Chapter Text
Cold mornings like this always held a special place in Minje’s heart, the chilling breeze tickling his cheeks, the sharp swing of his bat and the satisfying gurgle of a dead monster.
He swung his bat over his shoulder, switching his weight to one leg, eyes squinting as he checked the time.
“Half past nine,” he mumbled, turning around to check in on his partner.
Keiju was squatting a few paces behind him, rummaging through his backpack, blade lying beside it, still dripping. He wiped his forehead with the back of his sleeve, hot breath puffing into the chill air with each exhale.
“You tired?” Minje asked, raising an eyebrow. “Me? Never.” Keiju got up, grinning ear to ear.
‘Strange, ’ Minje thought. No human smiled like that after a fight.
The older boy frowned, shaking his head as he watched Keiju pack his things, stealing a lighter and some cloth off of the dissolving body.
Rookies usually collapsed after one encounter, pale, trembling, muttering about things they shouldn’t have seen. So why wasn’t Keiju like that?
“If you’re tired, you should go back to camp,” Minje sighed, brushing a leaf from his hair.
Keiju only shook his head. “I’m not leaving you.” His voice was casual, but the intensity in his gaze made Minje pause. Were all medics this enthusiastic?
This was the medic’s third deployment, and the first on Minje’s team. Not many, but Keiju wasn’t part of this department after all; campers from Medicine and Care weren’t usually mixing with Field Work and Defence.
Medicine and Care campers weren’t exactly meant to be sent out like this in the first place, trapped inside cold infirmaries. It was safe to say their skill set was made for treating wounds, not facing literal demons.
Yet with the sudden influx of disappearances, members of other departments were forced to take on extra work.
Minje disagreed with this decision, but it’s not like he had a say in these matters after all.
The majority of the campers believed this was necessary.
Over the past few months, after the arrival of their biggest batch of new refugees, multiple rookies and veterans had gone missing in broad daylight.
Mainly from the Field Work and Defence department. While this would be brushed off as the consequences of this job, the sheer rate of people disappearing and the lack of encounters left people uneasy.
One of his own teammates, Juwang, had gone missing a few weeks ago. The search was still on, I mean, that’s why Minje was out in the blistering cold, but the lack of any leads had left everyone on the team hopeless.
Everyone except Keiju. ‘Cheer up, Minje!’ he beamed.
Minje let a small smile slip out, “Don’t worry about me…” he whispered, massaging his temple. He’d never seen a rookie this arrogant, let alone a Medicine camper this confident out on the field.
He watched as the boy skipped happily in front of him, his footsteps uncannily light, like those of a cat.
“Enjoying yourself?”
Keiju nodded, pulling on the straps of his back as they adjusted snugly around his shoulders.
Now, this rookie was practically a regular during expeditions. Carrying bags, treating scrapes, teasing team members. He was family.
A few days after Keiju’s introduction to the team, they finally managed a breakthrough in the missing person’s case. Recovering Juwang was not too far from the camp, though he was comatose upon arrival.
It had been a month since they’d pulled Juwang from the rubble and admitted him into ward B, Keiju’s ward.
The young medic had insisted on taking care of Juwang, a bit too excited even.
But, Minje was beyond relieved; he didn’t really care; after all, the medics assured him recovery was steady, and even the coma wasn’t cause for panic.
Minje’s evenings had fallen into a rigid routine. He would arrive at the infirmary at exactly eight, offering the trainees a brief greeting before pulling a chair beside Juwang’s bed, which he’d sit on until ten, clutching his bag, eyes glued on the monitors.
The monitors beeped steadily, the only sign of life in the pale, still body lying under the sheets.
Keiju was usually already there when Minje arrived, sitting quietly in the corner, legs hanging loosely off a stool, eyes never leaving Minje. He claimed it was to keep watch over Juwang, but the intensity of his eyes made Minje shiver.
“Evening,” Minje muttered anxiously, plopping down onto a nearby chair.
Keiju didn’t answer immediately, just smiled. Watching Minje as he set aside his bag, adjusted his clothes.
Silently observing, it made Minje feel a little self-conscious under the weight of those quiet, unblinking eyes.
“You’ve been coming at the same time every day for a month,” Keiju said finally, voice low, his gaze switching to the floor. “You’re obsessed with him,” he teased.
Minje blinked, “I… what? No, I’m just making sure he’s alright. You know that.”
Keiju’s lips pressed into a thin line, and before Minje could respond, he suddenly stood, sharp and tense. “Don’t touch him like that,” Keiju jumped, stepping closer than necessary, hand hovering near Minje’s arm as he attempted to fix Juwang’s blanket. “He doesn’t need… anyone interfering.”
Minje froze, taken aback. “Wait— what? Keiju, I’m just making sure... I’m not—”
Keiju’s gaze switched to Juwang for a split second before returning to Minje. “I said, don’t. He’s fine. I’ll handle it,” he said, voice low but trembling with something Minje couldn’t quite put his finger on. The older boy squinted briefly, and Keiju returned to his duties. The way he worked was methodical, practised; it eased Minje’s thoughts.
Yet… the way Keiju’s face rested when doing his job almost seemed to be…
Seemed to be disgusted.
Minje covered his mouth to let out an awkward cough, avoiding Keiju’s eyes, he stared at the other patients. He wasn’t good with confrontation, ironic for someone from the Defence department.
He sat there uncomfortably, offering small nods to passing nurses or the occasional smile to someone he knew.
It made Keiju’s jaw tighten, watching Minje nervously twiddle his thumbs or smooth out his hair; he didn’t mean to hurt Minje. “I’m making sure nothing happens to him. That’s all,” Keiju let out in an exasperated tone.
Minje flinched for a second, then shook his head slowly. “Right… okay. Got it.” He got up, swinging the bag over his shoulder as he turned towards the door. After all, he should stop bothering the medic, especially after last week’s disappearances. Before he could leave, he felt a small tug on his sleeve.
“Stay…” Keiju muttered before jotting something down in his notepad. “Juwang needs company…”
“You sure I’m not getting in your way?”, “You’d never be a nuisance to me, Minje.”
Minje’s eyes widened a notch. He nodded and sat back down, elbows braced on his knees. Keiju grinned brightly before retreating to his corner of the room. And suddenly the space returned to its strange rhythm— the humming noise of the A/C unit, Juwang’s soft exhales and Keiju’s impatient foot tapping. How long had it been?
Minje rubbed his temple, forcing his gaze to stay on the tiles, but the truth pressed itself against him all the same: it wasn’t Juwang he was worried about anymore.
And when he finally looked up, Keiju was already staring back, as if he’d been waiting for that exact moment.
“Get some rest, Minje” The younger boy’s eyebrows slightly turned, a concerned frown.
“It’s almost eleven”
…