0112.

x.

I don't like the way they stare at me.

He is sitting on his bed, the white sheets almost drowning him. The nurse shifted uncomfortably, scratching her nape and moving further to the right to block Kyungsoo's view of what she was doing. It was clear that she didn't like being there. She went to his bed, her eyes downcast and shoulders stiff as she monitors his IV fluid administration. Kyungsoo couldn't care less, but it was apparent that some people aren't too happy about the rumors spreading about him. He let his head rest on the headboard and stared at the ceiling. His room was gray. He never understood why hospitals always looked so... lifeless. So pale, you could almost see through everything. The hum of the air conditioner fills his ears as he blinks the sleep away.

The door opens slowly and Kyungsoo doesn't bother trying to see who just came in. He heard the door shut close and a familiar voice. "Hey, Luna. I'll take it from here."

Luna turns to Baekhyun and smiled before excusing herself out. He watches he leave with a smile on his face before he turns to Kyungsoo just as the door clicked shut.

"You're a fraud," says Baekhyun. He plops down on the chair to his left and rests his left arm on Kyungsoo's bed, their arms touching as Baekhyun blindly reached around him for the TV remote. Kyungsoo wasn't entirely sure why he was here again when he just checked on him half an hour ago. He raises a brow and cocks his head to the side. There is an amused smile painted on his lips. The nurse lifts his right leg and rests it on top of the other as he flips through channels, his eyes trained on the flatscreen television mounted on the wall opposite to Kyungsoo's bed. "Oh?"

Baekhyun stares at the crazed look on Kyungsoo's face and shakes his head as he turns back to the television. There was a woman singing softly. "Stop playing a character."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," says Kyungsoo dismissively. The tone of his voice was enough indication that he wanted to drop the topic. It was always the same case with Kyungsoo. He knew what questions to answer and when to keep his mouth shut. That was why Baekhyun, despite his attempts, knew only vague descriptions of what Kyungsoo was like before he was held a prisoner in these four walls. He stares down at the slightly crumpled papers in his hands and bit his lip.

There were rumors going around in the hospital about Kyungsoo--how he was going crazy with being in the same room for years. There were questions about his condition and stories passed through hushed whispers down the corridor when they thought no one listened. But someone always did. The walls have ears. There were loud gasps and frightened eyes, there were looks of pity and faces turning ashen whenever his name was spoken out loud. It was like Kyungsoo was somewhat of an urban legend; a figure in the night that makes itself known when you say its name three times in front of the mirror. Baekhyun looks up to stare at Kyungsoo. He knew that every day, Kyungsoo lost a part of himself to these rumors and by now he didn't know if there was even a part of him left unmangled.

"I have something for you."

Baekhyun stood up and places the stack of papers in Kyungsoo's hands. The latter blinks up at him blankly before letting his gaze drop on the book. The nurse smiles as he shoves his hands inside the pockets of his nursing scrubs. His hands clenching into fists as Kyungsoo briefly flips through the pages. Why were his hands so cold and stiff? Baekhyun watched as Kyungsoo's brows knit together before turning his back on him and walking to the door.

"Jongin wrote this," Kyungsoo whispers to himself, but the room was empty enough for Baekhyun to hear it. Kyungsoo stared down at the sloppy handwriting. The papers were attached together with a large paperclip, the edges already curling inwards.

"Yeah," He replied. "He dropped it off today. It's the manuscript of his book. He said he wanted you to have it."

Kyungsoo's tone was unlike something Baekhyun has ever heard before. His words were usually cunning. They were always laced with poison as if he was always looking for the best time to strike and kill. Always calculated. Kyungsoo never spoke without purpose. He knew when to poke and prod; when to stop pushing. But he always, always, gets what he wants. This time was rather different. Kyungsoo's tone was soft and quiet. Like a lost kid yelling for his mom at the mall. "Why?"

"He said he didn't need it anymore."