“It really isn’t a serious injury, Sir. You shouldn’t have brought him here.” I could tell that I wasn’t completely awake, but I recognised my boyfriend’s voice. I remembered being in the waiting room and not being able to stay awake, but I didn’t remember getting to wherever Yongguk was. “He should be resting at home.” I felt his breath on my forehead; I must have been very close to him. That meant someone had moved me. I didn’t like being moved.

There was a sigh somewhere behind me, I assumed it was made by the person Yongguk was speaking with. “I’m fairly certain this is something Himchan needed to know about.” That was his boss. I wanted to glare at him for giving me the wrong poisons but that required far more energy than my body seemed to have. “You got shot Yongguk, he was going to find out eventually. I think it’s better if you just tell him.”

I whimpered at Yongguk’s boss’s words. Yongguk had been shot because I hadn’t followed orders quickly enough. He should have told me that at my apartment instead of just saying that Yongguk was hurt. I was his boyfriend. I deserved to have all of the information. “He’s just going to freak out, Sir. He doesn’t need this kind of stress.”

A hand moved to my shoulder but I wasn’t sure to whom it belonged. I kind of hoped it was Yongguk’s but it was more likely that it was Chief Jang’s hand. "I understand how it is, Yongguk-ssi. You don't want to worry him because you think you'll make things worse. What makes things worse, though, is separating yourself from him when he depends on you. You've been working too hard lately as it is. It isn’t any of my business, but is there a problem at home? Your boyfriend needs you and I know you love each other, but you’re at the office all the time. Use this as a chance to spend some time with him, okay?"

My heart nearly stopped at the mention of possible problems at home. Yongguk wasn’t home much but that was because he had an important job. He told me that he wished he could be home, but his boss seemed to think he was at work too much. Was there a problem at home? Was I the problem? “I just want to be good enough, Sir.” Yongguk didn’t pause to give himself a second to think. That was a good sign. He wasn’t avoiding me. “I’m so young to have a job like I have, I have to prove myself.”

“You’ve already proven yourself to the people that matter, what you have to do is take care of yourself and your pretty boyfriend.” The hand patted on my shoulder, pulling a soft whine from my lips. He had a large ring on one of his fingers and it hurt each time it came down onto my arm. It was definitely Chief Jang’s hand, I decided. Yongguk hated rings. We had worn couple rings for a nearly three years before he had informed me that he hated rings with a passion. He wore the ring around his neck on a chain after I had told him he didn’t have to wear it. I still wore mine on my finger. They were cheap but they were important to me. “You’re on medical leave until the doctors tell me otherwise, Yongguk-ssi.”

“Himchannie doesn’t work though.” Yongguk sounded incredibly nervous and it made me feel guilty. I didn’t know anything about working or medical leave but I wondered if Yongguk thought he wouldn’t get paid while he was on leave. We would be in a bad place if he wasn’t going to get paid for however long it took for the doctors to let him go back to work. “I can’t not work.”

His boss sighed again. “You got shot on the job Yongguk, you’re still going to get paid. Just spend time with your boyfriend.” He patted me on the shoulder again, another whine coming from my lips as the ring met with my body. It must have been enormous if it was hurting that badly. “Call me if you need anything.”

Yongguk hummed in response and I heard the door shut. I didn’t want him to not want to be around me, but it seemed as though he preferred work to being at home. He had said there were no problems at home, but he was gone more often than not. I tightened my grip on his arm, thankful that my mind was too numbed with the medications to think in any depth about what Yongguk’s boss had said.

It was silent in the room until my poisons had worn off enough for me to speak again. I slid over my boyfriend’s body, grabbing onto him as tightly as I could in my still sedated state. “Yongguk…” I tightened my grip, pressing my face into his chest in an attempt to be as close to him as physically possible.

He gasped when I moved. “H-hey Channie…” It sounded like he was clinching his teeth and my first thought was that he was mad at me until I felt something damp seeping through his shirt and onto my face. It took me a couple of seconds to realise what it was but when I did I pulled back from him as quickly as I could and almost burst into tears. I was so stupid. Only an idiot would press up against their boyfriend when they knew he had been shot. “D-don’t cry Baby, it’s okay.” He tried to smile but it only came out as a grimace.

I wiped my face with my shoulder as I reached out to press the call button. I remembered the other detectives saying Yongguk had had surgery. That meant he had stitches and I had been stupid enough to break them. He would need to have them fixed.

A nurse rushed in immediately – I was more than impressed by how quickly she came, the times I had been in the hospital nurses always took their time when they were called. She tried to shoo me out of the room, but I didn’t want to go. I needed to stay with my boyfriend. He was hurt! “Channie needs to stay.” Yongguk grunted at the nurse, not bothering with any sort of enunciation. It was shocking that the nurse could understand what he said, much less agree to his demands. “He’s not going anywhere.”

“Anything you say Mr Bang.” The nurse smiled, ushering me aside so she could get to my boyfriend. I expected her to start working on Yongguk’s arm immediately but she reached over to wipe my cheek first. “They said you had been sedated when they brought you in Mr Kim.” She put the rag down before ing Yongguk’s shirt. A surge of jealousy raced through my body but I pushed it away. She was helping. “The other detectives said Mr Bang was chasing a female suspect and was shot in the shoulder.” She indicated to the injury. “They had to repair the bone and remove the bullet, he should be fine though. You don’t have to worry.” She smiled brightly at me as though my boyfriend wasn’t in the hospital and worked on his injury. “He just has to keep this clean.”

_____

I have nothing to say.