#109
While driving toward Handae Hospital where Woohyun was reportedly admitted, Eunhong continuously wondered if what he was doing was right. He knew he was acting on impulse with clouded judgment. But he felt he would regret it for the rest of his life if he didn’t at least see Woohyun’s face.
“Of all places, it had to be here again.”
This was his third visit to Handae Hospital’s Type Ward. Each visit had been for unpleasant reasons, making the building feel almost ominous now.
After checking the message from Kang Hanjae once more, he climbed the stairs to the inpatient ward. The omega-exclusive ward was sealed off with glass doors, preventing alphas from entering except designated guardians. As he hesitated in the corridor, a nurse approached to check his ID and ask about his type.
Eunhong accepted the visitor registration form and hesitated briefly before circling “omega” in the corresponding box. He felt awkward and worried the nurse might think he was lying, but she nodded without suspicion and opened the door.
Jang Haesung was sitting on a chair in the corridor outside the hospital room. It had only been a month since Eunhong heard about his pregnancy, but his belly was already noticeably swollen. When Eunhong sat beside him, Haesung sighed.
“Hanjae said you were coming, so I’ve been waiting. What about your work? Is it lunchtime?”
“Uh… I’m on leave.”
Eunhong lowered his voice, concerned it might be heard inside the room. Through the partially open door, he could see the foot of the bed. Haesung noticed the brace on Eunhong’s hand when he mentioned being on leave, and said, “Ah.” The circumstances seemed to click into place.
“Is his condition really bad?”
Haesung shook his head and answered in a gloomy voice.
“They say it’s an eight-week pre-position. His arms and legs are injured, and his face is a mess. We tried contacting Woohyun’s family… but he threw a fit saying he’d die if we did…”
“Still, shouldn’t they be contacted…”
The words “shouldn’t they?” crumbled at his lips. After all, he himself had tried to hide his own troubles from his family.
“But Eunhong, no matter how I think about it, I don’t think it was Woohyun who drove drunk.”
Haesung leaned forward and whispered in his ear.
“What do you mean?”
“When I was coming back to the room after seeing Hanjae off, I heard Woohyun on the phone, and I think it was that alpha. The passenger who hasn’t shown up.”
“The car belonged to that person too, right?”
“Yeah… I think Woohyun is covering for him.”
Eunhong’s face turned pale at Haesung’s dark words.
***
Eunhong knew well what kind of people Woohyun tended to meet. Even when advised not to rush into relationships and to get to know people slowly, the people Woohyun dated always turned out to be trash once you looked beneath the surface. Whether it was due to poor judgment, bad luck, or perhaps wrong relationship patterns learned from bad childhood experiences—whatever it was, it was Woohyun’s limitation.
In contrast, Eunhong was extremely passive when it came to getting involved with people. Perhaps that’s why he never even thought of deeply intervening in Woohyun’s relationships. Jaeha had once offered to introduce Woohyun to gatherings with decent alphas, but Eunhong, afraid of getting in between, had cut it off himself.
This leaves me with no excuse.
Eunhong smiled bitterly. He was the one who had been so cold to someone he called a friend. Unlike Woohyun who had him, he had been quite fortunate to have Jaeha as a friend when he manifested. He couldn’t shake the thoughts occupying his mind.
After sending Haesung home to rest, as he’d been there since yesterday, Eunhong carefully entered the hospital room. The spacious private room was silent except for the occasional droplet sound from the humidifier. Kang Hanjae must have been very generous. Then again, he would have made the same decision if he had seen Woohyun’s condition.
Woohyun’s face, with his eyes closed quietly, looked peaceful. If not for the thick gauze covering the left side, his gentle, round appearance would have been the same as before. Back in high school when he had more baby fat, he was even cuter with his rounder face.
“Come to see how smashed up I am?”
The sudden voice made Eunhong’s shoulders jump in surprise. Woohyun’s voice was terribly raspy. When Eunhong couldn’t readily answer and just stood there blankly, Woohyun added:
“The bed. Raise it up a bit.”
“Oh? Okay.”
Fumbling for the button, he raised the bed. Seeing how difficult it was for Woohyun to sit up with all the rustling, Eunhong approached and tucked a pillow behind his back. Woohyun raised his head and stared at Eunhong.
“…”
“…”
Feeling awkward, Eunhong retreated and pulled up a chair to sit. Woohyun continued to look at him with a lingering gaze. Although there was nothing to be sorry for, Eunhong felt a wave of guilt. Not understanding his own emotions, he bit his lip before speaking.
