-PRESENT-

It had been almost a week now that Taemin was avoiding Hyerin’s calls & messages, since she woke up.

The last she saw him was before she went unconscious in his arms in the cafe that night.

Of Course, she wasn’t expecting him to visit her in the hospital, knowing that he was not an ordinary person who could visit her in a public place like hospital. But his call being unreachable continuously since a week now was strengthening her doubts.

Her messages to him being left unread for the entire week, was high time to hold in, as all she wanted was to at least hear his voice, once.

She was missing him. Too much. And worried. If he was okay all this time?

—---------------

-Two days Ago-

Gaeul was in the hospital to meet Hyerin…

“I’m sorry I did this to you” she was standing in front of Hyerin looking down in guilt as Hyerin was surprised enough to see her there,

“I’ll be too shameless if I say it again after coming here” “But-”

Gaeul took a brief pause gulping , and Hyerin was curious what she had to say more, “But I still want you to know about it” Hyerin was quietly listening to her knowing the direction of her context now.

“I’m not the only one who would wants both of you to break up”

“Probably because eonni have not been in korea since a long time, you don’t seem to see that you’re putting yourself up for a conflict”

“If you really care for him it will be better to not go further with this relationship” “Dating will just add lots of chaos to his life, which is definitely not good for him & his future” Gaeul was the only one talking in the room.

Hyerin had no particular answer to her. She is stating the facts .

She had no explanation to give her in return.

A silence spread as Gaeul stopped talking looking up for Hyerin who was lost in her thoughts of herself now.

“So, you’re not coming to the cafe again?” Hyerin said, ending her silence as she glanced at Gaeul as her eyes softened.

“We’re meeting here for the last time, right?” Gaeul nodded silently, nervous with Hyerin’s unusual coldness in words, as Hyerin took a long breath, “Gaeul, It’s not me who you should be saying sorry” Hyerin's words made Gaeul think for a while what she meant, till she realized the other person involved was Taemin.

“I will say it again”

“You should respect him & his decision” Hyerin made sure, she was delivering her words with all her sincerity, as she watched Gaeul rolling her eyes after hearing her, making her sigh briefly before continuing her words,

“I’m sure he is mature enough to choose what he wants, and how he wants”

“I can just assure you that-”

“He’s the most precious person I can ever have, so-” Hyerin added shaking her head lightly, giving Gaeul a weak plastered smile, “I can’t afford to see him cry in front of me again”

“SO!”

“You better behave yourself” Hyerin was staring into Gaeul’s eyes as Gaeul was not looking away in arrogance.

“Or my uncle is a lawyer, just so you know” “And I’ll not tolerate any nonsense of you & whoever involved with you in all these illegitimate acts of you all”

“Not at all when taemin oppa is concerned” Hyerin was done & over with the as she was holding in & thinking it over & over, since a while.

“You better ask your friends to stop following oppa too”

“You probably don’t know me, beyond my sweet face of being your eonni in the cafe”

“Do you really think I would naturally be this kind person, when I was out in the world growing up all alone?”

“You better not underestimate me there” Hyerin had a smirk on her face which was confident enough to bring frustration to Gaeul, who was watching her, standing in front of her.

Gaeul had an agitated face, as she turned to leave, dashing out of the room.

-----------------

-PRESENT-

“Hello” “Hyerin-ssi” “How are you feeling today?” Dr Ik Joon was here to check on Hyerin, on his morning rounds.

Since the last two days, she was shifted into a semi-private ward, Ryujin made sure she was paying her visits whenever she was off-duty.

Hyerin was most relieved to know Ryujin was by her side in all this chaos that happened last week, taking care of her as her guardian as well as friend.

Hyerin didn't want her mother to know about her situation so she made Ryujin lie about it to her, that Hyerin had to fly off to Paris due to an emergency & then Hyerin also talked to her when she recovered from her shaking voice due to trauma the next day, so her mother totally believed their lie, absolutely unaware of the reality till now.

Ryujin was the guardian of Hyerin then, looking after all the documents & procedures that were needed to be done, when she had to get admitted in the hospital for the whole week.

“I’m feeling a lot better now” “You said I will be discharged today?” she looked up at the doctor with a questioning eye as he smiled back at her impatient face.

“Hmm” “You are good to go” he said, taking her wrist to check her pulse, “I’ll have to talk to Dr Ryujin first” he watched Hyerin pouting nervously, through the corner of his eyes, focusing partially on the chart-pad in his hands.

“Don’t worry” Dr Ik-jun turned to Hyerin hanging the charts on the end of the bed again,

“I think you’re perfectly fine now to head home” “So she will agree too” he gave her a compassionate smile trying to cheer her up by confirming it to her, “I’ll convince her” he blinked at her smiling & nodding at her.

