Chapter 10: The One With The Jealousy
Lee Sung-Hoon
With a loud gasp, he jolted up. The surroundings seemed familiar. Hollow white walls stared back at him, a black LED tv hung on the wall and a distinct smell of sanitizers. Everything about the room made him puke, despite it having the same vibes as his laboratory - save the tv.
Luckily for him, no one was present in the room to bombard him with questions. His hand grabbed the left side of the head, for it was throbbing with pain. His brain felt fuzzy until the memories from the past few hours flooded back. The accident, The Council meeting - everything came back to him. Realizing that an apology would fix things between him and Ha-Jun, he frantically searched for his phone.
"Shi-bal," He cursed under his breath when he couldn't find his phone. His voice was raspy for not talking for hours. He tried moving his limbs, but they ached so badly that he felt paralyzed. He groaned.
He leaned against his pillow, unable to move. Not being able to scream for help, he waited. Hopefully, a nurse or the doctor would swing by to check on him. After waiting for almost thirty minutes, a familiar woman in a white coat and blue shoulder-length dress stepped into the room.
She smiled at the man, but it wasn't her regular smile. This was a formal smile that was flashed to maintain professionalism.
"Hello, Sung-Hoon. We meet again."
"B-Blue?" He quietly asked, furrowing his eyebrows. His head slightly tilted to the right as he tried to connect the dots. Some of the memories after the car accident came crashing. He remembered a voice repeating him to stay awake. His eyes widened when the woman's and Blue's voices matched. Still fuzzy and light-headed from the heavy impact, he decided to drop the questions for the time being.
"How are you feeling?" Blue asked as she looked at the pages stuck on her clipboard.
"Okay," A quiet, raspy voice replied before turning into a coughing fit. Blue swiftly moved to the bedside table and grabbed the glass of water.
"Here," She helped him drink before placing the glass back on the table. "Better, now?"
He nodded.
Silence enveloped them. Sung-Hoon, who usually bombarded people with trivia facts, was unusually quiet. He stared at his hands, not daring to look at Blue once. Blue sat beside him and observed his reports. His heart fluttered at the proximity. His mind was going wild just thinking about her. One accident and a council meeting later - it was like a new Lee Sung-Hoon was sitting on the bed. Only he knew how he kept all of this to himself.
While Blue was looking at the reports, he sneaked a peek at her. Her wavy, shoulder-length hair fell perfectly on her shoulders. He couldn't keep his eyes off her creamy white complexion, rosy cheeks, and strawberry-colored lips. For the first time, he noticed how beautiful she was. A soft gasp escaped his lips.
Before Blue could look over at him, he quickly averted his gaze on his hands. However, he couldn't help the light pink hue forming on his ears. Unsuspicious, she shifted her gaze back to the reports.
"You have fractures in your legs and right arm and a few broken ribs. It should take you six weeks to recover."
Sung-Hoon nodded.
Sensing the same awkwardness from their not-date night, she figured it was time she gave him space instead of suffering in silence.
"I should get going," Blue stood up. "Take rest, Sung-Hoon."
Once she walked away, Sung-Hoon hit his head on the pillow and groaned in anguish. Every inch of his body was aching. It felt like someone was stabbing him with a thousand knives. His chest rose and fell with every breath he took. Nothing helped his pain.
"I should find painkillers," he thought. "Maybe there's some on the table."
Slowly, he tilted his head towards the bedside table. Nope. Nothing. Only an empty glass of water. He sighed. Today was one of the worst days of his life. Things couldn't possibly turn from the worst from here, right?
Just when the thought was out in the open, the door to his cabin swung open to reveal a grinning Kim Ha-Jun.
"How you hangin', bruv?" He giggled.
Sung-Hoon glared at the man who had a visible spring in his feet. He jumped, danced, twirled - basically everything possible to man.
"How heartless can you be? Your best friend got into an accident," glared Sung-Hoon.
"Look who's talking," Jun-Seo's voice could be heard as he walked into the room with crossed arms. "You're in no position to call Ha-Jun Hyung heartless when you've been a jackass brother all your life."
Sung-Hoon sighed. Unlike any other day, when he would argue or try to put his perspective above his friends, he chose a different route - the one suggested by the Council.
"I'm sorry," a whisper shocked the two men. They jumped and stepped back in horror. With widened eyes and dropped jaws, they observed the man before them.
"What did you say?" asked Jun-Seo as he carefully pushed his left ear forward.
Sung-Hoon rolled his eyes. "I apologize for my past actions. I promise to try and be a better friend and cousin."
Ha-Jun gasped and fell to the ground. Panicked, Jun-Seo rushed outside to call for a doctor. Sung-Hoon shook his head in disbelief. Doctor Kim Aera dashed into the room and noticed the scene before her. Sung-Hoon gestured for Ha-Jun with his eyes, who passed out on the floor.
