nurse's office | minsung ✓

19

Minho sat at Jisung's bedside, his fingers curled around Jisung's limp hand. The hospital room was cold and sterile, a world apart from the chaos outside, yet all Minho could focus on was Jisung—his pale face, the bruises forming around his eyes, the stillness of his body. Minho's chest felt tight as he stared at him, his thumb brushing over the knuckles of Jisung's hand as if the touch alone could keep him there.

His eyes trailed over Jisung's messy brown locks, the strands clinging to his forehead. Carefully, Minho reached out, pushing the hair back, his fingers trembling slightly. The silence in the room was suffocating, each second dragging out like a weight pressing down on him. The longer he sat there, the more that feeling of helplessness gnawed at him.

Could he have been there sooner? Should he have stayed by Jisung's side like he usually did? All these thoughts ran through Minho's mind, filling him with guilt. He lightly stroked Jisung's cheek, feeling the warmth of his skin beneath his fingertips. It wasn't pity. It was something deeper—an ache, a fear. He didn't want to admit how scared he was.

"Come on, Jisung...wake up," Minho whispered, though his voice trembled slightly. He leaned back in his chair, eyes never leaving Jisung's face. The moment felt endless.

Then the sharp sound of a phone ringing shattered the quiet.

Minho startled, quickly fumbling for the phone in Jisung's bag. His hands shook as he turned off the ringtone, not wanting to disturb the fragile peace in the room. But as he did, his eyes caught sight of the caller ID.

For a second, Minho's breath froze. The name on the screen stopped him cold. His neutral expression shifted, his eyes widening in disbelief as he stared at it.

What the fuck?

Why was he calling?

Minho felt a knot form in his stomach as the name blinked up at him. He hadn't thought about him in a while—it's been so long since Jisung last mentioned him. He had moved, gone back to Australia, out of their lives. So why now, of all times, was he reaching out?

His hand gripped the phone tighter, the unanswered call still flashing in his hand. Minho's throat went dry. His name felt like a ghost from the past, something that suddenly resurfaced and sent a chill down his spine. He glanced back at Jisung, who was still unconscious, his breathing shallow but steady. The name flashed again in his mind, but instead of an answer, more questions flooded in. Did he know what had happened? And if he did...Minho's brow furrowed as a bitter thought crept in. What kind of 'best friend' was he, checking in only now? His jaw clenched, frustration mixing with the worry already building inside him. Jisung had always spoken so fondly of him, the two of them inseparable until he moved away. But now? Now, when Jisung was at his lowest, he was just another missed call. Another distant voice. And he had two more people he loved to his fucking cores. Where were those two?

Some friends Jisung had. Damn.

The thought felt like a slap to Minho. Was he angry for Jisung, or was it something more? Maybe it was just the helplessness clawing at him—the fact that he had to sit here, powerless, while Jisung suffered in silence. His call was a reminder of all the people who should have been here. But they weren't.

Minho sighed, his shoulders heavy with the weight of it all. It doesn't matter now, he told himself. He could call a thousand more times, but the only person Jisung needed right now was sitting right beside him, and he knew it.

Minho's heart raced. Was this some kind of coincidence, or was something more going on?

He didn't answer the call.

The phone screen dimmed, and Minho let out a shaky breath. As the room fell silent once more, his gaze drifted back to Jisung, a silent promise lingering in the air. He stared at the phone in disbelief as the ringing finally stopped. His eyes flickered back to Jisung, the weight of the moment sinking in harder than before.

Minho's expression twisted, the shock settling into a look of dread as the realization hit him.

Jisung was getting a call from—

Felix?

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