|| monsta x imagines ||

66. 1 second-Part 2 [Kihyun]

The tiny café huddled despondent among the huge city buildings. At the glass-fronted counter was an array of cream cakes, pastries, baguettes and croissants. You sat there at the squared table just beside the large window, filling your ears and stomach with the light jazz music and smoked salmon bagels and mocaccino respectively. The faux chic atmosphere, Van Gogh's prints framed on the brick walls and the air which lacked the heavy pollution of the traffic were definitely a place you would be.

You savored the bagel. However, you blinked blankly when out of the blue, a man so familiar sat across you. Your eyes and mouth were frozen wide opened in an expression of stunned surprise, and although you were staring straight at him you appeared not to notice him at all. Forcefully gulping down your bagel, you averted your eyes away and stared at a random woman passing by.

"So you're ignoring me."

You heard him very clearly but you still went on to drink from the straw without any words. To your astonishment, Kihyun leaned in closer with a small smile played on his lips. His face was indeed very close. He saw the shock registered on your face and leaned back against the chair afterwards. You gulped and looked out of the window, feeling how warm your cheeks was.

"Do you come here often?"

"..."

"Why are you here alone?"

"..."

"How is your work?"

"..."

"I think I should drop by at the hospital."

"NO!!"

You gasped and covered your mouth with your palm. Fortunately, you weren't a nuisance to the other customers though they did focus on you for a short while. Kihyun was flabbergasted as well. You cleared your throat and looked at him.

"I-I mean, e-everyone will see you. They might misunderstand,"you stammered.

Kihyun chuckled and sipped his iced Americano before resting his arms on the table. "Why would they misunderstand? We're not dating, yet."

He emphasized 'yet'. You put back the bagel onto the plate. By then, your appetite was already loosing because ever since he was there, you couldn't eat peacefully. Furthermore, he was acting rather impulsive.

"I clearly told you that I won't get married to you. Thank you very much for ruining my appetite,"you grabbed the napkin and wiped your hands and lips. You rose from the chair and walked out of the café, not even glancing back at Kihyun who looked at you from the window. 'He clearly doesn't understand me,'you thought.

--

"Where is she?!"

Your eyes and ears perked up when you heard a man shouting. Out of curiosity, you jogged to the lobby and noticed several nurses gathering around a lurched man, asking him to leave. You glanced down onto the empty bottle of beer in his grasp. His eyes had a strange sunken look and were threaded with scarlet so densely that they appeared pink. His cheeks glowed under broken veins, his actions were slow and clumsy.

"Where is Dr Jeon!?"he raised his voice.

Your eyes widened when you hear your name. All the nurses clicked their head to you. You walked nearer to him and scrutinized him from head to toe. He was familiar to you. Just a week ago, his wife was admitted to the hospital and she was your patient. Unfortunately, you couldn't make her live despite your efforts.

"Are you looking for me?"you asked.

He craned his head up to you, hiccuping. He jabbed his index finger at you in sharp motions as he dimly remembered you being in charge of his wife. "You! You killed my wife!"a tear escaped from his eyes.

You clenched your fists and gulped. The stares from everyone added more pressure to you.

"If you did your best, my wife wouldn't die,"he sobbed but then, his face was replaced with gritted teeth and narrowed hard staring eyes.

"You only love money don't you? You're fine with seeing people die in your hands? AND YOU CALL YOURSELF A DOCTOR?! YOU DESERVE THE SAME PAIN!"

Your eyes widened when he raised his arm which had the bottle in his hand. Before your brain could register the sound as breaking glass, your eyes shut tight and imagined a million new knives fall over you. To your astonishment, you felt an arm wrapped around your shoulders and pulling you close. His touch was warm, as if your future within its walls seeming a little less bleak. His scent was manly.

Your clearly heard the bottle smashed into a thousand glittering fragments and shrieking from the people there but felt no pain at all. Finally, you let your eyelids to flutter open, only to see that you were leaning onto a warm swaddle of a man's chest. In that embrace, you were cocooned better than a butterfly-to-be. Immediately, you shot your head up and gasped when you saw his face.

"Are you okay?"he asked with furrowed eyebrows. The glint of his eyes were different. You never saw those eyes in him before.

"Kihyun.."

He checked if you were hurt and fortunately, you weren't. He turned around, his arms still wrapped around you. Truth be told, you felt safe and Kihyun's touch made the worries that you had disappear like rain on summer earth.

"Took you long enough,"he glared at the security guards who ran after the drunkard. 

"I'm sorry sir,"one of them bowed before grabbing the man's arm.

"LET ME GO!"he hollered.

Kihyun and you watched the man being dragged out by the security guards. Just then, Kihyun grabbed your wrist.

"Careful,"he said to you before pulling you out of the hospital. You stepped on the floor carefully, trying not to step on the glass fragments. At that moment, you found Kihyun extremely attractive. Though the hug was only a short protective gesture, it made your stomach feel like butterflies. Kihyun brought you to the hospital garden just situated at the back. He released your wrist and scanned you from head to toe once more.

"Are you hurt?"you asked him with a glint of concern.

Kihyun shook his head. 

"It was a good thing I drop by. Now, everyone will misunderstand us."

You chuckled. In fact, you weren't worried about that but your heart did throb by what the drunk man mentioned. You chose the path of being a doctor when your father wanted you to help him with his business. He was against it because the role of a doctor is extremely huge but you were passionate in curing and saving people. However, you also watch people get their breaths taken away. 

"Don't listen to what the man said,"Kihyun noticed you were upset at yourself.

"Everyone's life doesn't depend on your hands, Y/N. If you know you had put in your 100 percent effort, that's already enough. You don't determine their death."

You craned your head up to him, slightly comforted by what he said. In fact, Kihyun was right. You don't have the power to control them from leaving the earth. Kihyun inched closer to you and grabbed your shoulders. As you looked into his eyes, you could feel him searching deep into your soul. You didn't notice at first but at that moment, his eyes were like melted chocolate, warm and addictive. 

"I won't force you to marry me,"he blurted out.

Your lips parted a bit, rather flabbergasted by what came out from his lips. You knew Kihyun would never say that but it came out unexpectedly. It was as if he really meant it. You didn't know why but it broke your heart. You were disappointed.

"Kihyun.."you called him.

He cocked a brow. "Remember when you said you like me in just 1 second? I find it ridiculous because it was impossible."

"But when you hold me, I never felt so safe. I think I already know what it meant to like someone in just a split second. I want to know you more, can I?"

His eyes were wide like an owl but soon, his astonishment faded and was replaced with warm smile. "I will take good care of you."

That's when you knew that Kihyun's touch was the start of your feelings for him.