Aera sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I have nothing to say."
"Should I call the nurse?" asked Jun-Seo.
"Go ahead," said Aera. "I can't believe you three are admitted on the same day."
Miraculously, upon hearing that, Ha-Jun raised his hand. "Can I get a sea-facing room?"
~
"I can't believe she slapped me, and I didn't get my sea-facing room!" cried Kim Ha-Jun as he sat on the stool beside Sung-Hoon's bed. Jun-Seo sat across from him, oddly staring at his cousin. Ha-Jun rambled on how much he wished to have a sea-facing room for almost an hour before Sung-Hoon decided to cut him off.
"Ha-Jun-ah, we get it," said he. "Stop."
"No, you don't get it!" cried Ha-Jun. "You don't get my attachment to the sea."
"You like the sea because it has a calming effect on you. Plus, you like the color Blue," paused Sung-Hoon. A tiny smile played on his lips. "Did you know the ocean influences and regulates Earth's climate, acting like the planet's heart?"
Jun-Seo shook his head. "Normal. He's our Sung-Hoon Hyung."
Perplexed, Sung-Hoon turned to look at his cousin.
"We thought you were Sung-Hoon's doppelganger when you apologized," explained Ha-Jun. "Don't scare us like that next time."
Sung-Hoon sighed. "I was sorry about how I acted before, Ha-Jun. I realize I shouldn't have acted that way."
Ha-Jun squinted his eyes and inspected his head and injuries. "Damn, how bad was the accident?"
"I will take my apology back if you two keep acting weird," warned Sung-Hoon.
Jun-Seo, cautious as ever, said, "That's better."
"Anyway," Ha-Jun snapped his fingers to grab their attention. "I need to tell you, guys, something."
"You're getting a new car?"
"A promotion?"
"Finally, moving abroad?!"
"Got a new pet?"
"Your sister's getting a divorce?" The men looked at Sung-Hoon, who shrugged. "What? It's a possibility."
"I wouldn't be grinning from ear to ear if that was possible, Sung-Hoon."
"But I thought you didn't like the guy."
"That was years ago!" defended Ha-Jun. "Perspectives change, people change. Grow up."
Exhausted from the guessing game, Jun-Seo said, "Then what is it?"
Ha-Jun grinned. "I met someone!"
Jaws dropped on the floor with a loud thud. Ha-Jun's grin widened as he watched the cousins try to pick up their jaws off the ground. His contagious laughter filled the room.
"You should see your faces!" laughed Ha-Jun.
"Are you serious? How, when, and more importantly, where?!" Jun-Seo bombarded his cousin's best friend with a series of questions. Having all the attention to himself was one thing he enjoyed the most in his life. He craved to be in the center of the stage and to have the spotlights shine on him - even if the spotlights were metaphorical.
"In the hospital, actually," said Ha-Jun. "Right after Sung-Hoon and I had our talk."
"How's she like? Am I invited to the wedding? Please, tell me I'm invited to your wedding!"
Ha-Jun chuckled and raised his hands, gesturing for Jun-Seo to hold his horses. "She's gorgeous, has a terrific sense of humor, and loves the color Blue! Just like me! She's a new doctor, fresh out of medical school."
"We have so much in common," Ha-Jun dreamily sighed and stared at the ceiling.
At the mention of the color Blue, Sung-Hoon's mind instantly pictured the woman he once went to dinner with. Yet, Sung-Hoon had reservations. Maybe, the woman Ha-Jun was talking about was someone else. But what if it was her? Unconsciously, his orbs darkened, and his heart burned with a new emotion.
Unknown to Sung-Hoon's stormy emotions, Ha-Jun rambled on about the woman. He described every little detail to his best friend's cousin, who couldn't help but sigh in happiness. The men chatted for hours like little girls while Sung-Hoon seethed with envy.
Their talk was interrupted with a twist of the doorknob. On the other side was Doctor Kim Cheon-sa. Upon noticing Ha-Jun's presence, she smiled.
"Ha-Jun."
"Miss Cheon-sa, hi!" Ha-Jun waved, stood up, and walked towards her to embrace her in a friendly hug. Jaw tightened, and hands clenched into fists, Sung-Hoon watched the two engage in a warm conversation. While Blue was the only one being friendly, Ha-Jun shamelessly flirted with her. This infuriated the patient in ways he couldn't explain. Jun-Seo noticed the change in his cousin's behavior and peeked at the two. It didn't take a university graduate to figure out what was up.
"Here are the painkillers," Blue handed them to Ha-Jun. "If the pain is unbearable, do give him this."
"I'll see you around," she cutely waved before leaving. Once she left, Ha-Jun did a little fanboy twirl.
"He's doing the heart eyes thing," Jun-Seo whispered to his cousin. "You're so dead."
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