Yesteryear

Sick Leave

Wooyoung lifted his head when a knock on the door interrupted his reading. He lowered Lady Death to his lap and glanced at the clock on his bedside table.

It was still early for the nurses to come through with food.

"Come in," he called, marking the page he had left off on with his Shakespeare quote bookmark. Just as he put the book aside, Seungyoun peeked his head into the room. His big grin had Wooyoung roll his eyes when he copied it on reflex.

"Oh, not you again," Wooyoung pretended to be annoyed. His dismissive hand gesture got ignored as Seungyoun opened the door further to show a bunch of flowers and a box of chocolates tucked into his other hand. He gave Wooyoung the best puppy eyes. Defeated, Wooyoung allowed him in.

"Here I am, yet again checking on the hero of the department," Seungyoun sing-sang as he strode inside. He closed the door behind him and put the flowers into the vase to exchange them with the old ones.

It was already his third visit.

"Please, I'm only here because I got the damn lead poisoning. If they had just fixed me up, I would have been in and out in a flash." Wooyoung pouted to himself. Modern medicines healed deep wounds like his in a few days, but the doctors couldn't use that method on him since closing the wound would seal in the infection. After surgery, he had been ordered to stay in the hospital for two weeks until the doctors could be sure he didn't die of the gruesome German bullet he had caught in his shoulder. Before the infection wasn't gone, nobody would fix up his bone and nobody would seal his wound. Wooyoung was high on painkillers 24/7 and he was irritable about it.

"That was entirely on you, you get no pity from me. Yongguk still didn't come by? Or was he too prideful for flowers?" Seungyoun put the old flowers in his bag to get rid of them outside. He left the chocolates on the table and smiled at Wooyoung's book before he pulled a chair over to sit at Wooyoung's side.

Huffing, Wooyoung fluffed up a pillow to hold it on his lap. His right arm was still in a sling and Wooyoung's left-handed coordination had become superior in the past week.

"He's been punishing me with silence. Not that I don't deserve it, but he's being mean."

Seungyoun grinned at Wooyoung.

"No, I absolutely agree. You had him worried sick, and you know how he can be. As much as he acts as your colleague, he is also your friend. He was all over the place because of you. And I am also still mad, but not mad enough not to visit you. Who else would bring you books?" Upon the reminder, Seungyoun pulled his bag onto his lap and got out the two books Wooyoung had requested. His favourite historical romance novels.

Wooyoung winced, but accepted his books with a mumble of gratitude.

"I know, and I also messaged him I am sorry for troubling him. I'm not sorry about saving San, though. Even if I can't know if it worked." Wooyoung bit his lip. The thought still plagued him at the lonely hours of the night. San could have died right after Wooyoung had left and it would get harder to track him since he wasn't in the army records then. Wooyoung prayed to every deity that came to mind each night - including Mingi's - but he got no updates.

"Yongguk understands that. I'm sure once he's less busy, he misses you as well and drops by, even just to look good as a boss. Will you go to Munich again after you are back on your legs?"

Wooyoung nodded ruefully. Yongguk would hate if he proposed going back to the grim wartime again that left Wooyoung with nightmares and the images of bodies littered on the ground in his brain. It was the last test. If he didn't show up there, Wooyoung would have to give it up. He couldn't chase a life that was over. The only other option was doing his honours. It would take years, but Wooyoung was sure he would love San even after time passed.