"Don't tell anyone!"
"Why?"
"Just don't tell them!"
Taekwang just nodded with his mouth full of ramyun. He was fun enjoying the food, ignoring Jungkyu's presence who looked at him with a wrinkled face. However, Jungkyu still has doubts about Taekwang's words—even though he has been bribed with two cups of ramyun. Really, if Taekwang was the only one who knew that Hyunji was here, it wouldn't be a problem. But if the others find out, he's over.
"But," Taekwang grabbed a glass of water on the table, and drank it straight away, "Who is she?"
"Nobody."
"Really?" Taekwang raised one eyebrow. "Just be honest, it's okay. Even if she's your lover, your affair, or even the wife of an elopement, I'm sure the others won't be angry."
Jungkyu gawked. "What the ... Hyung! I've never even had a girlfriend. You know that!"
Taekwang thought for a moment. "Then ... your one night stand partner?"
Jungkyu glared to hear it. "Don't speak like that!"
"Whoaa!!! See?! Are you angry that I called her that?" Taekwang cheered. He raised his hand, clapping excitedly. "Alright, alright. I understand. If she's not your partner in bed, nor your lover, then there's only one possibility."
"What?"
Taekwang squinted while smiling mischievously. "You're experiencing one-sided love, right?"
Jungkyu's expression turned flat. Now, he's trying to holding back from hitting Taekwang's smart-ass head with the house slippers he's currently wearing.
"Jungkyu, where are you?"
It was Haru's voice.
Right on time! At least Jungkyu didn't have to spend too much time arguing with Taekwang. "I'm in the kitchen, Hyung! Just wait in the living room!"
Jungkyu turned to Taekwang who was sipping noodle soup. "Remember, don't tell anyone!" he said emphatically.
Without waiting for Taekwang's reaction, he walked towards the refrigerator. Opened the door, then pulled out a few cans of soda to carry into the living room.
He thought that Haru was the only one who came, but apparently his other two friends—Yeonjin and Namchul—were also sitting on the sofa in the living room. Joining Haru and Taekwang who have finished his meal.
"Sorry to call you guys all of the sudden," said Jungkyu after sitting himself on one of the single sofas.
"No problem." Namchul glanced at the person sitting beside him with concern. "But Yeonjin Hyung seems really exhausted."
Sure enough. On one of the long sofas, right next to Namchul, Yeonjin was seen nodding off while hugging a white alpaca doll that was in harmony with the doctor's coat that was still attached to his body. He had a very extraordinary day at the hospital where he served as chief director. It was so extraordinary that he felt that every joint in his body was being dislocated right now.
Jungkyu frowned. "It's unusual that Yeonjin Hyung is already asleep. Usually he will sleep after two in the morning."
Namchul grimaced in a low voice. He had heard Yeonjin's story during the trip and it was more than enough to make himself shudder. "You can ask himself later."
Jungkyu looked at Namchul with confused look, can't understand.
Actually, Yeonjin overheard all their conversations. He didn't really sleep, just closed his eyes for a moment to rest his body and brain. He was very tired. How could he not be tired when many unexpected things happened to him today. While the chief director generally spends more time in the office, behind the desk, struggling with piles of files regarding hospital budgets and such, he is instead busy being dragged here and there like being hit by a wave.
Starting from his hair which is used as an outlet due to the intense contractions of a pregnant woman who is about to give birth. At first, he just happened to pass by one of the hospital hallways, but suddenly he ran into a woman who was pregnant. The woman seemed to be in pain until she sat down, while a nurse beside her was confused about calling her colleague but she couldn't leave the woman alone.
Kindhearted, Yeonjin volunteered to look after the woman. He guided the woman to catch her breath and not panic. However, he is still a medical graduate, although now he hardly ever treats patients directly because of his busy schedule. Taking care of the patient is certainly his duty.
But after that, the unlucky fate happened when the nurse had returned with several colleagues carrying a gurney. When the woman's body was lifted onto the gurney, maybe out of reflex or something, her hands scrabbled through the empty air and managed to reach his hair. Moaning and crying, it was Yeonjin's hair that ended up being the target. It was brutally grabbed along with a loud moan as if the baby in there was about to come out with a single push.
