𝚜𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚢 | 𝖼.𝗌 𝗑 𝗃.𝗐

f̸i̸f̸t̸e̸e̸n̸

8pm

as wooyoung opened his eyes, he was blinded by bright lights from above that were almost too much for him to take. he squinted for a few seconds before he became accustomed to how brightly the room was lit. as his eyes fully opened he realised where he was - and it was somewhere he didn't want to be.

he had been taken to hospital albeit briefly after the accident and it since became a place he never wanted to visit again.

and then he felt the pain - in his ribs, his stomach, his head; pretty much his whole body. he found it difficult to try and sit up so he just laid back and hoped someone would realise he was awake soon. and he didn't have to wait long.

"glad you're back with us, son" came the voice of what wooyoung assumed must be a doctor. as the person neared, wooyoung's assumptions were proven correct. he continued;

"you've had quite a rough time there, but you're going to be just fine. unfortunately you're likely to be in a bit of pain for a while and you'll have a few bruises, but apart from that..."

wooyoung tried to smile but found it too painful.

"there are some officers who wish to speak to you when you're ready. is there anyone you'd like us to call?"

at that moment, a ringtone could be heard from the bedside table.

"ah yes, we recovered you're phone, it's a little smashed but seems to be working still. go ahead and answer it if you like, it's been ringing a few times"

wooyoung glanced over at the caller ID. of course, it was san.

"could you pass it to me, sir?" wooyoung asked of the doctor.

he handed him the ringing device in response and wooyoung pressed to accept the call.

"hey woo! guess who's home?"

came the voice from the other end of the phone. wooyoung glanced at the doctor and he whispered, "I'll be back soon" before walking away and pulling wooyoung's curtain closed.

"s-san" wooyoung croaked, "I'm s-sorry"

san's tone changed immediately. "wooyoung?! what's wrong, baby? did something happen?"

wooyoung coughed before he continued to make his broken speech sound a little clearer.

"sannie, I'm at the hospital"

"you're what?!" what's happened, woo? talk to me"

"hyunjin" was all he said before san quickly responded,

"baby, I'm coming, I'll see you soon"

and the line went dead.

-----

as san arrived at the ward, he felt sick. he couldn't comprehend that him going away for just a few days had put wooyoung in danger. did they take advantage of wooyoung being separated from him?

after asking the reception where abouts wooyoung was, san threw open the curtains and went straight to wooyoung's side.

"woo..."

he put one hand on his leg and used the other to push wooyoung's hair out of his eyes. however, he winced when san touched his face and so the other backed away.

"I can't believe this has happened"

"I'm okay, san"

"have you spoken to the police?"

"yeah, just before you arrived" wooyoung reminisced the uncomfortable conversation.

"and you told them it was hyunjin?"

"well... no..."

san furrowed his brows, "what?"

"I told them I didn't know who it was" wooyoung admitted.

"why?!"

"cos I deserved it"

san just blinked. his heart dropped. he thought wooyoung had surpassed that mindset over the last month. he couldn't see him regress back to that.

"no, baby, please..."

"no matter what you say, this is all I'm ever going to be"

"you're wrong!" san protested.

"maybe you should leave, san. I don't know why you've even stuck around for this long" wooyoung turned his head away from the other and closed his eyes.

san felt his heart break into a million pieces. did wooyoung really want him to leave? but then he saw a tear escape from wooyoung's eye and roll down his bruised cheek - and he knew. being abandoned right now was the last thing wooyoung really wanted.

"I'm not going anywhere" san replied firmly, "I'm staying here until you're better and then you're coming home with me - to stay"

wooyoung's head shot back towards san.

"I'm not leaving you alone again. from now on, I'm going to take care of you and there's nothing you can do about it"

wooyoung smiled softly but he still looked as though he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. it killed san to see the person he cared about so much so hurt and there was no way he was gonna let hyunjin get away with this.

"where does changbin live?" san enquired.

"no, san"

"I just want to talk to him - not hyunjin, just changbin. he needs to know what his boyfriend is capable of" san said passionately.

"there's no point, san. I doubt he cares"

"tell me, woo. or I will go back to the police officer and tell him the truth"

wooyoung sighed, "I don't want you to get hurt, san. it would kill me..."

"I won't get hurt, baby, I promise. now tell me; he needs to know"

-----

and wooyoung did.

the doctor returned not long after and told wooyoung he would be able to go home the next day but he would need to get a lot of rest. san promised the doctor that wooyoung wouldn't have to lift a single finger and promptly went about cancelling his clients for the next few days.

he also then called yunho for wooyoung. yunho was heartbroken and cursed himself for asking wooyoung to lock up. he told san to tell wooyoung to take as much time as he needed and that he would come and visit soon, when wooyoung was feeling a little better.

san slept in the armchair beside the hospital bed all night, refusing to leave wooyoung's side. but early the next morning, before wooyoung woke up, he got himself up and told the nurses to tell wooyoung he'd be back soon if he awoke.

and then, he inputted changbin's address into his phone and drove the journey there.