implausible - woosan

chapter fifteen

wooyoung san

10.07.17

san's body jolts to consciousness. his eyes spring open suddenly, only to narrow and close again, faced with a blinding white light that cuts through his vision. he raises his hands protectively to conceal his face, heart beating nervously fast as he struggles to make sense of his whereabouts.

incoherent voices can be made out, but they sound odd, like he's underwater. slowly and reluctantly, the discombobulated male uncovers his face. he blinks, closes his eyes, and blinks again. the light is gone.

although its beams no longer directly penetrate his pupils, the whiteness of the roof above him is similarly blinding. san finds himself to be lying flat on his back on a narrow hospital bed, its sheets blue beneath him.

he mumbles indistinctly, struggling to sit up, but a nurse pushes him down gently.

"san?" a voice hitches worriedly, its owner stumbling to the bedside as his eyes search san's frantically for an answer.

before he can try to say anything, the nurse is ushering wooyoung away, checking a machine next to san's bed. "vitals are stable," she explains. "he just fainted."

"just fainted??" san hears the blonde repeat, and he manages a weak smile, throwing up a peace sign. "the way he collapsed-"

"there's nothing to worry about, sir." she assures him patiently, while san gathers the strength to sit up. he certainly doesn't feel like he 'just fainted'.

the sound of the pillows shifting alerts wooyoung's sharp hearing instantly, and he rushes to the bedside once more. "why are you sitting up?!" he questions in alarm, waving the sunglasses in his hand, bright eyes darting around.

"relax, woo." he replies huskily, patting the younger's wrist before coughing. "i'm fine, really. like they said: there's nothing to be worried about."

wooyoung looks ready to argue again, but the nurse intervenes before he can. "i understand today is your eighteenth birthday?" she asks, and wooyoung raises his hands in surrender guiltily, being the one to have told her.

san nods, prickling at the reminder. "well, there you go." she states, as if the reason is as obvious as the sky is blue. "the fainting is a side affect. we can only give you some painkillers for the excruciation to come-"

"hang on." san makes a time-out sign. "excruciation? i know the receiving is meant to be painful but isn't that... a bit of an exaggeration?"

"given the way your body has already reacted... no." she sighs, tapping her clipboard with a pen. "it's different for everyone. yours seems quite drastic, to be perfectly honest. an irregular build up of oxytocin outweighed your high dopamine and serotonin levels - the two chemical neurotransmitters that are above average levels pre-soulmate arrival - which suggests your nervous system is showcasing some resistance. rather anomalous, i must confess. you'd be an interesting case study."

"okay." wooyoung mutters while san tries to process the information. just my luck. "not that i understood a word of that, but go off, doctor."

"but after today... i'll be fine?" the older confirms, ignoring the comment.

"as far as we can tell, yes." the nurse tells him hesitantly, but doesn't develop the statement. it's not particularly reassuring.