A/N: Howdy doo~

Here's another update for y'all. It's not as cute as the last first two chapters. Sorry :\ I promise you'll get that later~

When I was writing this, I was worried this contained some angst, but I realize that it's just a bunch of hurt/pain-comfort. I'm kinda iffy when it comes to describing pain, especially the kinda that I've felt. Like I'm sharing you this pain that I've experienced, but when I'm reading it after a month, it kinda seems like nothing? Read at your own risk. If you're uncomfortable with that, I'd advise asking someone who may have read it.

CW: pain

Things were happening very accordingly. 

Jungeun had to take her pain medication at 8AM, 4PM, and 12AM. She had to take her antibiotics at 10AM, 4PM, and 10PM. 

She had yogurt for breakfast, porridge for lunch, and soup for dinner. 

Despite feeling very sore and tired, Jungeun managed to stay on schedule with the assistance of her girlfriend. Even though Jinsol was busy working from home, she remembered to bring Jungeun an ice pack and lip balm or remind her to drink water.

At first, Jungeun felt bad that Jinsol was essentially mothering her, but she’s grateful that she doesn’t have to make food for herself and she has someone who will deal with her cranky self at midnight. Jinsol was so patient, even when Jungeun had lost patience with herself. 

Day 3 was very similar to Day 2. Jungeun would whine about things she wants to eat and do and Jinsol would just playfully reply to her. 

“I want that.”

“I know you do.”

Things were pretty much the same, except for one intense event.

“Jungie. You should go to sleep soon. You need as much rest as you can get.” Jinsol sleepily climbs into their shared bed after cleaning up.

Jungeun just hums. She wants to complain about how much she’s been sleeping for the past two days, but decides against it since she’ll eventually fall asleep in Jinsol’s arms.

The younger one waited for her body clock to kick in, but she belatedly realized that too many things were abnormal to her in order for her to sleep comfortably. 

First of all, she had taken way too many naps throughout the day, so she had an unusual amount of energy, even if it was a little. 

Second of all, poor Jinsol must’ve been beyond exhausted because she wasn’t laying in her regular position next to Jungeun. Usually, Jinsol would be spooning Jungeun, but ever since Jungeun’s surgery, Jinsol compromises by putting an arm around Jungeun’s waist or tangling their limbs together while Jungeun obediently lays on her back. Tonight, Jinsol laid flat on her stomach, arms underneath her pillow, and head facing away from Jungeun.

Lastly, her best friend was texting her. Jiwoo was studying and working in the United States. At first, Jiwoo was just checking up on her, but since Jungeun missed talking to people and Jiwoo is a rather talkative person, they ended up catching up on each others’ lives. Apparently, Jiwoo had a hard time teleworking so a “rather cute”  IT person ended up physically coming to her apartment and the two just clicked. Jiwoo was sad that their meeting ended, but the IT girl sent a follow up email and that’s when Jiwoo mustered up the courage to ask her out on a virtual date. Unconventional, but what can you do in the middle of the pandemic? And as long as Jiwoo is happy? 

It wasn’t until she heard Jinsol’s snores (meaning she’s deep into her REM cycle), that Jungeun realized it’s 3AM. She rarely stays up this late. As much as she wanted to keep talking to Jiwoo, the drowsiness was finally kicking in. She bids Jiwoo farewell and plans to have a follow-up conversation another day.  

Jungeun places her phone on the nightstand next to her. She stares at the ceiling and places a hand on her own stomach. Jinsol’s constant and light snores actually soothe her.

However, when she closes her eyes, she’s thinking of Jiwoo. She’s thinking about Zoom dates and about how she and Jinsol did long distance for a few months. She wonders about the food Jiwoo talks about and all the hiking she’s been doing. “It’s so green here, Jungie!” She hopes things end up well with Jiwoo and this new girl. Maybe when things get better, she and Jinsol can visit them in the U.S.

Her head hurts. 

She tells herself she should really go to sleep. That’ll make the headache go away.

Thinking it’ll soothe some pain, she rubs her eyes and focuses on Jinsol’s snoring.  

Jungeun does a breathing exercise. Breathe in for 8 counts, hold for 8 counts, breathe out for 8 counts, hold for 8 counts. Repeat. 

She was definitely calm, but the dull ache in her head wasn’t going away. 

As a matter of fact, it seems like it traveled. With every breathing exercise she performed, it went further down: her face, her neck, her chest.

Suddenly, it’s hard to breathe. 

