a reason for being | jung jaehyun

six

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟎𝟔

- 우정 - 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩

🎀

"WHY DID YOU TRANSFER HOSPITALS?"

seonmi and hendery were slowly striding side by side in the hospital's botanical garden, once in a while stopping to observe the delicate marigolds, or to touch the purple-white gradient patterns of the orchids. although, it was a bit difficult at times because the they had to stay a certain distance apart, there was no existing awkward atmosphere, other than the fact that seonmi was naturally inelegant ever since she became ill. the two had stopped near a lavender bush, where hendery claimed he had to "take a breather" and sit down.

"괜찮아 (are you okay)?" seonmi widened her eyes, watching him tremble slightly in his attempts to sit down at a bench.

hendery adjusted the oxygen tubes in his nostrils and smiled widely up at the girl, waving a hand. "bad lungs," he excused with a smile. "why did i transfer, though?" hendery repeated the younger girl's question. "ah, the reason is kind of vague. my old doctor recommended i come here to seek better treatment. he said someone here would be more of an expertise."

seonmi hummed and fiddled with a nearby lavender stem, pulling it gently towards her nose before realizing her oxygen tubes were in the way. "who is it?"

"my nurse said his schedule was a little hectic lately, but dr. jung, i think?"

the girl let go of the lavender and looked down at hendery. "jaehyun.." she smiled widely at his name. "그는 아주 좋다 (he's really good)."

"you know him?" hendery raised his eyebrows with his signature dorky grin. 

"mhm," seonmi hummed, still smiling to herself.

as they made their way out of the garden, hendery and seonmi began conversing about other things, like how apparently, hendery was also a dancer before he got diagnosed with the lung disease, and how both of them had passions for writing. their similarities brought them wide smiles and quiet laughter as they went inside the elevator to go back up the ninth floor.

a long time passed since seonmi could indulge in a friendship as comfortable as this one, with the only other friendship being with jaehyun. but for some reason, the lack of an age gap and a doctor-patient bond with hendery made their friendship seem more like a friendship.  while in the midst of laughing over some remark hendery made, frantic footsteps hurried towards the closing elevator doors.

"hold it, please!" a voice asked, gently prying the elevator doors open with his fingers. it was jaehyun, who looked at seonmi with a soft, sympathetic smile before realizing who she was with. "hello, seonmi." he flickered his gaze to the tall and lanky, tan skinned man beside the girl. "you are...hendery?"

hendery nodded, looking over to seonmi with a look of semi-confusion. "yes, hello."

jaehyun held out a hand and shook it. "our first meeting was going to be in a couple minutes. i'm glad to have met you here."

the politeness in jaehyun's voice all felt forced to seonmi. as she studied his facial expression—his kind and gentle smile with his even friendlier dimples in his cheeks— she admired that he was obligating himself to be respectful. "nice to finally meet you, hendery. i apologize for having to delay our appointments."

"걱정마세요 (don't worry about it)."

the elevator stopped on the ninth floor, and the three of them walked out together. "seonmi, i'll catch you later," jaehyun waved, once again another soft smile displayed on his features. as seonmi was about to walk the opposite direction into her room, hendery gasped.

"a-actually, i was wondering if she could come with us," hendery shyly offered. "we were kind of catching up on some stuff."

exchanging looks between the two patients with a suppressed frown, jaehyun pursed his lips and stopped mid-glance to look at seonmi. she had a hopeful expression on her newly lit face, something jaehyun hadn't seen in a while. how is he making her so happy without doing anything? jaehyun thought to himself before finally nodding.

"sure."

⁀➷

"hmm...i'll guess that you're a...taurus?" hendery murmured, awaiting seonmi's response. her look of suppressed laughter revealed that he was wrong once again, and it made him laugh from disappointment. "seriously? not a taurus either?"

"no...why do you think that?" she quietly chuckled.

"i don't know. i guess you remind me of spring when you smile," hendery sighed. jaehyun was standing a few feet away, analyzing x-ray prints he just screened of hendery's lungs. except, he wasn't really analyzing. he was just staring at a black and white photograph of a pair of ribcages without being able to think. every time he tried to think and pay attention to the photograph, he would overhear seonmi chuckle, or glance up to see her smiling. all because of hendery. 

he finally stood up and left the room, carefully observing the photograph for any spots that would identify an infection. but even with the silence in the halls, jaehyun couldn't think properly, knowing seonmi was suddenly enjoying life because of a newcomer. "ugh," he sighed, leaning the back of his head against the wall and lifting the paper up to his eyes. "i don't see anything concerning..."

blowing his hair out of his eyes, jaehyun trudged back into the room, almost instantly regretting it when he saw seonmi smiling widely and letting out soft laughter. "i'm a sagittarius!" she laughed. "you guessed every other zodiac sign except mine!"

"sorry!" hendery chuckled, putting his hands in front of him as he surrendered. "but.. a sagittarius? your birthday must be coming up soon then?"

"hendery. your x-ray results provide no evidence of infections, although i still want to give you antibiotics to prevent one from forming. and i'll assign you a permanent nurse to do an airway clearance in about ten minutes." jaehyun set the photograph down and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "seonmi, i have to talk to you about something. i'll be in your room."

"mkay, i'll follo—"

"wait! seonmi, when is your birthday? what are doing for it?" hendery stood, head tilted in curiosity.

"ah...it's on friday," she shyly admitted.

"friday? that's in 3 days! let's hang out then, okay?"

"actually, i was going to do something for her, hendery," jaehyun stopped in his tracks at the door, turning around to give hendery a soft stare, but a feigned smile.

"제가 도와드릴게요 (i'll help)!" hendery chimed in.

the doctor kept his stare on the younger man, carefully studying his face. he was smiling widely, but it felt a little off to jaehyun for some reason. hendery was kind, but his kindness felt motivated by something other than friendship. he didn't want to suspect his new patient, but seeing how he was getting closer to the once lonely seonmi, jaehyun couldn't help feeling annoyed.

resisting the urge to narrow his eyes, jaehyun nodded. "a nurse'll come here for you. let's go seonmi."