Chapter Text
Songhwa turns off the light of her bathroom and steps into her bedroom on a long exhale, finally ready for bed after finishing her nightly routine. Even after the long hot shower she just had, she still feels the fatigue from the day lingering in her body.
Her day was not as crazy as some days could be, but the rollercoaster of emotions coupled with the tension and nerves prior to the surgery was still a bit to handle. So after dropping Ikjun off earlier, she decided to go for a drive before heading home. It wasn’t very late and the streets of Seoul seemed to be in a traffic respite for some reason, and though she wondered how, she wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.
She always loves driving aimlessly for a bit when time and traffic allow, finding it cathartic especially after a hectic day. But she found that even as she drove into a quiet neighbourhood street, while it was an enjoyable drive, the usual catharsis she was hoping to get was nowhere to be found. Instead, her mind kept replaying the moment she opened her office door to see Ikjun sitting in her chair. All the things she wanted to say to him but couldn't. Then her focus would switch to her right hand, still tingling from the sensation of being enveloped in his. Her memory would then remind her of the way he tried to stall leaving before finally acquiescing to her prodding to start making his way to his platform. It’s not even been much more than a quarter of an hour since she left the station but she was already missing him.
With thoughts and feelings even more jumbled than before, she decided to end her drive and started driving off to the direction of her apartment complex.
As soon as she arrived home, she busied herself with housework that was somewhat ignored during the past week and a half, happy to find that cleaning and tidying up her home was more effective in getting her focus elsewhere, even if it wasn’t exactly relaxing.
And now even as she feels the lure of the comfort of her bed, she finds herself pausing to sit on the edge to look at her bedside clock, her mind going to a certain HPB surgeon, wondering about his whereabouts.
11.28 PM
He must be home already by now, right?
Songhwa glances at her phone. No new messages.
He probably slept the whole way to Changwon.
She wants to text him to ask if he’s arrived but she’s hesitating, not quite knowing why. She shakes her head and huffs at herself.
This is ridiculous. I should just get some sleep.
She slides into bed and just as she’s getting into her comfortable sleeping position, her phone pings. She’s not supposed to be on-call at the moment, but she says a quick prayer that it’s not anything work-related anyway as she reaches across her nightstand and picks up her phone.
Her notification says: 'Goofball Ikjunie sent a photo.'
Smiling, Songhwa taps on the notification and she sees that he sent her a photo of Uju, fast asleep. Her previous smile grows with adoration as she zooms into the photo to see Uju’s sleeping form more clearly, she feels affection blooming in her chest. Then a new message pops up:
'I gave him a hug as you requested but I don’t think he felt it.'
She almost snorts and rolls her eyes, but the involuntary upturn of her lips that made way to light chuckles tells her that she's really a goner when it comes to him. There's no point even trying to deny it. (She doesn't even want to, really.)
She types back her message.
'🙄 You don’t say. You better give him a proper one tomorrow.
Glad to see you've arrived safely :) Goodnight!'
'Goodnight, Songhwa-ya.'
She takes another look at the photo, saves it to her gallery, returns the phone to her nightstand, burrows herself into her pillow and comforter and gives in to slumber.