The Odd Doctor Out | A Drama | S. 1

32 🩺 Chauffeur

Wooyoung drove Hongjoong and Yeosang to work for their early rounds.

Since it was only six thirty, he decided to park and go in with them. It had been a good few months since he'd stepped inside the hospital as he usually avoided hospitals with all of the force he could possibly muster.

He would rather gnaw off his left arm then take a quick stroll through emergency, but occasionally, he felt the courage to walk with his friends to their offices. He felt far more at ease with them than he did alone.

'Woo, you really don't have to come in,' Yeosang said for what was probably the twelfth time in the last ten minutes.

'I'm not going to die, Jesus. You don't need to keep worrying about me.'

He linked his arm with Yeosang and held on tight as he dragged him away from the car and towards the doors. He picked up Hongjoong on the way through, linking arms with him too.

'Sang, where are you working today?' Hongjoong asked, giggling a little as Wooyoung dragged them through the carpark.

'Oncology I believe.'

As they got through the doors to the hospital and into the foyer, Wooyoung finally let them go. A little reluctantly, yes, but he almost wanted to prove that he could still do it. He could still be in the hospital, and be okay.

Both boys looked at him nervously... Not the last time, but the time before, Wooyoung had broken down when he saw a little boy with a cast on his leg wearing a hospital gown limping alongside his mother. He'd panicked and blacked out, his mind flooded with horrific memories.

He gave his friends a smile. 'I'm fine. Let's go.' He immediately started walking down the halls, not needing anyone to show him the way. Somehow, he knew the floor layout like the back of his hand. Yes, he may have been terrified of the hospital smell and the white walls, but with both his Hyungs working there and having visited them countless times over the years, he had no problems finding his way around.

He turned around and started walking backwards to face them. 'Are you coming or not?!'

The two looked at each other before giving in. 'Coming~.'

~~~

Having already dropped Yeosang off in the Oncology ward, and being dropped off himself by Wooyoung at his office, Hongjoong stood up from his desk, grabbed his lab coat and stethoscope and headed out to the wards.

He'd made it maybe twenty steps down the corridor towards the elevators when he noticed a person already standing, waiting. He looked at his watch. Six fifty-two am.

'Oh? Seonghwa?'

The figure turned around, and sure enough, his guess had been correct.

Walking up beside him, Seonghwa seemed equally as surprised as he'd been. 'Oh, morning,' he replied awkwardly, rubbing his neck and looking around uncomfortably.

Hongjoong couldn't help but exhale in amusement at how shy the boy was, even still. 'Morning~ What are you doing round here?'

'They're doing maintenance on the other elevators, so I had to use this one... D-did you, uh, I mean... D-did you enjoy your day off...?'

His little question had been so soft that Hongjoong chuckled. 'It's okay, you can ask. You don't have to dance around the point.' He smiled as he saw Seonghwa nod, biting his lip. He's such a strange person. Strange, yet somehow adorable. 'My day off was very nice, thank you for asking.'

As the elevator dinged, they both walked in, Hongjoong swiping his ID and pressing the floor level for paediatrics. 'Paeds?' he asked incase he needed another floor number pressed, looking back at Seonghwa.

He choked a little and ended up nodding.

Cute.

Hongjoong stood back beside Seonghwa as they waited, the taller shuffling awkwardly on the spot, his mouth opening and closing around nothing...

'Seonghwa, spit it out. I already told you I don't bite.'

'A-..., okay then... I just... umm... I was just wondering, if uh...'

Hongjoong turned and rested back against the railing on the side of the elevator, his whole body facing Seonghwa as he waited patiently for him to stumble over his words, already knowing exactly where it was going.

'I mean, of course you don't need to tell me! But, I um... D-... do you feel better...?'

Hongjoong smiled softly. 'Yes, Seonghwa. I feel much better.'

As the elevator stopped one floor before theirs, the doors opened to reveal a distressed looking woman.

Hongjoong put his hand in front of the doors to hold them open. 'Are you alright Ma'am? Where are you trying to go?'

The lady looked up, gratefully. 'Oh darling, I'm trying to visit my daughter in Oncology.'

'Ah I see. You'll need to go down two floors from here.' He stepped out of the elevator and pressed the call button for the next elevator. 'Press number four in the elevator, and there'll be a big sign on your left with an arrow to show you where to go.'

The lady smiled a massive smile. 'Thank you darling. I know you're busy, thank you.'

Hongjoong brushed it off. 'I hope you find her well,' he said, stepping back into the elevator.

As the doors shut, he turned to see Seonghwa staring at him. 'What?' He asked in a significantly more casual voice, stifling a giggle at his face.

'You seem much more chirpy this morning,' Seonghwa said. He picked at his tie for a moment, shuffling on his feet. 'I hope that means everything at home is okay now...'

Hongjoong gave him a warm smile, having to actually tilt his head a little to see Seonghwa's bowed face.

'Everything is okay now, really.' As Seonghwa looked up, Hongjoong smiled. 'I just missed my family a lot, and was a bit sad that I couldn't be there at an important time. But I spent all day yesterday with them, and I am just about all socialised out,' he joked, trying hard to lighten the mood.

The elevator dinged, and Hongjoong stepped aside to let the other out first.

But Seonghwa refused. 'After you, H-Hyung.'

Hearing him finally call him casually without first being told to, Hongjoong beamed. Stepping out, the two realised they were going in different directions.

'I'm uh, yeah, this way...' Seonghwa pointed his thumbs in one direction, stepping back a bit, and Hongjoong nodded.

'I'll see you round, Seonghwa. Have fun and try to relax okay?'

Seonghwa nodded. 'Okay... Bye...'

'Bye, Seonghwa.'

And then they went in their respective directions.

~~~

A/N: OKay so like, more of a journal entry for me I guess, and I assume I'll see this in months time and wonder what on earth was going through my head, especially since I just went on placement and remember thinking so clearly that I made the right decision - but my uni is so hopeless and I'm so stressed that I literally keep ending up in hospital and I keep finding myself going no fuck it it's not worth it. You're already a nurse just fucking stop stressing yourself out... Fk. Idk what to do ➖👄➖

Lol anyways side note - hope u guys are enjoying this lol. I have so many drafts so I'm editing as like, a short break to relax lol. ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