two worlds: jaeyong

13

maybe it's because all the males had patched up history together, but the medicube had felt more freer and lighter than before, with even taeil joining in with the fun. now, they were joking about taeil's old jokes from when he was a soldier in training.

"no one told me that there was a rat's nest underneath our tent so by the time we had all gotten into our blankets, we heard a squeak and then a bunch of things are scurrying around our whole space. needless to say, our general was far from impressed," taeil, sicheng, and doyoung all laughed at the story.

"but he made you guys clean the weapons, and on top of that, it's right after the whole scrimmage," doyoung laughed. "that must have taken so long!"

"don't wanna talk about it, i couldn't even pick up a pistol after that cause of my blisters," taeil cringed from the memory.

"what are you guys laughing about?" taeyong sat down on the chair across from them and leaned back with a sigh.

"just a story from my military training days," taeil passed the other a bottle of coffee. "how was the patient?"

"he just had a minor burn from the incident, but no damage to the eye," the doctor answered.

"what's got you so tired?" sicheng looked at his friend concerned.

"i've been in the medicube for the past day and a half, monitoring the president. his basic stats are stable but he hasn't woken up yet. not to mention that his guards keep giving me these looks that just make me want to hide. like hello, if i didn't do anything, he'd be 6 feet under the ground right now," taeyong ranted and when he finished, took a sip from the coffee. "but anyways, how's akeem?"

"his cellulitis is almost cleared and his weight is at an average so he's made big strides," sicheng read from the charts.

"but he still needs to take meds when going back home," doyoung reminded the doctor. "i already have his prescription measured out and packaged, you just need to deliver them."

taeyong gave a thumbs up.

"if you're ready, we can go now."

taeyong is shocked at the sound of the voice and turns. sure enough, in their full glory is jaehyun and yuta.

"oh my god, they released you guys early!" taeil rushed to his friends. "no one is hurt right?"

"ask yuta that," jaehyun pointed to his sheepish-looking friend.

"hehehe, i guess punching the wall is a bad way of letting out frustration," yuta tried to hide his hands but sicheng stood up and strode over. taking his hands into his own, he inspects them.

"oh my god, what did you do for it to look that bad?" doyoung exclaimed at the sight.

"it looks it got run over by a car," taeyong added on.

and he wasn't kidding. the knuckles were all bruised, some to the point where it was black and a dark purple. there were several deep cuts on them and a good number of splinters on them.

"just bruising but besides that, nothing too bad. but there are some splinters that need to be taken out," sicheng summarizes. "follow me to the back, i can treat you there."

yuta looks over to jaehyun, who gives him a teasing eyebrow raise, and sticks his tongue out in response. but he still follows the nurse to the back with light steps.

"if you're fine, then could you drive akeem and i to his village," taeyong asks the captain. "i just need to explain to his parents what to do with the medicine."

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and so taeyong and akeem were sitting in the back seat, while jaehyun was driving up in the front. akeem had fallen asleep and they wouldn't reach the destination until 2 hours later, so they let him rest.

"how is the president?" jaehyun asks abruptly.

"stable but hasn't woken up yet. but how did you guys get out so quickly?"

"doyoung's words may or may not have reached the general's thick skull and so he let us out this morning. after eating, yuta and i decided to come to you guys."

"doyoung was really stressed about the whole situation," taeyong said in a light voice. "you two must mean so much to each other."

"he's definitely an important person to me," jaehyun said wistfully. "we've been with each other for all the important events, when doyoung finished his residency or when i was promoted to captain, the both of us were together the whole time."

"that sounds touching," the doctor said honestly and the captain nodded in agreement.

"but anyways, how did you and taeil know each other before coming here? and i already know you guys interned at the same hospital."

"well, taeil and i were both the only residents in general surgery, since barely anyone applies. anyways, that also meant we were really competitive with each other. so while he was good at one thing i wasn't, i was good at another thing he wasn't. so it always made some comparisons to be made. but the last straw was during our time in our last year of residency, when choosing the main intern. and this is a big deal, they get to have more freedom than residents and is basically the top level for all med students."

"so i'm guessing you got it and taeil got upset by it," jaehyun guessed.

taeyong nods and continues.

"they didn't give it to him because he was going to become a doctor in the army so they thought that it wouldn't benefit him much since he wouldn't be in the hospital. he was fine with it but then after that, while i was given night shifts off, he had to stay at the hospital overnight so many times so i guess that's what caused things to sour up."

"but you guys seemed to be better now," the other looked at the doctor through the mirror.

"yeah," taeyong looks out the window with a small smile.

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sicheng bit his lips as he wrapped a bandage around yuta's index finger, tsking at the painful injuries on the skin.

"you shouldn't have hurt yourself like this," sicheng sighs as tying a knot at the end.

"well, how else am i supposed to manage my anger?" yuta tried to joke but failed. sicheng took the other's hand and looks into his eyes with concern.

"i'm not someone you know quite well but if you want to tell me something, you can always talk to me."

yuta presses his lips together before deciding to trust the nurse.

"i used to be what you would call a stereotypical rebel student. i would skip school a lot, sleep during class, and get into fights. i was also a part of a group of older males who taught me how to smoke and drink. but the teachers could never do anything about it because of my high grades. but then one day, i got jumped by someone i had fought the day before and there was a person passing by. they saved me and said that they knew how i felt. when i asked how he was able to escape the whole lifestyle, he said to escape to a place where they won't follow."

"and that was the military," sicheng finished, the soldier nodding.

"if it wasn't for him, i would probably still be doing the really bad things and who knows if i would have gotten into university. sure my grades were good but my record wasn't too clean."

"did you pick this habit up from the others?" the nurse closes the first aid box.

"yeah, it was the only way that we were technically allowed to do so. instead of yelling, it was more physical."

nodding, sicheng just intertwines their hands and makes eye contact with the other.

"well i'm glad you came here," and he leaves, leaving the dazed-out soldier still sitting on his stool.