There’s a sharp pain in her stomach. At first, she ignores it and tries to let itself wash away, but when she takes another breath, another surge of pain shoots through her core. 

Jungeun immediately sits up and clutches her stomach. She no longer feels sharp pain, rather a swelling sensation. She doesn’t exactly know what’s going on and it’s honestly freaking her out.

Jinsol frantically wakes up to shallow breathing. “Jungie?” Her hand is on her girlfriend’s back. “Babe, what’s wrong?” 

Knowing that Jinsol was awake, Jungeun felt less conscious about wincing in pain. She feels bad about waking Jinsol up, but her chest hurts thinking about it and all she wants is for all the pain to go away. 

“Baby, breath.” Jinsol starts doing breathing exercises with her, similar to the ones she was performing earlier. 

The pain didn’t really subside, but she did feel more at ease being next to Jinsol. 

Jungeun’s breathing evened out, but she was still tense and groaning in pain. Her stomach felt like loose electrical wire and her head might be another end. 

“Jungie, where does it hurt? Do I need to call an ambulance?” As calm as she appeared to be, Jinsol was also internally distressed. She never experienced anything like this when she was recovering from wisdom teeth surgery. She hasn’t experienced anything like this at all. 

The only thing keeping Jungeun at bay are the soothing circles Jinsol is rubbing on her back.

After a few breaths, she manages to muster out an answer. “Sto...mache.”

Jinsol goes to her side of the bed and grabs the trash can under her nightstand and places it near Jungeun. Jungeun didn’t feel nauseous, but appreciated the gesture. 

“Do I need to call 119,” she calmly asks?

It takes another few breaths. Jungeun still focuses on the circles. She shakes her head. 

Jinsol just stares at her and nods. The untranslatable whimpering makes her more anxious.  

“Head...hurts…too,” Jungeun choppily explains. Her jaw is tired because she’s been clenching it. She knows she shouldn’t be, but couldn’t help it. 

Jinsol immediately places her other hand on Jungeun’s forehead. It wasn’t abnormally warm.

To be honest, Jinsol was at a loss. She desperately wanted to help her girlfriend, but didn’t know what to do. 

Jungeun was having her own internal conflict. She felt bad for waking her tired girlfriend up, but the pain was so severe. For a second, she wonders if her appendix burst, but she remembers hearing how pain transfers and she wasn’t feeling that. Painkillers are on her mind, but knows they’re not an option without food and she has no appetite and no desire to be away from Jinsol.  

Jinsol pulls Jungeun in close. With her left hand, she continues to rub comforting circles on Jungeun’s back and holds Jungeun’s hand with her other. Jungeun lays her head on Jinsol’s chest while Jinsol gently leans her head on top of Jungeun’s, feeling body heat on her cheek. 

For a moment, Jungeun only hears Jinsol’s heartbeat. She only feels Jinsol’s breath on the crown of her head.

She doesn’t know when it happens, but the pain eventually subsides and she lies back down to fall asleep. Jinsol tucks her in and lays on her side, watching Jungeun until her breaths even out.

Jinsol pulls out her phone and researches Jungeun’s sudden symptoms. A part of her wants to call an ambulance and send Jungeun to the ER, but considering how serious the current pandemic is and how all right Jungeun is now, she thinks they might be okay. Jungeun didn’t have a fever or cold sweats. She was just experiencing spontaneous pain?

Naver didn’t help at all. She came across multiple potential causes—dry sockets, appendicitis, food poisoning—but couldn’t pinpoint anything. When she comes across things like cancer, she immediately logs out. 

After her unsuccessful research session, she checks her phone to see the time. She has to be up in two and a half hours to prepare Jungeun’s breakfast and medication. She wonders if it’s worth going to sleep at this rate. Maybe she should watch over Jungeun in case something else happens. At this rate, she can probably start work a little earlier, too.  

Jinsol glances back at Jungeun. Her chest and stomach rose and fell as calmly as the low tides. The younger woman no longer has a contorted face and instead, gives off a serene vibe. That at least gave her a surficial sense of security. 

Internally, she admits that it’s been hectic the past few days, but reminds herself that Jungeun is having it way worse than her. Nonetheless, she knows Jungeun would do the same for her if things were the other way around. Jinsol grabs the hand that laid on Jungeun’s stomach. 

It was all for her and she wouldn’t have it any other way. 

-

It’s 5AM. Fatigue is hitting Jinsol, but fear keeps her awake. She sits with her knees pressed to her chest, her head against the headboard.