And she remembered Ryujin consoling her the day before, telling her that she will try talking to Taemin herself but Hyerin had not seen her that briefly for them to have a proper conversation after that, except for her short visits between her work schedule.

“Hospital food is boring, right?” Dr Ik-jun was watching her but Hyerin was in a different world since a while now to hear his words clearly.

Is he already thinking about it?

We can talk. Why is he ignoring my calls ?

Her thoughts were interrupted by the opening of the door of her room as she saw Ryujin entering the room.

“You don’t have to ignore me this way" Dr Ik-jun sulked, mumbling to himself eyeing her, before he turned to Ryujin.

“She can go home today” “I’ll prescribe the final tests immediately”

“She can then leave till evening after completing the other formalities” Ryujin was listening to him, with her hands in either pockets of her apron as she had her doctor’s coat on, over her doctor’s gown.

“Okay, then” “Can you send me the copy of her test results?” Ryujin asked Dr Ik-jun as he nodded immediately in agreement, making her nod too in response.

“I’ll get going then” Dr Ik-jun announced moving to the door as Ryujin bowed to him & Hyerin saw him walk out of the door.

“Taemin oppa?” Hyerin had her eyes on Ryujin who had her chart pad in her hand already checking her vitals.

Ryujin’s hands freezed hearing Taemin’s name and her eyes paused for a while before looking into Hyerin’s eyes as she let out a quick breath, “As your scar is still not healed completely” “It will be better to stay at my home for a while” she completed her words in one breath.

“Unnie!” Hyerin’s disappointed voice was the signal for Ryujin to take the leave, “I’ll get everything done required for your discharge” “We’ll go home in the evening” Ryujin had unusually her serious tone again after mention of Taemin,

“Take rest till then” she patted Hyerin’s shoulder, completing her words quickly leaving no space for Hyerin to interrupt as she turned to leave immediately.

“I don’t expect this from unnie” Hyerin was watching Ryujin figure from back before she saw her leaving the room after a brief pause on the way out.

Ryujin literally sprinted out of Hyerin’s room with a heavy heart as she slipped her hand into the pocket of her apron to get her phone dialing Taemin’s number.

The phone kept ringing & he wasn’t picking up the call again for the 100th time now.

Since Ryujin sent him the message about Hyerin being awake he had not replied to her any messages or calls for the last 3 days at least, when she tried calling him whenever she was free from her work in the hospital.

Because of the other four boys, Ryujin got to know about him being back in Seoul, but then he was not taking their calls too, and she had no answer for Hyerin’s questions now.

She ended the call, as she rushed herself into the washroom on her way, slipping her phone on the counter beside the sink, she took a long breath watching the floor resting her hand on the counter, “This is crazy” she snapped out the words in frustration, she had been controlling from Hyerin’s room till here.

“What the hell is on his mind right now?” she was blabbering now in the empty washroom trying to organize her mind around what was happening but she had the least information right now..

Hyerin bursted out in anger & tears, after meeting Gaeul, worried of all the insecurities that were obvious, making Ryujin panic too with her, as she kind of understood every tint of those emotions.

Ryujin knew now why Taemin warned her to not allow Gaeul to meet Hyerin, but unfortunately it happened in her absence, and she was regretting not instructing the ward-helpers about Hyerin’s visitors, not expecting Gaeul to actually visit after doing such kind of act to Hyerin, but it happened

This is it! Sorry oppa, can’t respect your privacy anymore!

She had to wrap up her stuff as two girls got in the washroom the next minute, so she picked her phone from the counter, typing a message,

‘Hyerin is getting discharged today. She can’t go to her own home right now, so I’m dropping her at your house. Informing you out of generosity’ and she sent it, stepping out of the washroom finally, rushing to her work again.

--------------

As Hyerin would get sleepy because of the meds these days, she fell asleep in the car during the drive, when Ryujin was taking her to her home as she was supposed to.

But when she opened her eyes, she found their car at Taemin’s apartment parking area, she was aware of, just by a glance.

She looked at Ryujin in surprise, “Did he tell you to bring me here?” And Ryujin didn’t know what to reply to her expectations.

“His password is 201020” she replied as Hyerin nodded before getting off the car when she disappeared into the elevator in less than a minute, literally running into it, making Ryujin smile at her transparency of emotions.

“He better thank me later” she pursed her lips reaching to start the engine, as she drove away to home.

—------------

Hyerin dialed the password as the door opened, and she got in scanning the house, which seemed quiet as she moved in slowly, looking around.

After getting no signs of Taemin or even kkoong in the kitchen or living room, she decided to move inside, into the bedroom.