The Odd Doctor Out | A Drama | S. 1

169 🩺 Heart to Heart

The apartment was dark, all bar for a soft golden light coming from Hongjoong's room. Door half ajar, Wooyoung knocked softly, not daring to overstep his line.

Hongjoong glanced up from where he was sitting up in bed, something Wooyoung couldn't see in his hands in his lap.

'M-May I please come in?' Wooyoung asked softly, glancing down at his feet for a moment before looking back.

Hongjoong nodded, moving to sit more upright as he did.

Walking inside, Wooyoung stopped quite abruptly next to his bed, not sure how to act.

The two looked at each other for a few long moments before Wooyoung took a deep breath, readying himself. 'W-what are you looking at?' Wooyoung asked in his best calm voice.

He watched as Hongjoong glanced down into his lap, picking up a small photo frame. It was the one that usually sat beside his bed - a collage of four small photos. Just the three of them, the first was from before Wooyoung even could remember, the second was of the three of them in their school uniforms from just before Wooyoung's parents passed away. The third was of them as teenagers at Hongjoong's eighteenth birthday, and the last was of them all when Yeosang and Wooyoung had graduated. 

Hongjoong tenderly ran his fingers over the timber frame, smiling sadly down at the photos.

'Wait-' Wooyoung said suddenly. He turned and hurried out of his room and into his own, going straight over to his desk. He opened the top drawer to where a few loose photos were laying over a scrapbook, and grabbed the one on top.

He then hurried back across the hall and knocked softly before entering, slower.

He walked up to the side of his bed and held out the small square with two hands.

And when Hongjoong glanced down at the little square, Wooyoung thought he saw a sad sparkle glint in his eye.

'Have it...' Wooyoung said softly, trying to reach further to give it to him.

Tenderly reading out, Hongjoong took the small card and brought it to his gaze, staring into the depths of the colour. 'When did you take this?' he asked quietly, gently touching the card with his fingertips. Within the photo, Hongjoong and Yeosang were on the couch fighting over a bar of chocolate, and Wooyoung had taken the selca photo of him and the two without them even knowing.

'A-about a week a go...'

Sniffing, Hongjoong wiped the tip of his nose with his thumb before looking up from the photo. 'I didn't know.'

Wooyoung nodded, unsure of what to say. But as he saw Hongjoong with the photo frame in his lap, and the photo in one hand, Wooyoung suddenly felt brave. Climbing up onto the bed, Wooyoung gently sat down beside him and tenderly took the two from him.

Dusting the frame a little, Wooyoung took the little square photo and turned it over, peeling off the other side of the double sided tape he'd put there for his album. He then carefully stuck it to the frame, extending the photos of the three of them from four, to five. He then offered it back to him, glancing up to see his face.

And his face was still. Wooyoung had previously thought it was because he was angry, but somehow now, when he looked at his Hyung, all he saw was sadness.

Tenderly, Wooyoung reached up and guided Hongjoong's gaze to his, touching his hand to his cheek.

And something deep inside Hongjoong snapped.

Eyes immediately filling with tears, Hongjoong sniffed again, swiping at his eyes. 'Woo, I can't believe you let people treat you so worthlessly... I can't believe I let people treat you so worthlessly...'