Bandaids & Punches ✔️

21. Wavering Confessions

"He's a patient," Haneul smiles with his lips pressed together. "He's a patient, and you cannot kill him," he mutters under his breath, "but I don't care anymore!" The doctor lurches at Dae Ho, ready to pounce on him and throttle him, but two arms wrap around his torso, stopping him from choking Dae Ho.

"Hyung, you can't do that!" Han Jisoo dives in, holding onto Haneul as if his life depended on it. "Please, stop!" He cries at the man thrashing in his arms.

"No, let me at him! Today is the day he'll bid farewell to the world!"

"Come on, calm down, and let's talk."

Dae Ho doesn't move a muscle or take his words back, watching as the scene unfolds in front of him.

Haneul huffs, snarling at Dae Ho and going still in Jisoo's grip. "Release me," he says after a moment.

"Are you going to hurt him?"

The doctor rolls his eyes. "No, but what about your hurt?"

"I'm fine, hyung. Don't worry about it." Jisoo lets go of Haneul and turns to Dae Ho. "I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable. I'll be taking my leave, and you needn't worry about seeing my face again. I respect your wishes." He gives a small smile and walks towards the door. "I wish you well in life, and...thank you for being alive."

The door shuts with a soft thump.

The two stare at each other, Haneul with his brows squinted and nostrils flaring, while Dae Ho watches him with a blank face. As minutes pass, the older sighs, turning away from Dae Ho.

"Where are you going?" He asks, adjusting the blanket covering his lower body.

"From now on, you're just a patient to me. So, you can do whatever you want." With that, Haneul exits the room as well, leaving behind a stunned Dae Ho.

True to his words, Haneul treats him nothing but like a patient. Visits him twice a day to check on his condition and leaves wordlessly, not sparing the fighter a second glance. A day passes, and then two. Dae Ho's patience runs thin by now, an edgy feeling keeping him unsettled. Many would call his inner turmoil as guilt but he isn't ready to acknowledge it yet. He hasn't done anything wrong, and Haneul is being unnecessarily stubborn.

It's on the third day that Dae Ho cracks. When Haneul is leaving after he's done with his round, the younger grabs his wrist before he can leave.

"What do you think you are doing?"

Dae Ho looks at their hands. "How long are you going to give me the silent treatment?"

"Please, Park-ssi, let go of me. You're invading my personal space. That's inappropriate behavior for a doctor and patient."

His grip tightens, a hue of red forming at the indentation where his fingers press into the other's skin. "You're being unfair."

"No, I'm not. You're getting what you want—your peace and quiet. And I'm getting what I want."

"What is it you want?"

"Hoping my patient will be healthy."

"Goddamnit, Haneul! Be serious!"

Dae Ho had thought the blond wouldn't seriously keep up with this farce. He has always been on the receiving end of Haneul's attention, and the opposite is driving him into a corner, the indifference annoying his insides. Dae Ho doesn't know when he started caring about people's opinions of him or how much of a presence Haneul has become. He shouldn't be talking to him right now when he's the one who ignored him first, but Dae Ho doesn't know what prompts him to.

"You care how Han Jisoo feels, but what about me?"

"I can't do anything when you sabotage every good that comes your way." Haneul doesn't relent, keeping firm eye contact with the man on the hospital bed Dae Ho grits his teeth.