Act 14, Scene 1

Pain.

Hunger.

Kibum wakes up feeling every last bit of the stupid choices he has made over the past couple of days.

But when opens his eyes to see Taemin asleep in the crook of his arm, he forgets everything else. The cut on Taemin’s shoulder has scabbed and his temperature is somewhat normal, and he looks so beautiful just lying there that Kibum wants to crawl away into a sewer for using him the way he did last night. 

“Yah, Taeminnie,” he calls, tapping the boy’s shoulder. “Wake up.”

Taemin blinks into wakefulness, but closes his eyes against the sun’s brightness. “I love you,” he slurs, nuzzling Kibum’s shoulder.

His heart stops. “Stockholm Syndrome,” he finally says. “And oxytocin.”

“Hmmmm?”

“It’s not love, it’s Stockholm Syndrome and oxytocin. Stockholm Syndrome is this condition in which hostages-”

“I know what Stockholm Syndrome is. What is that oxy-thing?” Taemin talks into his shoulder, and Kibum resists the urge to push him off.

“Oxytocin is a chemical which is produced by the body after . It’s called the ‘love hormone’ because it makes you feel happy and high and all those things you associate with love while it’s in your system.” He takes a breath. “So you’re not in love with me, you’re just full of cuddle hormones that make you think that.”

“Okay, hyung.” Taemin kisses his bare shoulder, right over the bruise caused by the seatbelt, and settles in to sleep some more.

You shouldn’t love me, Kibum thinks. You shouldn’t love the person who is cruel enough to let you have a taste of life before he takes it away from you.   

 Act 14, Scene 2

Sashimi is not an appropriate brunch, nor is the selection they are offered very good, but it satisfies Kibum’s craving for something light and unsavoury. Taemin devours everything that lands on his plate like he hasn’t eaten in days he hasn’t, because Kibum is a neglectful guardian so Kibum orders a bowl of udon just for him.

And then, because he hasn’t eaten in far too long, Taemin’s stomach rebels and he throws up violently as they’re packing to leave. Kibum calls the reception to book them in for another night before he goes into the bathroom to become a poor imitation of Florence Nightingale.

In the time that it takes for the vomiting gives way to dry heaves, Taemin’s fever returns in full force. He lies on the floor next to the toilet, reluctant to leave even though there is nothing left for him to bring up. Kibum feels ashamed, and he offers his apologies by fetching water and medicine and making comforting sounds and telling Taemin all the dirty jokes he can recall. He sponges Taemin’s forehead with a cold towel and coaxes him into eating the crackers he bullied out of the receptionist, hoping to appease the guilt gnawing away at his insides.

When Taemin falls asleep on the bathroom floor, Kibum brings in a pillow and blanket for him and sits in vigil over the sick boy. His chest and back feel like they’re on fire, but he fights the temptation to take the painkillers that he keeps in his backpack. If Taemin is in pain he never cried, never complained, it is only fair that he suffers too; if for nothing else than as a reminder to himself not to be so careless in the future.

Act 14, Scene 3

He remembers to call Jinki. Jinki is worried, because someone reported the crashed car to the police and the police have contacted Jinki.

“I’m fine,” he white-lies. “The crash wasn’t as bad as they made it sound and I made it out okay. Just a couple of bumps and bruises, don’t worry.”

“I always worry about you.”

“Well, don’t. I’m fine. I’ll pay for the car out of my next cheque.”

“Do you want to talk about it? The crash…I mean, the other crash? Or we could talk about this one, too-”

“Hyung,” Kibum cuts him off before things become awkward. “It’s fine. I need a new car, though.”

Jinki agrees to the new car, just like Kibum knew he would. There are very few people in the world who can say no to Kibum.

Act 14, Scene 4

Finally, on the fourth day after they first checked in, Kibum and Taemin leave. Taemin has recovered enough to start being a minor nuisance again, taking over his phone and spilling things and leaving Kibum to carry all the bags down, and although Kibum is still not feeling entirely alright, he keeps it to himself.

One of Kibum’s contacts has managed to scrounge up a fourth generation Hyundai Sonata for him; Kibum makes Taemin wear a hoodie and asks him to wait on the corner outside the mechanic’s workshop while he fetches the car. He’s no longer afraid of Taemin running away. 

 He pulls up on Taemin’s corner and the latter throws himself into the passenger seat, practically bursting with happiness.

“What?”

“This car. I wanted to get one when I started working.” He buckles himself in and the dashboard lovingly. “It looks so fluid, doesn’t it?”

Kibum nods in agreement. He’s not much of a car person, but he can appreciate the aesthetic of their new car. Taemin reaches over to run his fingers over the part of the seatbelt strapped over Kibum’s chest. “Doesn’t that hurt?”

It does but not as much as knowing that Taemin had plans for his future, or that he now refers to those plans in the past tense. “It’s fine.”

“So where’s our next stop?”

Kibum smiles. “Busan.”