Donghae is bored. He’s lying on his sofa and he doesn’t want to read and he doesn’t want to scroll on his phone and he’s tired of watching movies.

He has had…

One day off work so far.

It is only Tuesday morning and Donghae feels restless, bored and grumpy. He is sore from the crash and his knee hurts, but he’s had enough of resting. He’s not injured enough to actually want to stay home, but there’s nowhere else to go; he’s banned from his workplace, his friends are all busy during the week, and it’s too far for him to travel to his mom’s place in Mokpo. He hasn’t been allowed to go to the hospital to see Henry yet either. The young apprentice is in a serious but stable condition, meaning no visitors are being permitted.

Donghae wonders if Hyukjae liked the thank you gifts he had sent. It had all come to a startlingly expensive total but Donghae had not been able to decide what Hyukjae might like, the website had kept suggesting extras, and Donghae really was grateful for Hyukjae’s reluctant kindness. After seeing the cost though, he’s also grateful he is not usually a man who has many reasons (or people) to send flowers too. It made him appreciate the comparatively less expensive strawberry frappuccinos he usually buys Hyukjae.

Still, he wishes he could have seen Hyukjae’s face when he received the gifts. Had he been surprised, and maybe delighted? Had he looked at the card and the cake happily? Donghae is willing to bet that the other man has an amazing smile, bright and joyful and contagious!

Donghae just hasn’t seen it yet, that’s all.

Donghae sighs again and stares at the ceiling.

He is so bored.

Wait though, didn’t he have something to do on Tuesday?

The incorrect appointment at Jandeuk hospital?

Donghae hasn’t rung up about it or done anything at all, too struck down with inertia. But now he thinks it is the perfect excuse to leave the house and go and do something. He can go in person to tell them they incorrectly sent him an appointment!

Maybe he can even get a pizza on the way home!

Less than an hour later Donghae is walking through the doors of a very fancy hospital. A receptionist smiles at him. He holds out his appointment letter.

‘Hi,’ he says, but before he can say anything else she has checked the letter and he’s being ushered towards the correct department where another receptionist smiles identically at him.

‘Hi,’ Donghae says again, and she takes a quick glance at his letter.

‘Mr Lee,’ she says. ‘You’re a little late but we can fit you in. If you’d like to take a seat?’

‘But,’ Donghae tries to say, ‘I never made an appointment-’

She is already on the phone, letting someone know he has arrived. Donghae finds himself sitting in a waiting room on a plush white chair.

A nurse enters with a clipboard.

‘Mr Lee,’ she says, ‘If you’d like to come this way?’

Donghae trots after her.

‘I didn’t actually make this appointment,’ he says, and he’s starting to feel a bit anxious now. He certainly can’t afford to see a doctor here, not over a misunderstanding.

‘Follow up appointments are scheduled automatically,’ the nurse tells him, ushering him into a very nice consultation room. ‘Now, I’m just going to check a few things and the doctor will be with you shortly.’

A light is shone into his eyes, his temperature is taken, and the nurse makes some notes.

‘How have you been feeling since the accident?’

‘Um, fine I guess?’ Donghae says, completely confused. ‘My knee is a bit sore, but it’s an old injury?’

‘Your knee?’ She looks at the clipboard. ‘There’s no notes about a knee injury here. I’ll mention it to the doctor, but you may need to be referred to another department for that. Today’s appointment is follow-up for the concussion.’

‘What?’

‘Have you been having any headaches?’

‘Some,’ Donghae says, ‘But I got those before the car crash. And I got the appointment letter before then too? So I don’t know how you know-’

The nurse taps something into her tablet and smiles at him.

‘Dr Shin Lee will be with your shortly.’

‘Wait,’ Donghae says. ‘I never-’

He is by himself in the consult room. He rubs his hands on his jeans nervously. This is going further than he thought! He'd only wanted to let them know that his is a common family name and they’d made a mistake!

The door opens and the absolute stereotype of a doctor enters; white coat, small neat glasses, small neat smile.

‘Mr Lee,’ he says. ‘How are you feeling? I hear you’re a little confused?’

‘I’m not confused,’ Donghae says. ‘I’m not meant to be here at all. I only came to say that I must have got the letter in error, because- I’ve very sorry, I can’t afford a hospital like this so I definitely haven’t been before-’

Dr Shin Lee is reading the notes, nodding to himself.

‘You don’t need to worry about being able to afford today’s appointment, Mr Lee.’ He says it with slight distaste, as if discussing the financial aspect of the interaction leaves a bad taste in his mouth. ‘It’s all covered by the initial settlement.’

‘But I never paid at all!’

The doctor adjusts his glasses and gives a bland s