Chapter Text
Pastel purples fading into light pink, a streak of orange, the inevitable deep blue stretching far in the distance; the sky seemed so soft and almost tangible. Standing with his feet bare on the frigid white linoleum floor, Hyesung lifted his arm with the IV line dangling as he raised it to the window and touched the cool glass. Staring at his faded reflection meshed with the hazy colors of sunset he could feel his heart sink in his chest. He felt defeated.
The 30 year old had been in an accident a year ago. Driving home late from his father's clinic he was stressed to the point of exhaustion. As if it had never stopped raining the road looked like a deep black river extending endlessly in the darkness. Hyesung flinched recalling the bright lights of a truck coming his way on the narrow mountainside road. Late reaction....shock...and then....
He limped over to his bed, his right leg struggling with the weight of his left as it dragged slightly behind. Slowly sitting down he slumped over with his face in his hands, hiding behind his long dark brown bangs, sobbing silently.
The door of his room creaked open and he could hear footsteps approach. He didn't even notice the machine he was attached to beeping. That beeping was a boisterous sound he'd gotten far too used to. How long had it been going off? It didn't really matter anymore.
A male nurse walked to his bedside to detach the thin transparent tubing from his skinny arm, deactivating the machine before doing so. The man's name was Andy Lee. He was of average build wearing a navy blue nurse uniform slacks. Better looking than your average Korean man with a cute charm to him, he wore his shoulder-length hair layered and flipped with light brown highlight tips. Andy had been working at the rehabilitation facility for a few years and had already gained respect from his seniors. Only a few years younger than Hyesung, Andy was very efficient at his job. Caring, tentative and nurturing; all the patients loved him. Even the distant Hyesung had a large amount of respect for him.
Andy glanced at Hyesung with a concerned look on his face. It was one of a few times he'd seen him so vulnerable since he started treatment. In that short time he learned that Hyesung wasn't the type to easily receive affection, but he looked like he needed a hug. He pushed the thought from his mind and scratched the back of his head searching for the right approach then finally cleared his throat..
“Isn't your friend coming to see you today?” he asked suddenly. “I think he'll worry if he sees you like this.”
Hyesung looked up at him. He was always difficult to read, Instead of trying, Andy maintained his composure. He simply pushed the IV pole to the side and handed him a big warm plastic container he'd placed on the bedside when he came in.
“I saved you some of my homemade dak galbi. It's too much for me to finish and I notice you skipped lunch. It's not anything fancy but please eat some when you can. There's plenty so feel free to finish it off with your friend if you'd like.”
Shyly he took the bulky black container, studying its contents through the plastic. How didn't he notice that spicy aroma of the chicken? All the contents of the dish seemed so fresh with such brilliant color as if ripped from the page of a cookbook. Maybe it was just him, but it looked as if Andy hadn't touched it at all. Taken aback by the kind gesture, Hyesung quickly looked back up only to see that Andy had already started heading out of the room.
“Wait!” he called out causing him to pause. “I can't possibly accept this.”
Andy turned and smiled. Ah, that smile, the one so gentle and compassionate that it can cause a whole room to feel lighthearted in an instant. He admired that smile; everyone did.
“Eat well Hyesung-ssi. I have a new admission so I have to run. I'll be seeing you around.”
With that Andy pulled the heavy wooden door closed behind him and was gone before he could speak another word. It was then that Hyesung realized that he'd stopped feeling bad the moment he saw his face.