“Why did you help me?”
“What?”
“You were so angry earlier. So why did you help me?”
“Am I talking to a kindergartener right now?”
But Sa Shin-jae’s face was serious as he looked at him. Realizing this wasn’t a joke or sarcasm, Sa-yoon spoke in disbelief.
“So what, you’d just sit back and watch someone get hurt?”
“Even after getting chewed out like that?”
“Just because you’re a piece of shit doesn’t mean everyone else is.”
“……”
Sa Shin-jae didn’t argue with that. The expected reaction never came, making Sa-yoon’s expression shift slightly. Then he scowled.
“Hey. Just so you don’t get the wrong idea, I didn’t throw myself in there for some shitty excuse to get physical with you.”
“Who would even think that?”
Sa Shin-jae’s expression was baffled, as if wondering why Sa-yoon was even saying something so obvious.
His face looked so absurdly wronged that Sa-yoon was momentarily speechless. Does this bastard just forget the things he says?
“One more question.”
“You say that like it’s just one. Business hours are over~”
“That thing earlier, was it from the business building?”
Why even ask when he was going to do whatever he wanted anyway? Sa-yoon wasn’t his student or his junior. He had no obligation to answer. He was about to ignore it, but the other guy was persistent.
“Did you bring that thing to the bathroom earlier?”
The clear voice cut through the air just as the streetlights flickered on ahead of schedule. As the light illuminated Sa Shin-jae’s face, his sharp features stood out even more.
It was only then that Sa-yoon properly took in his face instead of just glancing at him. His neatly shaped eyebrows were furrowed tightly, and beneath them, his pupils had darkened, sinking low.
If this were a movie, it would be the kind of scene where the protagonist had just received terrible news or gone through something awful.
He was the one who had gotten hurt, but judging by the expression alone, Sa Shin-jae looked like the one in pain.
Seriously, what the hell was his problem now?
Come to think of it, from the night of the team dinner until now, there hadn’t been a single moment where Sa Shin-jae made any sense to him.
Sa-yoon let out a sigh, glancing once at the darkening sky, then at Sa Shin-jae’s face.
“Or was it during lunchtime?”
“And the third question.”
Even though he wasn’t getting any answers, Sa Shin-jae was relentless. It was clear he wouldn’t stop following him around until he got a response. Sa-yoon, shaking his head in exasperation, finally answered.
“Yes~ I got burned by boiling water, but some fucking bastard decided the business building was his and made sure I couldn’t even use cold water.”
Of course, given what he’d been through, his words were laced with sharp irritation.
“What’s the point of having a mouth if you’re not gonna use it?”
“Are you a foreigner or something? I must’ve told you to move like a hundred times back then—did you just not understand?”
At that, Sa Shin-jae’s eyebrows twitched, his eyes widening. Only after having it spelled out for him did he seem to finally recall how he had acted earlier. What is he, suffering from amnesia?
Sa-yoon watched as his expression shifted, and at that moment, the guy turned away. Then, with a deep sigh, he muttered something under his breath—it almost sounded like he was cursing. It was obvious he was acting like this because he had nothing else to say.
You meet all kinds of personalities in college, and every now and then, there were people like him. The type who, even when they realized they were wrong, refused to admit it and just doubled down instead.
Sa-yoon, usually tolerant, didn’t particularly like that kind of person. While Sa Shin-jae was off sulking, he pulled out his phone and opened his map app, quickly typing into the search bar.
[Jeongbeonghyeong Orthopedic Clinic] [Jeongbanghyeong Plastic Surgery] [Jeongreok Clinic]
“Ah.”
Trying to type one-handed was more of a hassle than he expected. What he was actually searching for was ‘Jeongbanghyeong Orthopedic Clinic.’ But because the keyboard was so small, he kept making typos.
Then, suddenly, a large hand reached out and covered the screen.
“Let’s go.”
“Go where?”
“The hospital.”
Up until now, Sa-yoon had been telling Sa Shin-jae they should just go their separate ways.
“You know, have you ever thought about seeing a psychiatrist? You might have short-term memory loss or something. Didn’t I just say I’m not going to the hospital with you?”
“I know.”
Not even ‘Got it’—just ‘I know.’ The sheer audacity of acting like ignoring Sa-yoon’s words was the most natural thing in the world made his forehead crease in annoyance.
“Forget it… Just go.”
“It’s Friday. Cabs are hard to catch. I’ll take you, so let’s go.”
“This bastard just doesn’t listen, huh? Hey, I don’t want to go to the hospital with you, so let’s just go our separate ways.”
“Even if you don’t want to, just suck it up.”