At first, she just tried to play games on her phone, but after some time, her cognitive skills weren’t up to par and she would always lose at the same spot. Every once in a while, she would check on Jungeun, but her patient was sleeping rather soundly.

Jinsol debates clicking the call button on her current screen. She’s worried about waking up that person.

The older woman feels the need to talk to someone though. This need has been growing for the past hour. The silence in the room is too loud for her. The thoughts in her head were becoming too much and she knew that talking to this person would comfort her. 

She checks on Jungeun one last time. Jinsol’s 90% confident that the two had experienced the worst of it and Jungeun will be alright for the next 30 minutes or so.

As quietly as possible, Jinsol slips out of bed. She grabs a jacket and exits their room. She keeps walking through their apartment until she’s at the balcony. Paranoia hits her one more time, but recognizes that Jungeun would at least scream for her if something happened to her. 

Jinsol prays that’s not the case while she hits the call button. 

She brings the phone to her ear. It rings two times before someone picks up. 

“Jinsollie?”

The owner of the name nearly chokes. It was so relieving to hear that person’s voice. 

“Jung Jinsol? Are you there?” The voice sounded gravelly, as if that person just woke up. 

Jinsol wants to apologize to the person. She wants to let out all her feelings. 

“Mom,” she cries out. 

“Oh. Jinsollie~. Why are you calling so early in the morning? Is everything alright?”

Tears are b in her eyes. She’s feeling comforted just hearing her mother’s voice of concern. It feels like forever since they’ve last contacted each other. They haven’t been able to physically see each other in order to follow social distancing orders and in consideration of each other.

“Mom,” She crouches on the ground and stressfully runs a hand through her hair. “I’m sorry—.” She chokes up.  

“Honey, what’s wrong? Are you okay? Did something happen to Jungeun?”

Jinsol takes a deep breath and clears . She needs to be strong. “I’m sorry for calling you so early. Thank you for answering.”

“Jung Jinsol. I am your mother. I will answer your call if I’m on Mars. Cut to the chase. What happened?”

Finally, she smiles. Before she continues, she takes another deep breath. “Jungie, got her wisdom teeth extracted on Monday.”

Jinsol’s mom immediately interrupts. “Oh, my. That poor child! How is she?”

Jinsol deliberates her storytelling origin. “She got all four teeth taken out.”

“Oh, my—! She must’ve been in pain! Is she doing okay? Did something happen to her? Is that why you’re calling?”

Jinsol sighs. “She was doing okay. We’ve been doing a good job keeping track of her medication. I’ve been cooking her porridge, just like you did when I got my wisdom teeth pulled.”

“That sounds good. It sounds like you have things under control. What about soup? You can make some seaweed soup or potato soup?”

Jinsol nervously laughs. “I don’t know how to cook either of those things. I searched them up on Naver, but the ingredients and instructions seem really different from what you do.”

“Aish. Jindori, you need to come home and I will teach you. Bring a notebook or something. You should be able to make something as simple as this, even if Jungeunie isn’t recovering. They’re good during the winter or when either of you are sick.”

“Okay, mom. I’ll come over soon. Maybe when Jungeun gets better?”

Her mom chuckles. “Whatever works with you. You’re very welcome here. Anyways, is Jungeun eating well?”

“I guess so. She’s been complaining about a lack of diversity, but it’ll pass over soon.” She bites her lip. “I just feel kinda bad. She wants to go to work and go dance again, but we both know they’re all bad ideas. I hate saying no to her over simple things.”

“I know it’s stressful, but you’re doing good.”

Shaking her head, she remembers what happened hours ago. She grasps for words. “Last night, something happened. It was so scary.”

“Did she have a dry socket?”

Jinsol grasps her jacket a little tighter. She remembers all the research she did, only to not find an answer. It was frustrating. 

“To be honest, I don’t know what happened. I just woke up and she was curled up. She said her stomach and head hurt. I checked if she had a fever, but she was fine. I gave her the trash can in case she wanted to throw up, but she didn’t.

“ I didn’t know what to do, Mom . I was so scared for her.” Jinsol felt a droplet on her hand and that’s when she realized she was crying. She tried to wipe away her tears. “She was crying out in pain and—,” she pinches the bridge of her nose, recalling what happened merely hours ago, “I didn’t know what to do.” She beats herself up for those words. 

“ I still don’t know what to do . Should I have brought her to the hospital? I mean she doesn’t really show any other symptoms of appendicitis, but all the websites say they don’t show symptoms for a while and I want to help her as soon as I can, but I don’t want to take her to a hospital, especially if she doesn’t need it. What if either of us gets exposed to COVID patients? 

