“Welp, look who finally decided to show up,” Ji-eun groaned, shooting a pointed glare at Ha-joon as if the world’s weight rested solely on his shoulders.
Ha-joon just stuck his tongue out like a rebellious teenager and hurried over to sit beside me. He took a quick glance out the window at the busy road—cars honking, people rushing by, the usual hectic dance of life—before finally turning his full attention back to me.
“So… how’ve you been, ugly shortcake?” he teased, the corner of his mouth twitching into a half-smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
I rolled my eyes but couldn’t suppress a smirk. “And how’ve you been, grumpy little grandpa?”
He shot me a look so intense it practically shouted, I may be grumpy, but at least I’m way taller than you.
I sighed, tired from everything but thankful for these moments of absurd normalcy. With a quick hug from Ha-joon, who muttered something about me not disappearing on them again, I slipped out of the room and headed to the first floor to buy some medicines. My thoughts swirled around everything and nothing as I wandered the sterile hospital hallways—until I literally bumped into someone I didn’t expect to see here.
“Yeona!!!” Dohwa’s voice rang out, bright and full of the usual chaotic energy. “How’ve you been? It’s been forever. And did you hear what happened with Somi? You know, my sister from a different mister? She went and married this total asshat—”
I didn’t give him a chance to finish his update. Instead, I shoved the crinkly medicine polythene into his hands and grabbed his arm, pulling him into the nearest corner.
“Listen carefully, Dohwa,” I hissed, leaning in so my breath tickled his ear. He lowered his face toward mine, eyes wide with anticipation.
“I don’t fucking care what your sister does. She’s a bitch anyway,” I spat out like a curse, relishing the shock on his face.
“I know, I just wanted to annoy you,” he grinned, clearly proud of himself.
“Well, you succeeded,” I shot back.
He laughed, eyes gleaming with amusement. “You don’t look angry. You look like you’re about to die of embarrassment.”
I wanted to screech like a hawk and rip his face off—but then I caught a glimpse of him, looking so ridiculously cute and helpless. Suddenly, my anger twisted into confusion.
Wtf am I thinking? I slapped myself sharply and started pacing in circles.
Beside me, Dohwa mirrored my insanity, slapping his own face as if trying to shake off the madness overtaking us both.
She’s so damn cute right now, Dohwa thought, stunned by how her wild energy made his heart do backflips.
Wtf am I losing it too? he wondered aloud, flailing around like a loon.
Meanwhile, back in the hospital room, tension thickened like storm clouds. Na-reul sat rigidly in his chair, biting his lip with a worry that he refused to voice aloud.
“Go check on her,” he finally muttered to Ha-joon, voice low but laced with urgency. “It’s been too long.”
Ha-joon groaned but nodded, rubbing his hands over his face as if trying to erase the worry etched deep within. “She’s not a kid, calm down,” he grumbled, though his own voice betrayed his concern.
Before Na-reul could respond, Ji-eun suddenly sprang up, bolting down the hallway like a man on fire. His footsteps echoed sharply against the sterile floor as he searched for me.
Yeona's pov
Minutes later, Ji-eun rounded the corner and found us—the two lunatics—still slapping ourselves, jumping in dizzying circles, our laughter mingling with frantic gasps for breath.
The passing hospital staff shot us glances thick with judgment and confusion. But Ji-eun wasted no time. He stormed over, grabbed both of us by the hair—gently, but firmly—and dragged us out of our ridiculous trance.
“What the hell are you two doing? A cult dance or some kind of bizarre exorcism?” he demanded, voice equal parts exasperated and incredulous.
“Oppa, it was him first!” I accused, glaring at Dohwa.
Dohwa gasped as if deeply betrayed and shot me a dismayed look. “Oppa— I mean hyung—she’s lying. It was her first.”
And just like that, the three of us devolved into chaos again—pointing fingers, accusing each other while slapping backs and arms in mock outrage.
Ji-eun’s face twisted in pure frustration as he tried to break the madness apart, “Guys, seriously! Cut it out before you get us kicked out of the hospital.”
That’s when Mingyu, Ha-joon, and Na-reul arrived on the scene, their expressions a mix of concern and disbelief.
“What the hell is going on here!?” Na-reul’s voice thundered, shaking the floor beneath us like a warning shot.
We all froze. The ridiculous dance of madness stopped instantly.
I felt the weight of their stares—judging, worried, exhausted by the circus we’d become.
And for a moment, the absurdity of it all hit me like a punch in the gut. The chaos, the mess, the pain behind all our masks—it was real, it was heavy, and it wasn’t going anywhere. Damn the writer for doing this damn the world but still i laughed. Louder than i ever hard, my voice echoing through the hospital.
YOU ARE READING
|| Philophobia || Baek Kyung
FanfictionPhilophobia - the fear of falling in love " You know you're like the street cats near my house" "I'm sorry wha-" " I mean you have eaten my food and yet you are ungrateful as heck" "Hwang Yeona how dare you"
