nurse's office | minsung ✓

20

Jisung's eyes fluttered open, a sharp sting pulling at the back of his lids as he struggled to adjust to the blinding hospital lights overhead. His head felt heavy, throbbing with the remnants of a restless sleep, and a wave of exhaustion settled deep in his bones. He blinked, trying to make sense of his surroundings—the sterile smell of antiseptic, the constant beeping of machines, and the cool sheets beneath him. A hospital?

Panic seized his chest. His heart hammered in his ears as he tried to piece together what had happened. The last thing he remembered was—

His thoughts shattered as his gaze finally landed on the figures sitting at the foot of his bed. He froze.

Felix. Seungmin. Jeongin.

They were just sitting there, waiting for him—Felix with his elbows on his knees, Seungmin fidgeting with his fingers like crazy, and Jeongin staring at the floor, both his palms covering his face. Jisung's blood ran cold, his breath hitching in his throat. What the fuck?

His chest tightened. This had to be some sort of nightmare, right? He hadn't seen them in months. Hadn't spoken to them since...since they all went their separate ways. Yet here they were, like some apparition from his past. Felix had moved back to Australia. Seungmin had become too busy with his endless commitments. Jeongin—well, Jeongin wasn't even supposed to be here. He was halfway across the world on a scholarship, wasn't he?

His mind raced, panic bubbling in his veins as the questions piled up. When had they come back? Why were they here? How did they even know about this?

His mouth was dry, throat constricting with unspoken words. Every inch of him wanted to scream, to demand answers, but his voice felt trapped, caged by the shock that weighed heavily on his chest. Instead, all he could do was lie there, staring at the faces he hadn't expected to see ever again, fear twisting deeper into his gut.

"Jisung!" Felix beamed upon seeing Jisung awake, alerting everyone else. That smile. It could once cure any of Jisung's problems. But now, it was the least medicinal. He quickly reached to hug him before Jisung moved his hands just the slightest bit, reaching to stop him, "No."

Felix backed away with a confused expression, "What?"

"Please," Jisung tried saying, "S-stay away."

"Jisung, are you okay?" Seungmin tried asking, hoping his attempt would be somewhat better than Felix's.

"Does it look like I am?" Jisung exclaimed, but not in joy.

"Hyung, look, we're all here to see you!" Jeongin tried smiling. "Aren't you happy?"

That was it. What kind of friends were they? They weren't there for Jisung at his lowest times, and now they're suddenly all gathered up to see him all weak and hurt? And worst of all, they expected him to be happy.

"What the fuck is wrong with you all?" Tears threatened to spill from Jisung's eyes. "You guys left. You all did. I thought I had Seungmin after you both left, but I guess I was wrong. What kind of 'best friends' are you all? You never bother to even call or text. Whenever I try saying something, you guys either leave me on read or don't even bother looking. Why do i depend on you all so much?" By the time he finished, he was already crying.

Felix's face dropped, his usual bright smile fading into a look of pure confusion and hurt. He opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out. He seemed completely at a loss, like he didn't understand the depth of what Jisung was feeling.

"Jisung, we didn't mean to—" Seungmin began, but Jisung cut him off.

"No. You don't get to say that now," Jisung snapped, wiping angrily at the tears streaming down his face. His whole body trembled with frustration, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he struggled to calm his breathing. "You all left me. Felix, you left without saying a word. Seungmin, you got too busy to even check in. I trusted you the most. And Jeongin..." Jisung's voice cracked as he glanced at the youngest, who now stared at him with wide, guilty eyes. "You disappeared too. I had nobody."