guys seemed chummy by the looks of it.”

“How long were you eavesdropping?” He doesn’t answer, so she comments nonchalantly, “creep.”

“Since you called me a creep, there’s no need for me to hold my tongue.” Kyungha opens to speak, but he holds a hand up. “No fraternizing with patients or their family.”

She snorts. “I don’t need you to tell me that.”

“Sorry, could you say that again? I couldn’t hear you above the obscene flirting.”

“We weren’t flirting. He was being polite. Why do you even care?”

“I care about your wellbeing. He looks like a total sleaze bag. Not a proper guy to bring home,” he articulates.

Kyungha laughs at this. “You’re a sleaze bag, and you slept in the same bed as me for more than one occasion.”

Sehun gasps. “That’s different.”

“Really? I don’t see it. Care to explain?”

“First of all, we’re friends—“

“We’re not friends.”

He ignores her. “And he’s a stranger or acquaintance whatever—how do you even know him?”

Kyungha crosses her arms. “My upperclassman at Columbia, and to be fair, I wouldn’t consider him a stranger. He’s like a little more than that.”

Sehun’s eyebrows knit together. “Explain.”

“We had ,” she says unabashedly.

He falls into a coughing fit. “W-what?”

“Why? I can’t have ? And you can? You don’t see me judging you for your choices.”

Sehun frowns. “That’s not what I was saying—“

Kyungha tilts her head. “Then stop looking at me like that.”

He squints his eyes. “Like what?”

“Like I broke the law—committed a sin. Because I didn’t. I’m allowed to anyone I want without you breathing down my neck.”

He purses his lips. “I know that—I just…I didn’t imagine that you—uh—“ He has a hard time finishing his sentence.

Kyungha decides to help him. “That I’m tainted?” He looks guilty. She rolls her eyes. “Before you persecute me, I’m not the one who had with my friend.”

He falls silent. “Are you mad?” He asks, breaking eye contact.

“No, and I don’t care. It’s none of my business who you want to sleep with. So, keep your nose out of mine,” she asserts.

Sehun releases a tight exhale. “But I do care, and I can’t…stop. What do you want me to do? It pisses me off that you slept with him.”

Kyungha lifts a brow. “Does it make you feel better that I’ve slept with other guys and he wasn’t that special?” His expression says otherwise. “Forget what I said.”

“How many?” Sehun asks.

“What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean.”

And she did know what he meant. Kyungha had hoped he didn’t pry. For some reason, it didn’t make her feel good letting him know this information. She’d always held pride in being a blunt person. She didn’t hide these things. Seulgi knew these things, but it was only because the girl wouldn’t stop begging. As for Sehun, it didn’t feel right. She’d felt some sort of emotion come over her. She’d wanted to protect him from herself. The not so good things about her.

Why did it matter anyway? Why did it matter what he thought about her?

This was the exact reason because usually, being around him bestowed a sense of comfort and security. She’s okay with him knowing the bad things about herself—or so she’d thought.

“I didn’t keep count,” she answers finally.

Her answer wasn’t quantitative, but it looked like it still did damage. She didn’t clarify, and to him, that would mean she wasn’t as innocent as he thought she was.

Obviously not.

Kyungha peers up at him. He gradually meets her gaze again. “The reason why I chased after —I wanted that high. It was a good distraction, but it was never enough.” Because they weren’t you.

But she doesn’t say that out loud. It wasn’t her job to make him feel better. At this moment, the door opens, and in comes Jongdae.

He beams at the two of them. “Finally! I’ve been looking for you, Sehun.”

Sehun shakes away his hardened expression and directs a more friendly—familiar—expression at his friend. “What’s up?”

“Minjung. Your ex-girlfriend. She’s looking for you,” Jongdae answers brightly, unaware that the moment the words left his mouth, the atmosphere immediately dampened.

Kyungha doesn’t hide her bitter smile. She didn’t have time to protect his heart. He was the one who left hers to rot, and she wasn’t going to be fooled twice.