Chapter Text
Dahyun's alarm went off as it should, the sound blaring loudly throughout her room signalling the start of a day she did not want to begin yet (as per usual).
There's no movement from outside her room—from what she can tell, anyways—so she assumed that her parents have already left for work. Dahyun mulled over the idea of missing school as she sunk further into her bed, letting her eyes close once more.
Dahyun groaned when her phone went off this time. ‘Of course,’ She thinks as she saw 'Kim Chaeng~❤' flash across the screen. Naturally, Dahyun’s first instinct would be to decline the call, and so she did as such, but she soon found the name etched across the screen of her phone again. Easily giving up, Dahyun accepts it, sitting up in her bed.
“What could you possibly want this early in the morning?” Dahyun groaned out for a second time, her voice was thick with sleep and it made Chaeyoung, her best friend, chuckle.
“I’m calling you to wake you up, of course! We have that thing to do today, remember?” Chaeyoung doesn’t sound too awake herself, Dahyun noticed as she finally flipped the blankets off of herself. As she gets up from her bed, Dahyun becomes suddenly aware of just how hot it is.
“Oh yeah, that…” Dahyun tried to remember what it was exactly that they were doing in their class. She knows it was for their Health Science class, because it’s the only class she’s the least bit interested in. She had even decided that Chemistry, with it’s endless equations that never failed to make any sense to her, was much more interesting than learning about the history of vaccines or when the first surgery was performed.
“Don’t think about it, just be on time. If I have to suffer, then you will too!” Chaeyoung whined her usual whine, ending it with a sleepy chuckle before ending the call. Dahyun made a face at the other before tossing her phone onto her bed; she went to the bathroom to get ready for the day, having herself the most fantastic mini-concert as she washes up, since she had the house to herself for a moment. Nonetheless, despite not wanting to have woken up so early, she kept aware of her time and ended her concert after the fifth encore (without forgetting to placate the imaginary audience for not doing her usual ten encore performances).
Getting ready took no time at all, it never did for Dahyun, especially not when all she had to work with was her school uniform anyways. After getting ready and gathering her things, Dahyun made her way downstairs; she read the note her parents always left for her on days when they had to leave early, and then she was on her way. Her trip to school wasn’t long, so Dahyun decided to stop by a local cafe and order something refreshing to drink since it truly was too hot out. Dahyun reached the school early, sliding up next to Chaeyoung while sipping on her drink casually.
“Well, looky here, sleeping beauty finally decided to show,” Chaeyoung teased, wrapping herself around Dahyun and even stealing a long sip of her drink. “That really hits the spot, but you should be drinking water during weather like this. Otherwise you’d pass out, you know. Although, we will be going to a hospital,” Dahyun rolled her eyes as Chaeyoung continued to tease, but she couldn’t stop her own chuckles escaping here and there.
“Here you go, girls,” Ms. Kim handed the two their respective pack of paper. “This is your schedule for after today. It tells you when you’re going to visit your patient and how long you’re going to have to stay with them. As you know, we’ll be doing this for two months, and during the second month, you’ll be allowed to actually get hands-on experience with caring for your patient.”
“I know this seems morbid, but..we’re dealing with all kinds of patients, right? Is there a possibility that one might...d—pass away?” Dahyun questions cautiously, fearing the possibility that they might just have to deal with that sort of thing. As much as she hated to admit it, she could attach herself to people pretty easily, and the last thing she’d want is to get too attached to someone who doesn’t have too much time left.
“Well, yes, that is a possibility. But, in all of my years doing this, that has never been the case, so let’s hope that something like that continues to not happen, okay?” Ms. Kim smiled reassuring towards the two before taking her leave to hand out more packets.
“Nice question, very appropriate,” Chaeyoung gave Dahyun one of her famous looks before shaking her head with a laugh. Dahyun moves to push Chaeyoung, but she dodged it expertly with another taunting laugh.