The nurses were shocked and immediately pushed the gurney into the delivery room. Yeonjin's prestige as a respected chief director was gone. He had to endure pain all the way to the delivery room. Not to mention the stares he gets along the corridor. Some looked at him with pity, some curiously, while the rest held back laughter. Don't ask how much embarrassment he has to endure.
And as if it didn't stop there, he still had to accompany the woman throughout the delivery process. The reason was because the woman was busy crying and didn't want to let go of his hair at all. Every time he was about to let go, the tug on his hair got even tighter until his hair strands fell out. Surrendered to the situation, he knelt on the delivery room floor and let his hair be sacrificed.
But his suffering was not over.
When she just came out of the delivery room with his messy hair that seems like a lion, he had to be faced with many emergency surgeries due to a series of accidents. Victims were everywhere, blood splattered on the floor, while the situation at the hospital was already quite busy. Some of the victims needed immediate treatment, so without a second thought he went straight to the operating room.
The patient he treats is a middle-aged man with a liver tumor. Due to the strong impact of the accident, the tumor ruptured and caused bleeding. Not to mention the condition of his broken arm bones. Luckily, Yeonjin was more than experienced in handling emergency situations, so there weren't many obstacles during the operation process.
The situation at the hospital was just conducive towards the evening. Even then, after running here and there, Yeonjin didn't immediately rest his tired body. He was still busy with the documents he had abandoned. When he was about to rest, Jungkyu sent a message via groupchat and asked him to come to Jungkyu's apartment. And as a good friend, he agreed on the condition that he ride in Namchul's car. He will not be able to drive by himself after all that happened.
From there, it can be concluded that he is a very patient person. Even now, he only smiled as Taekwang impudently grabbed his alpaca doll and lay down on the fur carpet. If he wanted to, he could have snatched the doll forcibly or kicked Taekwang's body which was lying right next to his feet. But in fact, all he did was think, "God, just kill me now...."
Jungkyu shook his head slowly when he saw Taekwang's actions. Actually, how much energy was produced from two cups of ramyu until he still had the energy to prank Yeonjin who was actually the oldest among them? Feeling pity, he held out a sofa cushion to Yeonjin who took it quickly.
"So ... it's about the ambush just now."
His friends immediately put their ears up when they heard Jungkyu's words.
Jungkyu scratched the back of his neck, feeling guilty. "I couldn't find any information."
Without having to look at his four friends one by one, he knew that they would be disappointed, but no one dared to say it because they knew that the failure was not Jungkyu's fault. Rather than judging, they are more curious about how can Jungkyu got nothing—when usually all information will be easily obtained by him.
As if he could read his friends' expressions, Jungkyu continued, "The mouth of the person who was stalking me was stitched up, so I couldn't interrogate him."
His friends were completely numbed by Jungkyu's words.
"Stitched ... what?" Yeonjin asked for sure. Suturing the wound was common, but this ... stitching the mouth? Did he hear wrong or what?
"Mouth. Yeah, you know, like in a thriller movie."
Alright, looks like Yeonjin didn't hear it wrong.
"Then? What did you do to him?" This time it was Namchul who asked.
Jungkyu petrified for a moment. Even though he had expected to be asked that, his heart still beat unstable. Honestly, he didn't want to talk about Hyunji's involvement—especially since Taekwang already knew about her whereabouts in this apartment. He had prepared an excuse earlier, but the worry that his lie would be exposed kept haunting him.
Clearing his throat to cover his nervousness, Jungkyu then said, "He-"
The ringing of Yeonjin's phone that rang loudly caught the five of them's attention. Doesn't know if it was luck or what, but Jungkyu was so relieved because the phone rang at the right time.
At least for now, he was guilt-free.
Meanwhile, Yeonjin hastily reached into his coat pocket. He only skimmed the name written on it, then put it to his ear. "Hello? What's wrong?"
Yeonjin was involved in a serious conversation with the person on the phone, while the other four could only stare at Yeonjin's change in expression.
Yeonjin furrowed his brows, creating a clear frown on his hairless forehead. He doesn't talk much. He only answered briefly while nodding his head.
Shortly after, the call was disconnected. Yeonjin was still in his place, lost in thought. Until a notification chimes woke him up. He stared at his phone for a moment, then handed it right in front of Jungkyu. "You know him?"
Jungkyu observed the photo on the screen carefully. It only took a second for his eyes to widen. "W, where is he now?"
***
Hyung: a word used by males to address another male older than them who they are close to.