Soonbok felt her eyebrows furrowing together, protesting at the bright light shining down through her closed eyelids. She remained still, taking her time to regain control of her numbed body. Her ears twitched in hopes of chasing away the incessant muffled buzzing that echoed in her head. To her dismay, the sound was only replaced by the all too familiar rhythmic beeping of machines. The girl inhaled deeply and after gathering all the energy she could muster, she pried her eyes open. She quickly regretted her actions though when she found the harsh ceiling lights glaring down at her, causing her to squint in distaste. The disgruntled girl raised an arm to cover her eyes but realised that she had been hooked up to an IV and a heart monitor. Soonbok stared at the monitor in a daze at first, but then, as if the volume of the machine had been turned up in her head, she leaned further back into the pillow in an attempt to bury the sound.

“I don’t know how they expect us to rest and recover when everything happening in this place does the exact opposite. It’s chaos.”

Confused by the unfamiliar yet youthful voice, Soonbok slowly but painfully pushed her body into a sitting position. This gave her full view of the cubicle she had been placed in. From the shades of the curtain and the rough texture of the sheets, Soonbok knew that she was still in the ER. Her eyes then drifted from her feeble body along the bed before landing on a wheelchair by the foot of her bed. Sitting on the wheelchair was a nonchalant Renjun. The boy was no longer in restraints, his free hands were cupped around his cheeks that still held some baby-fat, emphasising his tender age further. His facial muscles were relaxed but his eyes were on constant alert as he analysed Soonbok’s puzzled expression.

“I was told to keep an eye on you,” Renjun stated through a gummy smile.

Hearing the response, Soonbok’s confusion only deepened. She opened to speak, but the dryness caused her to snap it back shut. As if reading her mind, Renjun pulled himself closer to her using the bed-railings and reached for the glass of water sitting on the bed-side table. He carefully passed it over to her, and she accepted the water, gulping it down in controlled sips. Her eyes never strained from the seemingly innocent boy until another presence appeared from behind the curtain.

“God you’re finally awake,” Sehun exhaled in relief.

“You told a patient to keep an eye on me?” Soonbok questioned, eyeing him suspiciously.

“I-huh—” Sehun stuttered, fumbling with the remote to elevate Soonbok’s bed so that she could sit in a comfortable position.

“Just kidding,” Renjun chirped, grabbing everyone’s attention. “I just wanted to check out the nurse that Jaemin wouldn’t stop raving about, so I asked another nurse to bring me here.”

The words slid into Soonbok’s ears one by one and her brain took its time to register the meaning. Individually she knew what each word meant. Linked together though, she felt like she was hearing foreign words. One name stuck out to her though, and that was none other than ‘Jaemin’. Renjun knew about her from Jaemin, and Jaemin had a positive view of her. That must mean something right?

“Wait,” Soonbok snapped back to reality. “A nurse just left you here despite me still being unconscious? Who on earth…”

The words faded from Soonbok’s mouth as one name emerged to the forefront. Of course only one fool would do something like this, and speak of the devil—

“What’s wrong Bokkie-bok dearest?” Jongin snuck into the now slightly overcrowded cubicle. “I figured you’d appreciate being able to monitor your patient from the moment you opened your eyes.”

Jongin batted his lashes at his best friend and made himself comfortable on the bed whilst pulling Soonbok in a side-hug. Soonbok raised a questioning eyebrow at him, feeling unsettled by how calm and cheerful he was being despite everything that had happened to her.

“What are you on you weirdo? Cause I want some of it too. Maybe it’ll get rid of this goddamn headache.”

“It’s called optimism Bokkie-bok dearest,” Jongin hummed, proceeding to massage Soonbok’s temples. “Jokes aside, I’m glad you’re awake. Also, placing Renjun here was for sake of convenience too.”

As if waiting for his queue, the curtains of the cubicle opened again. This time it was Kyungsoo who entered with Junmyeon in tow. Jongin exchanged a nod of acknowledgement with the officers. He then gave a quick peck of reassurance on Soonbok’s forehead before taking his leave. Sehun motioned to follow Jongin but was reluctant to depart. He found himself hovering. Soonbok stared at Sehun, wo