“Alright everybody,” Ms. Kim called as two buses pulled up to the front of the school. She counts heads before continuing. “Everyone is here, which is great, and I except everyone here to be on their best behavior. You guys are first years, but you’re not children. Besides, we’re going to a hospital, and unless you want to sick “accidentally”, I suggest you follow the rules.” The class agreed with a laugh before piling into the buses, immediately continuing their conversations once they started rolling.
“So, who did you get? I got someone named ‘Minatozaki Sana’..? Why...oh, she’s a transfer I guess, second year,” Chaeyoung mumbled while studying her packet, her voice almost undetectable over the loud humming of the bus and excited chatter of their classmates.
Dahyun checked her packet as well, huffing out a laugh. “Wow, we really are best friends. I got a..Myo..Myoui Mina..? Also a second year, Japanese transfer, but she chose to stay in Korea and not be transferred back to Japan for reasons unknown, apparently. Wow, Ms. Kim really went all out with this assignment…” Dahyun was genuinely amazed at all of the information that was complied for them. “She seems interesting enough on paper, what about your patient?” Dahyun turned to Chaeyoung whose expression has grown increasingly worried.
“Apparently she has a severe case of ADHD and a bit of a motor impairment, both of which has resulted in her experiencing more near-death experiences than any human being would ever like to experience. She’s in the hospital now because her parents were too worried about her safety, apparently,”
“That’s...hm…” Dahyun sported the same as expression Chaeyoung had, the other girl nodding in understanding. The two of them continued to go back and forth about their patients until eventually, the tedium of the ride had Chaeyoung resting her head on Dahyun’s shoulders with closed eyes, ready to sleep again. Dahyun rolled her eyes—knowing Chaeyoung, she probably stayed up late painting or making playlists for new songs she kept discovering— but she felt a yawn coming on herself so she rested her head on Chaeyoung’s and drifted off to sleep as well.
“Hey, sleeping uglies, we’re here!” Yeri called out loudly in Dahyun and Chaeyoung’s ears, startling them awake. Dahyun groaned as she hit her head against the bus window repeatedly, heart racing from the shock, while Chaeyoung whined and swatted at the other girl who was already speeding off of the bus. Chaeyoung scooped up her things and exited the bus, Dahyun trailing behind her a beat later, with Chaeyoung’s schedule in hand.
“I thought the bus ate you,” The shorter girl commented, eyes still blinking away the sleep.
“Nope, now take your schedule, because I think you’ll need it,” Dahyun hands Chaeyoung her schedule before dragging her along to catch up with the rest of their classmates. They enter the cool building with a refreshed sigh, and after receiving more instructions from their teacher, the students were allowed to disperse; some go in groups, some in pairs, and there were even a few that ventured through the hospital alone. Dahyun sighed deeply when she discovered that their designated rooms were next to each other (although, she was very relieved to have someone familiar nearby, although the thought of having Chaeyoung bringing over her hyperactive patient made her feel a bit more tired than the nap did).
“Catch ya on the flip side,” Chaeyoung said with a peace sign before entering her patient’s room which was already loud as the girl seemed to have been waiting for her. Dahyun’s face fell as Chaeyoung immediately laughed out full and bright, greeting her patient with equal enthusiasm. Dahyun knew Chaeyoung like the back of her hand, so she knew that despite this Sana’s downfalls, Chaeyoung still fell a little bit in love already. She was everything Chaeyoung always liked in a person—someone bright and cute and free just like her (at this point, Dahyun learned how to stop the begrudging feeling that she is also very well what Chaeyoung liked in a person).
With a sigh, Dahyun turned away from the door long since closed and back to her own. She looked through her packet again, stalling for time, before finally just giving up and opening the door. Dahyun stepped into the room awkwardly, shutting the door behind her as quietly as possible, because the room was dead silent, absolutely still. She turned towards the bed, towards the person lying there perfectly under her covers despite the heat that permeates through the hospital even, and inches forwards slowly.
