***TW: depiction of attempted suicide.***

The chaotic calmness of the ER aded, bringing Soonbok a sense of relaxation and Sehun an uneasy tug at the back of his mind. The two tapped away mindlessly on their computers, finishing up any ad-hoc paperwork that had piled up during the shift. Soonbok’s pupils flitted towards the bottom right corner of the computer screen, paying extra attention to the passing of time.

The automatic double door of the ER opened in that moment. Soonbok and Sehun inhaled sharply at the same time, desperately hoping that it was not a patient requiring complicated care arriving moments before the end of their shift.

To everyone’s delight, it was Jongin who strutted in with Taeyeon in tow, each holding two bags of what smelt like tteokbokki. Considering neither were due to come in for a night shift, and they had come equipped with food, Sehun gazed upon them as though they were his saviours. The ravenous doctor entrusted the intern doctor to do the handover and dragged Soonbok along to the staff office where Jongin and Taeyeon had laid out the food. Two bags had been put aside for the night staff to consume during their hour of need.

“Dig in!” Jongin beamed, extending out jazz hands to highlight his benevolent actions.

“Ehhhhh,” Soonbok pouted. “I don’t want to spend more time than I need to in this building.”

“Fine,” Jongin huffed. “Then no tteokbokki for you.”

Soonbok gasped in response, her face falling like a puppy that had been kicked. Jongin pushed out his chest and placed his hands firmly on his waist, keeping his stance. Having spent so many years with Soonbok, he was utterly immune to her attempts of igniting pity from others. Realising that she was out of weapons to use against her best friend, Soonbok could only give in and obediently settle down around the table.

“Oh?” Sehun’s eyebrows rose in shock and surprise. “So even you know when to admit defeat?”

“Only when she is famished and there is food in front of her,” Taeyeon chuckled, reminiscing past memories. “Pretty sure those are the only times I’ve seen her submit to Jongin. Otherwise, he’s the one always getting dragged around in her pace.”

“Bullied you mean,” Jongin sneered jokingly as Soonbok poked her tongue out at him in retaliation.

“Gosh this is exactly what I needed,” Sehun gushed, melting into his bowl of food.

Soonbok hummed in agreement, stuffing three whole pieces of tteokbokki and a slice of fishcake into . As she chewed in rhythm to a silent tune, her cheeks bounced like those of a squirrel. Jongin ruffled her hair adoringly, content with how satisfied his Bokkie-bok dearest was feeling.

Contrasting with the lackadaisical girl, Taeyeon ate in small and controlled bites, chewing each bite with great care and attention. She even scooped some of her portion into Soonbok’s bowl, earning herself a look of disapproval from everyone.

“If I eat too much at this hour I’ll get really bloated in the morning,” Taeyeon explained quietly. “And Soonbok’s been working so hard, so she needs the energy.”

“What about me?” Sehun protested. “Do I not work hard? Do I not deserve an extra scoop of ttekbokki? Do I not deserve this special treatment too?”

Silence ensued as everyone blinked blankly at the doctor’s childish tantrum. Deciding he was not worth the effort or attention, Soonbok tilted her head towards Taeyeon and sent her a playful wink before digging into her food again. Sehun scowled at the tepid reaction he received.  Sympathising with the male, Jongin gave him a comforting pat on his back.

“Our Bokkie-bok dearest just has a way of igniting people’s motherly instincts. They see her tiny scrawny self eating food deliciously and they are overcome with the urge to feed her bottomless stomach.”

“You’re just jealous your mum loves me more than you.”

Jongin wheezed in offence at Soonbok’s declaration. Cracking his jaw, he narrowed his eyes at the girl.

“Keep this up and you’ll be married to your job for real. No one would be able to bear you and I’m definitely not going to marry you.”

“That’s fine,” Soonbok shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. “If I get too tired from work, I’m sure your future partner will look after me. After all I’m just so good at bringing out people’s maternal instincts right? Oh wait, you need to find someone to date first.”

This triggered a series of snarky exchange between the two best frien