“Is there anything you need?”
“F**k… how could I not? I’m dying in pain. They won’t even let me smoke. I feel like s**t.”
“Is there anything you want to eat?”
“You smashed my teeth, so I can’t eat even if you bring something.”
“…”
“…”
After staying silent for a long time, Woohyun looked at Eunhong again and said:
“Why did you come?”
Eunhong couldn’t easily answer and just stared at Woohyun. Woohyun snickered and grabbed a tissue from the bedside table and threw it at Eunhong. Whether from arm pain or poor control, the tissue didn’t even reach the chair and fell limply. The roll of tissue unfurled, creating a long white path.
“If you’re here out of pity, I don’t need it. Give me money instead. Got it?”
Eunhong bit his lip. Pity? But maybe that was right. After picking up and disposing of the tissue, he looked at Woohyun, finding it difficult even to meet his eyes. After sighing deeply several times, Eunhong finally managed to ask:
“You… did you really drive drunk?”
“What business is it of yours whether I did or not?”
“An Woohyun. You’re crazy. What are you trying to do? Why are you covering for that guy?”
“Just mind your own business and get out. It’s not your concern.”
“You shouldn’t be doing this, even for your mother’s sake. Why are you taking the blame? Are you in debt? Did you give all the money from selling your watches to that bastard?”
“Watch your language. How dare you call him a bastard when you don’t even know him.”
Woohyun glared at Eunhong with bloodshot eyes. If he’d been physically able, he would have already hit him. But perhaps Woohyun was also shocked by being hit by Eunhong that day, as he quickly recalled the memory and twitched his cheek.
Eunhong lowered his eyelashes, thought for a long time, and said:
“Do you want help?”
“…”
“I’ll help you catch that alpha, get all your money back, and help you reopen the drunk driving investigation.”
Eunhong and Woohyun’s gazes collided.
At this moment, Eunhong was recalling what Jaeha had shown him when he said to let him know if he wanted to press charges against Woohyun. He felt a strong desire to resolve this issue, even with the help of Jaeha’s legal team. Because he felt he hadn’t done his best until now. Because he felt he had always taken a step back, only watching Woohyun’s misfortunes.
“Hey. Ban Eunhong.”
“Huh?”
The voice calling his name was sharp and cold. When Eunhong stupidly responded, Woohyun fumbled on the bedside table and threw whatever he grabbed. A soy milk pack with a straw burst open on the floor, splattering white liquid onto Eunhong’s shoes.
“You son of a b**ch! I told you not to pity me. Who do you think you are? I have someone who treats me better than you ever could. Just stay out of my business!”
“Is that someone who treats you better not even showing their face at the hospital?”
“…Shut up if you don’t know.”
Even though the truth was evident in his uncertain tone, Woohyun refused to see the situation clearly. Instead, he directed his anger at the easy target standing before him—Eunhong.
“Do you know how miserable I felt when you handed out your possessions like you were doing me a favor?”
“…”
“Don’t think about showing off your precious circumstances and just get out.”
Woohyun glared at Eunhong, contorting his face to the limit. So much so that Eunhong worried his injured eye behind the bandage might hurt. With his face blotchy, swollen, and dark, and his expression filled with rage, he looked like a demon.
By this point, Eunhong was confused. What have I done so wrong to Woohyun…? Even as he was awkwardly driven out of the room into the corridor, the confusion didn’t subside.
Due to the nurse’s insistence that a guardian was necessary, he couldn’t leave and sat outside the corridor for a long time. Only when Kang Hanjae arrived after work could he finally leave. Outside, it was already getting dark as the sun had set.
Even after getting into his car in the parking lot, Eunhong couldn’t start driving right away and just sat there. With his chin resting on the steering wheel, he recalled Woohyun shouting at him. The way he dismissed all of Eunhong’s concern as pity… Even the pizza he had bought when they lived together had apparently been burdensome and unwelcome.
‘You must feel so good being better than me.’
Eunhong shook his head.
“…Sigh.”
After sitting for a long time, Eunhong straightened his back as if giving up. He pulled on his seatbelt and started the engine. He was planning to go to Jaeha’s. While rubbing his tired eyes in the rearview mirror, he suddenly discovered a large person sitting in the back seat and jumped up in his seat. His head hit the car ceiling with a thud.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