Their first meeting was hot, sticky, and overall uncomfortable. Dahyun wished that she could have been anywhere but here, at the hospital, where sickness hid behind every corner. And when she actually stepped close enough to see her patient, Kim Dahyun’s dissatisfactions were only affirmed.
“H-hello?” She starts unsurely, voice cracking a bit. She made a face at herself, cleared her throat and continued. “I’m Dahyun, Kim Dahyun, your temporary caretaker.” Dahyun’s stare on the unmoving girl was curious and intense. Her eyes scanned over the machines that were beeping a bit slower than she thinks they should be, but not alarmingly slow ( ‘Keeping her alive despite everyone’s loss of hope...apparently,’ Dahyun thinks), and stepping closer, her eyes finally landed on the girl’s face.
For a split second, Dahyun truly considered alerting a nurse, because all of her breath was taken from her by the sight of this Myoui Mina.
The first thing Dahyun noticed was the mole on the girl’s nose, weirdly enough. It seemed so insignificant, but also uniquely intriguing (Dahyun can already imagine Chaeyoung teasing laughter at this, and she questions whether it’s something she should even mention). Shaking out of her thoughts, Dahyun continued scanning the girl’s face; her skin was nicely tanned and flawless, her hair was short and jet black, and her lips—
“Oh,” A soft voice, quiet even in the silence of the room. Dahyun jumps, eyes flicking up to watched sleepy eyes flutter open. “hello.” The girl smiled small and awkward, and Dahyun returned it just as so.
“I—uh, hi?” Dahyun tried after a few beats. She learned how to breathe again, learned how to stop the embarrassment of being caught staring. Mina chuckled, or at least, Dahyun thought she did; it was hard to tell since it was a machine helping Mina breathe, after all.
“Are you the temporary caretaker that I was informed about? The one here for two months?” Mina questioned with soft, labored breathing.
“Y-yeah, that’s me..Dahyun, Kim Dahyun,” The reiteration of her name had Mina attempting more soft chuckles and Dahyun can only vaguely imagine how much the other would be moving right now if she could. ‘This is going to be a long two months…’
“Sorry, I couldn’t help but imagine the infamous James Bond phrase,” Mina admitted, smile wide and bright, for what it’s worth. Dahyun nodded, finally understanding the fit of...weak chuckles that Mina fell into. “As you know, I’m Mina...Myoui Mina.” There was a teasing glint in Mina’s eyes and Dahyun’s lips quirked up in a smile that wasn’t awkward for once.
Dahyun pulls up a chair next to Mina, and the two talk about nothing special for a long time. While Dahyun excitedly recounted stories of her life with ease, even admitting that she once practiced kissing her best friend with a picture of her puckering her lips pulled up on her laptop (Dahyun does, however, keep Chaeyoung’s room a secret), Mina avoided talking about herself much; she would only talk about certain parts of her school life, her family was out of the question, and the little bits about herself were already things organized neatly in Dahyun’s packet.
All too soon, it was time for Dahyun’s class to leave. At one point, Dahyun remembered to save herself from future embarrassment and exit to the bathroom to text Chaeyoung to not visit her room, and instead wait outside. However, with Sana around, Chaeyoung never got around to checking her messages and came to pick Dahyun up regardless. Mina quirked an eyebrow at the girl, and gave Dahyun a look; Chaeyoung was confused, but that didn’t mean that Dahyun wasn’t currently dying on the inside. As the two hurriedly leave—hurriedly more so on Dahyun’s part than Chaeyoung’s—Dahyun briefly meets Sana who is honestly as endearing as Dahyun thought she’d be, and promises the older that they’d meet properly next time.
On the bus, Chaeyoung is wide awake and mouth going a mile a minute as she talks about everything her and Sana did. Dahyun, on the other hand, is strangely exhausted, but she remembers to entertain Chaeyoung’s stories with a laugh every now and again. In the back of her mind, though, Dahyun has nothing more than thoughts of sleep mixed up with thoughts of unique moles and soft, weak chuckles.