CAPTAIN HULCK

Chapter Twenty Two

Gosh. Headache. Also, it’s so cold.
I sneezed.

I was walking to school early this morning, still groggy and light-headed because I hadn’t gotten enough sleep. Ask the drunk Hulck why. I left immediately after cleaning his face up and admiring it for a good number of minutes. You can’t blame me. He looks like an angel when he’s sleeping. Ack...what am I thinking? I continued strolling through the sidewalk, crossing my shivering arms, and rubbed my hands due to the low temperature of this misty morning, which was really worsening my condition.

I think I developed a cold. I shouldn’t have run through the rain to retrieve that muddy soccer ball. Hulck would not even probably remember me returning it, as well as tending to him after he passed out. As I reached our school building after passing through the garden front, I realized I should head to the nurse’s room for some painkillers first before going to my homeroom because my headache seemed to have gotten worse than when I woke up this morning.

I reached the nurse’s room. However, it was still closed.
Sighs. I guess I should just go back during break time.

I was not able to internalize what we studied this morning because of my worsening headache and my unstoppable coughs, that even my male classmate seated behind me began rhyming them with the song Humpty Dumpty. However, I was not really able to kick him in the arse because I was just not in the mood and we were inside the classroom.

I went back to the clinic during break time.
Finally, the nurse is here.

I pushed the door open, and there Ms. Yoohee was, seated at her desk, writing on some sort of white paper.  I don’t know. All I need right now are some extreme painkillers.

“Dear, you look really pale,” Ms. Yoohee stood up from her desk chair and walked towards me, as I just sat down on the chair in front of her desk. She started feeling my forehead suddenly. “Your body temperature’s really high. I think you have a fever.”

As if to confirm, she took a digital ear thermometer, placed the sensor tip inside my ear, and after a short moment, I heard a short beep.

“Fever, indeed,” she remarked.

Luck? Not. I really don’t like having a fever.
Maybe Hulck passed this onto me.
Screw Kim Joonmyeon.

“Uh, I think I will just need some painkillers,” I said, not believing her. Yes, I’m that stubborn. Not even believing a piece of a calibrated medical instrument.
“No. No, dear. I think you should take a rest.” The nurse muttered as she walked to one of the glass cabinets and grabbed some tablets from it.

I don’t really like staying at the clinic. All you can smell is the stench of isopropyl alcohol and cheap detergent that they use washing the white sheets of the beds. See what I mean when I say I’m detergent-obsessed? As much as I wanted to just 'rest' because the nurse insisted, I think it would be conducive if I just stayed in the dorm. But since it was still class hours, we weren't allowed to go out of the school. 

“Ms. Yoohee, I don’t think I’ll be able to stay here. I still have classes,” I said. Study first...not really.
“Nope.” She replied blankly, “I’ll just give you an excuse slip that you can show your teachers so you can stay here and rest.”

Crap. The pain of smelling isopropyl and cheap detergent.
But come to think about it, I hate my next class anyway. Math.
I think this will not be a bad idea after all.

“You just occupy the first bed on the right.” She said with a smile, as she handed me some tablet and a bottle of water.
“Okay,” I answered. “Thanks, Ms. Yoohee.”
“You’re welcome.”

I sneezed once more. Bless me.
I swallowed the tablet, drank from the bottle of water in my hand and walked towards the said bed. Resting now would help me. I was feeling really drowsy.

I sat down on the bed, medium-fluffy - I shrugged, settled my yellow backpack on the ground and removed my shoes, as well as my school blazer.

I lied down. Oh man, this is the life.
I pulled the white sheets up to my neck and prepared myself to get lost in dreamland.

Before I could even close my eyes, my phone buzzed inside my pocket. The message was from Philip, asking me where I was. I texted him back: Clinic. Fever. Resting. I received a reply: Get well soon. We’ll visit lunch time.

Come on, what is there to visit? It’s not like I’m confined in a hospital because I'm dying of some type of leukemia. Even so, I'm really flattered. 

I closed my eyes….I just hope I wouldn’t dream of grasshoppers...zzzzzz….

I think I had slept too much…for thirty minutes.

I sat up, leaning my back on the headboard, and placed the white pillow on my lap. Since I was still feeling light-headed, at the same time, not wanting to sleep because I 'always' sleep during night time, I did not want to read my notes nor any book. Hence, I just picked my smartphone up that I placed on the bed and started scrolling through some interesting stuff saved in it.

Photos? Nah…it’s just some derpy photos of me, my family members, stolen shots of Baekhyun and Chanyeol, some photos of my TWT members (stolen as well) and photos of Song Joongki that I downloaded from the net.
Messages? Like I need it right now.
Games? Nah…not in the mood to tire my fingers out.
Videos?

I clicked Videos…not much here…or nothing at all. I was more of a photo-staring person. However, there was this one episode of some ridiculous childish cartoon that Baekhyun and Chanyeol downloaded some time ago using this phone.
I clicked on it.

Cartoon Network's Adventure Time.

Of course, I knew who the characters were. Finn, Jake, Princess Bubblegum, Ice King…etc. Just in case you’re wondering, I haven’t really watched it, ever. But if you have two abnormally immature derps as friends who search and download cartoons as part of their happy time and spazz non-stop about it, you’ll be able to memorize the names as well….and get annoyed too.