“Shin-jae, what the hell is your problem? Oh, wait. Are you worried about ruining your image by leaving me behind and going home? Don’t worry, I’ll tell everyone you took me to the hospital.”
He even added that extra reassurance, considering how much Sa Shin-jae cared about his image. Then, without a second thought, he turned away.
“Senior, do you know how weird your personality is? I’m offering to take you to the hospital, and you’re picking a fight over it?”
“How could I not? What, you think you’re doing charity work for me?”
Words matter. The way you say something can completely change its meaning. There’s a reason people say a single word can settle a thousand-gold debt.
“I’m not even asking for a thank you. But is that how you treat someone who got hurt in your place?”
“Isn’t thanking someone for getting hurt instead of me just… mockery?”
“Then at least say you’re sorry!”
“I’m sorry.”
Sa-yoon, surprised at his own words, raised his head in shock when Sa Shin-jae actually answered so easily. Did he just imagine that? No matter how he looked at him, that face seemed far more suited for cursing than apologizing.
“Hey… Did you hit your head earlier or something?”
There wasn’t even a speck of sincerity in his voice, but he never expected to hear the word ‘sorry’ from that mouth. It was something that should have been impossible unless he had sustained a major injury.
“Stop changing the subject.”
“If not, then why are you acting like this? Our dear Shin-jae would never behave this way unless he had some kind of head trauma.”
“You got hurt because of me.”
“Don’t kid yourself. I got hurt because the lighting rig fell, not because of you.”
“…Please.”
It was one shock after another today. Seriously, what the hell was up with him?
As Sa-yoon eyed him warily, the taller man closed the remaining distance between them.
“Let me take you to the hospital.”
Now he was outright pleading.
In all the chaos earlier, he hadn’t noticed, but now that he got a closer look, Sa Shin-jae—who he had always just thought of as fair-skinned—was pale. Add a little exaggeration, and he looked like he was about to pass out.
“What if you end up with a scar?”
“Then what, I get to add another heroic drinking story about how I got hurt saving my junior?”
His words came out more relaxed than before.
Was he a child? The weight of guilt and responsibility for Sa-yoon getting hurt was practically radiating off of him.
Sa-yoon sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. If Sa Shin-jae had been acting like a complete ass, it would be easy to just walk away. But with him looking like this? There was no way. Otherwise, he’d be lying awake in bed for the next few nights feeling weird about it.
“We go to the hospital, and then we go our separate ways.”
The parking lot wasn’t far.
Surprisingly, Sa Shin-jae walked ahead first, opening the passenger door for him.
What the hell is wrong with him? Shouldn’t he be getting a full-body scan while I’m getting my X-ray?
Sa-yoon stared at him for a moment, only for Sa Shin-jae to start saying something about his hands being injured. When he pointed out that not both of his hands were hurt, the guy actually looked like he had just realized humans have two hands.
Feeling strangely unsettled, Sa-yoon finally got into the passenger seat. As Sa Shin-jae circled around and settled into the driver’s seat, he started the engine and began typing their destination into the car’s built-in navigation.
“Just go to an orthopedic clinic. Why are you putting in a university hospital? If we go to the ER with this, we’ll be waiting for hours.”
“…Why?”
Sa Shin-jae’s expression made it clear he genuinely had no idea what the problem was.
“Because the ER doesn’t treat patients in the order they arrive. They treat the most urgent cases first.”
Sa Shin-jae didn’t respond. He just stared at him in silence.
“What? If you’ve got something to say, spit it out.”
“If it’s because of the hospital bill, I’ll pay for it.”
That was his answer.
Sa-yoon’s face twisted in irritation.
“God, every single thing you say is so fucking annoying. If you don’t believe me, just look it up yourself.”
So, for a moment, there was a brief search break inside the idling car.
“…It’s true.”
Sa Shin-jae’s long, thick eyelashes cast shadows over his cheeks as he glanced down at his phone. Up until now, he had been acting so damn annoying that Sa-yoon had almost forgotten—twenty was still young.
When he was twenty, there were classmates who showed up to funerals wearing sheer tops or neon sneakers. —Of course, that incident was still being talked about six years later— Compared to that, not knowing how emergency rooms worked was a minor thing.
Without even realizing it, Sa-yoon found himself internally defending him, nodding slightly.
“That place from earlier? Jeongbanghyeong Orthopedic Clinic?”
“When did you even see that?”
“It was visible.”
“Are you not hurt? Your wrist?”
Most people instinctively put their hands out when they fell, which often led to sprained wrists. Just like his.
“And who exactly is worried about who right now?”
Seriously, what the hell? He wouldn’t even let him worry in peace. If you were nice to him, he thought you liked him. If you showed consideration, he got mad.
