Yunho looked depress the past few days he spent in the ward. He rises early in the morning, even before the nurses start giving out breakfast to the patients, he was already on his feet, stretching some muscles before putting on his glasses and began his work, revising the loose end for this week issue, mostly his work from the office. The nurses complained on how he should be resting, but he just politely dismissed their order, silence them with his warm bright smile.

Yunho had grown more matured now, Changmin realized the fact. How? Well, because he dropped by every now and then although kept on saying that he was on his way to somewhere, keeping an eye on Yunho while he was asleep or was too engross in his own work to bother about his surroundings.

In the staff room, where all the interns gathered around to study medical cases, it was unusually quite. Most of them were probably off wondering to cover the ground or something as Changmin was left alone to his thought, as he was swirling around the chair for a spin. The image of Yunho, looking so vulnerable yesterday at the staircase couldn't get out of his mind. He didn’t like it, the only time he had saw that look was when….

When that one night, about a month after they were married, when Yunho was back from his part time job, he got fired. They moved into Changmin’s apartment because it was bigger, back then, they both still go ahead with their studies. Changmin’s parent found out about their marriage only just recently and cut off ties with him, including all his allowances and cards, a way of getting him crawling back home but he refused to bulge. They were on their owned but Yunho assured him that they’ll be alright, he’ll work twice as much as he had too, but when he lost his part time job, it was like a huge slap on his face. A cold fact of reality hit him, he couldn’t survive in the harsh reality let alone protect anyone in his state.

Changmin saw that side of him for the first time, and he witnessed it again the other day. He hated the fact that he knew Yunho too well to read the subtle situation, and the worst was, he still couldn’t get the image out of his head. He got up and decided to do something about it.

“Hey.”

Yunho lifted his head from the laptop, he was surprised, thought that maybe his eyes were playing tricks on him. “Hey.” He greeted back.

Changmin leaned onto the door frame and crossed his arms, his face soften and produced a mischievous grin, like a child just discovered a secret treasure. “You got a minute?”

Yunho tilted a little, wondering where this is heading to, but agree to it anyway, it’s not like there was anything else to do, staying cramped on bed all day doesn’t feel so good anyway.

“Come on, follow me.”

In the pediatric wards, there was a 12-year-old girl, her name is Oh Young and she had been receiving her treatment for brain tumor ever since she was 10. Changmin learnt about her when he was on his way getting some juice from a vending machine when the bottle won’t just come out. The girl was nearby and sent a kick to the machine before the thok sound was heard and Changmin was able to get to his juice. What surprise him was he had just received a help from a blind girl. And right now, he just thought the girl could use another company instead of him alone.

“Youngie-ah, I’m here. And I brought a friend along with me.” He greeted her with Yunho followed him closely from behind. The girl smiled but she wasn’t looking toward them, hinting Yunho with the fact that she couldn’t see.

“Shim-seongsaenim? You’re here.” She bowed a little and introduced herself at the newly comer and was warmly responded by Yunho, who no doubt, likes children. He bond with her easily, and not only her but with few more other children who happen to pass by. They listened to his stories as he listened to them. The topics were jumping around on random things. Changmin watched the whole deal while intruding every now and then, leaving comments and remarks while laughing silently as he watched the other back get back on his feet, looking a bit happier than before, and Changmin thought this suit him more than looking overly depress. That was how they spend their afternoon before the nurse came and ushered them both out, it was nap time for the children.

“Here.”  He handed Yunho a drink as they were enjoying the breeze from the hospital rooftop, nothing beats weariness being stuck in the hospital ward than the feeling of breeze over your skin with spectacular view of the whole city in display. Yunho dwelled on the cylinder object on his hand, feeling the cold can before stare out in the open.

“You’re being nice today. Why?” He finally broke the silence between the two.

“You asked why? Is it wrong to be nice to people?”

“No, I mean I know you, Changmin. You’re nice, but not to everyone. You used to put up some sort of barrier between you and the people around. So you just never seemed to be the nice people type. Hey, you were the one who scratched my car, nice people don’t do that.”

Changmin laughed over the memory, yeah he did kind of do that, but he doesn’t seem bit remorse about it. “Then I guess I just have changed these past few years, it comes with the occupational hazard, I guess.” Another silent swept through them before Yunho breaks it.

“Thanks. For today.” Yunho sounded sincere as Changmin studied his expression. He acknowledged the sincere appreciation.

“You’re welcome. I think, you look better when you smile Yunho, it brings out who you are. So er…” He seemed to be a bit hesitated before continued, “ Don’t let things get to you. Even if you felt like losing, don’t give in. Don’t lose yourself.” Yunho smiled over the nice words, for awhile now, Changmin seemed concern about him, and that’s good enough for him.

Changmin’s phone rang, alerted them both as he hurried to answer it. It was from the emergency department, Changmin’s mother was emitted to the hospital. He needed to hurry to the emergency room as he apologized for leaving Yunho right away before they even properly talked to one another. Yunho just waved him away, telling him it’s okay and he should just go. He knows how to get back to his room on his own, Changmin didn’t have to him back.

In the emergency room, Mrs.Shim was laying on the hospital bed, the doctor in charged had already given her the proper treatment, her blood pressure was low and she was overdose on her sleeping pills, something that had cause Changmin to be alarmed. He knew she was taking some sleeping pills to get rid of her insomnia, and his father hasn’t really been playing the husband part so well, not that he much of surprise about it. His father was always busy, which left his mother to deal with her own things, her own fashion show, tea parties and all those rich ladies’ activities during their free time which include most of the time.  

Changmin, being a dutiful son he is, stayed by his mother in the VVIP ward, his family is wealthy, and to add more to the merit, his father is the director to a hospital, not the one he’s interning in but yes, his pre-determined fate is that someday, he’ll be inheriting that hospital. He glanced on his wrist, it was almost midnight. Her condition had already stabilized and by now she just asleep. The water jug by the night stand was emptied so he had gone out for awhile to refill. By the time he got back, his mother wasn’t alone anymore for she had received a visitor from her least expected person. Yunho was there.

Changmin peeped through the door, baffled if he should intrude the moment or not. He decided to watch as Yunho dimmed the light a little, and just simply stared at his mother, laying there unconscious. His stare was soft, there wasn’t any hatred or resentment, just simply like he was staring at his own mother as Changmin continued to watch. Yunho reached for her hand and hold it for awhile, whispered, ‘Get well soon…. Mrs.Shim. Don’t stay sick for too long, Changmin will be worried. ’

The urgency of not getting caught rose once Yunho turned and about to exit the room, Changmin tried his best to hide, and he did a good job on that. Yunho never even notice his presence.    

Yunho’s doctor visited him the next morning and he was given the permission to be discharged.

Finally. He thought, he could finally get off the tasteless hospital food and the white room. He stayed there was…well at least he was able to spend some time with Changmin. Although he did learnt about the whole engagement thing, argh…that’s so upsetting. He finished packing before he thought to drop by on Changmin’s mother again, see how she was doing.

Apparently, that turned out to be the worst idea.

He entered the room and was greeted by her wide, rage eyes, her most piercing glare like he was the one person that she despised the most in the world. Words of degradation, humiliation were painfully thrown to him despite his good attention of visiting.

“You…”

He bowed fully 90⁰ toward her, “Hello there Mrs. Shim, how are you feeling? Getting any better?”

“You, you’re still alive?! What’re you doing here?”

“Hm…visiting you? I just got discharged.”

“You’ve been staying here? Why? To get to Changmin? My son is doing well and he’s better off without you. So stop lingering around, just go on and disappear. We don’t need you, Changmin don’t need you.”