It started playing.
Oh, shoot. I immediately toned the volume down since the sound just blasted out. I must have the volume in full earlier.

Crap. What kind of cartoon is this?
Look at that drawing, there isn’t even some dimensional effect. Maybe the artist was just too lazy drawing the characters up.
And what’s with that white thingy that the lead character’s wearing. Also, he has a dog that talks and can stretch itself in various shapes and sizes?
This is ridiculous.

“Hihi…” I started giggling as the clip continued playing.
“Oh my gosh, haha…” I continued laughing…Man, this is kind of….funny….actually.
This isn’t bad after all.

“Hahahaha….”
“HAHAHAHHAHA…..”
“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!”

“Ms. Seo, kindly tone it down a little bit. There’s another student resting there as well.”

I immediately hushed myself and paused the clip. Oh, my. That’s just embarrassing.

“Sorry, Ms. Yoohee,” I spoke loudly.
I continued. “Sorry, other patient.”

How would I know anyway? There were dividers compartmentalizing the place.
Even so, that’s just embarrassing.
I think that’s enough Adventure Time for today. Who knew I’ll be earning a new hobby today?

I tried sleeping again. I tried.
I stirred and stirred on my bed.
I doodled on the back of my notebook with you-know-what, but besides the 'Hearts' and 'Do Kyungsoo’, I think I also scribbled “Captain Hulck” and “Captain Yuck” alternately.
Then I read (not really because I blankly stared) at my notes from the previous week.
And attempted to sleep again.

Finally, after approximately two hours, the bell rang. Lunch time.

I suddenly remembered that the school also served free lunch for students confined in the clinic. Maybe I should catch colds and fever more often. I just stared at the white ceiling like a mental-institutionalized person while waiting for my lunch when I heard the clinic’s door open. I heard familiar voices.

Philip, Luhan, and Hyejin.

“Myunjae!” Hyejin happily expressed as she proceeded towards my bed and sat on it.
“Seo Myunjae, don’t leave us,” Luhan uttered in a fake dramatic tone. "There's still more to life."

I just smiled at them, still lying on the bed. However, I immediately sat up….
when I saw Do Kyungsoo trailing behind them.

Oh my gosh.
Oh my gosh.
Why is he here?!

It would be normal for Hyejin and Luhan to be here since Philip, my classmate, may have messaged them. But I wasn't really expecting Kyungsoo to come here as well. I knew he and Hyejin were classmates (unfortunately, the rodents as well), but why did he come here?

I noticed Hyejin fish her phone out from her pocket and typed shortly. I felt my phone vibrate beside me on this bed.
'Kungfu Boy just insisted after he heard Philip earlier.'

Oh.
It’s not that I don’t want to. Actually, I’m overly ecstatic right now. It’s just that...
I haven’t groomed myself yet.

Leaning on the headboard while sitting up once again, I quickly combed my hair with my hands, faster than the speed of light, if that was possible.

Do Kyungsoo stopped to the left of my bed. 

I heard the clinic’s door open once more. Erupted in the room were extremely, annoying familiar voices.

My theory was proven right when the group passed by my bed, going to the next bed, which was blocked by this divider on my right.

Kris, Sehun, Jongin, Chanyeol, Baekhyun, Yixing, and other soccer members.

Why are they here?
Oh, shoot. Do not tell me the other patient…is 'him'?

“Oh….the losers are here as well,” I heard Sehun mock as he noticed the figures piled around my bed.
“Why are you all even here?” Luhan spat at Sehun as he stood up from my bed.
“Why? You own the place, loser?” Sehun said, not budging. “Our captain’s here as well.”

e.
Kim Joonmyeon.
Don’t tell me he also heard me laughing like a mad woman watching the cartoon clip?!

The soccer team went past my bed. They were really noisy for people trying to visit sick people. The school should really place a “Narcissistic Bums, Keep Out” sign in front of the nurse’s room. They greeted Joonmyeon with handshakes. They practically jumped into his bed and ruffled his hair.

Whatever.
I have my own visitors here as well.

Even my husband is here as well. It's just like I have just given birth to a bouncing, healthy baby boy while daddy’s here to see him and welcome him to the world…
Aish…stop with the crazy fantasies, Seo Myunjae.

“..and Joonmyeon,” I heard Kris’ loud voice so sudden, “bet you didn’t know who’s the other patient in this room, huh?”
And the next thing I saw was the divider being pushed aside, with another bed coming into view on my right side.

Indeed.
Kim Joonmyeon.

He was also seated on the bed, leaning his back on the headboard, with a closed book settled on his lap, and his blazer folded neatly on the small table beside his bed. His tie was loosely hanging on his collars, and his sleeves were pushed up to his elbows. 

His dark brown hair was slightly disheveled, and his face was still pale with the small bruises still evident, although the condition had improved compared to the night before.

Then, Kim Joonmyeon started gazing at me…

However...

“Oh, by the way,” He swung his backpack to his front.

I instantly looked at him, disrupted in my thoughts. I just flashed him a small, questioning smile.

“Here,” Do Kyungsoo reached out to me, with some kind of juice pouch that he got from his bag.
“It’s tonic drink.” He scratched the back of his head. "Hope you get better with it.”

I slowly reached