“Should I continue to watch her? Am I being paranoid?” Jinsol hated how she was rambling, but all of her worries seemed to be flowing out. She admits she feels a sense of relief. “I know I’ve gotten my wisdom teeth pulled, but I feel like Jungeun is going through it worse and I feel bad that I don’t know what to do about it.

“When she was crying in pain, all I could do was hold her. My mind just froze. I feel so stupid and I’m tired of feeling stupid and useless and—.” Jinsol chokes on her last words. It was difficult for her to break down her walls, but she knew she could do so in front of her mother. 

“Jinsol, honey. Calm down. Breathe.” 

At her mother's command, she took deep breaths. She hoped Jungeun couldn’t hear.

When Jinsol controlled her breathing, her mom continued. “You did the right thing, Jinsol. Whatever happened last night was something out of your control and you did you best.” 

Those words alone seemed to take a large weight off Jinsol’s shoulders. 

They didn’t clear her concerns though. “What should I do now? I have an idea, but I’m scared of doing this on my own. What if I mess up? I don’t want to put Jungeun’s life in danger. I don’t even know what happened to her.”

Her mom lets out a chuckle. “Aish, Jindori. You are always so dramatic.” Jinsol huffs out some air. “Is she okay, now?”

Out of habit, Jinsol looks for Jungeun. She gazes in the direction of their bedroom even though she couldn’t see her. “I left the room to talk to you. She fell asleep. She was okay before I left though. She slept for a few hours.”

She hears her mom hum. “I think she’s going to be okay. Maybe she’s just experiencing a weird side effect of the medication. You can keep checking on her, but I don't it’s something you need to hover over.

“Jungeun’s a strong and smart girl. I’m sure if it was something serious, she would’ve asked you to call an ambulance or drive you to a hospital.”

Jinsol smiles at her mom complimenting her girlfriend. Jungeun, indeed, was strong and smart.

“If you’re concerned, go call her dentist when the office opens. I’m sure they won’t mind a 5-minute call if it’s not an emergency.” 

The child nods her head, taking mental notes. “Will do, mom.”

“And Jinsol,” her mom calls out to her one last time. 

“Yes, mom.”

“Sometimes, you just need to be there for Jungeun. Knock on wood, but if she’s in an ambulance with her head split open or she’s expelling her guts out, you’re going to want to do something about it, but the most you can do is hold her tight and tell her things are going to be okay. 

“I know it’s not much, but sometimes, it’s everything.

“Pain is much more tolerable when you share it, when you’re with someone you trust. Jungeun trusts you.

“Like I said, you did the right thing. Don’t underestimate how much you mean to her.”

The sun was rising and maybe that was a sign that things are going to get better.

“Thanks, mom.”

-

Even though Jinsol only had an hour until she had to prepare Jungeun’s breakfast and medication, she slipped into bed. Jungeun, awoken by the dip in the bed, but more than half asleep, naturally feels around for Jinsol. 

Jinsol wraps an arm around Jungeun’s waist and hooks their legs together. Jungeun places a hand on top of Jinsol’s.

After a few breaths, Jungeun unconsciously lets out a content sigh.

-  

Per her mother’s advice, Jinsol calls the dentist and asks if Jungeun should see them. The doctor says that Jungeun’s incident is rather strange, but not uncommon. It might have occurred due to her change in diet and because “all the nerves are connected together” and pain managed to travel to her stomach. If the pain persists or worsens, she should see her actual doctor and not a dentist.

Luckily, Jungeun did not experience that kind of pain again.

A/N:

Once again. I just want to thank everyone for the support you have been giving this story. Like BRUH I HAVE FANART. In the 7 years that I've been writing (including AFF and tumblr), I've never received art, and let me tell you, I am so freaking honored. I swear, I'm trying not to let it get to my head, but like, I'm just so happy, especially with how y this quarantine has been. I'm still shocked by it.

Additionally, I love reading your comments~ I'm touched that you can relate to some things and that you tell me what's your favorite part/what sticks to you. All kinds of feedback are appreciated. <3 If you're feeling shy, feel free to leave an anon comment on Curious Cat! (@LittlePanduh)

In regards to last chapter, I might post the original extended version of it after this fic is complete. I think you'll see how annoying it was haha.

As always, stay safe and healthy everyone! To those starting school soon, good luck!

wanna be moots on Twitter? i talk about ggs a lot (@littlepanduh)