Chapter Text
Juntae was not impressed, he was meant to be a doctor not babysitting MMA fighters because he never had anything to do. He was a trainee medic for a MMA group, apparently it’s good practice or whatever but Juntae didn't see it, he was sitting at the back of the gym first aid kit on the floor at his feet. He hadn't moved from this spot since the start of the day.
He isn't quite sure how this was helping him but if it gets him his doctor label then he’s willing to do it. It was only for 6 months, something about placement work. Juntae didn't really listen, he was more pissed that he was the one being sent out and not the other 5 people in his unit.
“Newbie, focus.” The head medic shoved his shoulder a little too hard for comfort but Juntae can't be asked to bring it up. “We might be needed after this match up.”
Juntae’s eyes immediately averted to where two men were now entering the practice ring, Juntae already knew who they were. Everyone knew who they were, Geum Seongje and Na Baekjin. The two formidable forces in the group. Juntae can see why he was told to keep his eyes on the ring and not to focus on how unhappy he was.
The fight started fine, neither seemed to be going to their full potential since it was only a training match and no one was interested in getting overly injured a month before the championship.
Then it happened, a misstep and Baekjin’s foot slamming straight into Seongje’s face. He went down hard and for the first time since Juntae had met the man so many years ago, he stayed down.
The head medic was immediately on his feet rushing over to where Seongje lay sprawled out on the floor and Juntae was quick to follow, he wasn’t unconscious, Juntae could hear him groaning and if that wasn't proof enough his eyes were open and darting around the room.
“Seongje? Just stay still.”
“I-I’m fine” Seongje groaned trying to push himself upwards, to give him credit he got into a sitting position but he couldn't get any further before the head medic was shoving him back down by his shoulder.
“Just stay st-” Juntae tries to enforce what his temporary boss had said but Seongje was very clearly not trying to show weakness in front of everyone, somethings never change Juntae supposes.
“Just leave me alone!” Seongje is on his foot stalking away and out of the gym, the coaches all look mildly disappointed but no one was going to go after Seongje, he was scary when someone went against his commands. Baekjin was standing at the side, talking to Baku with a slight cut on his lip but otherwise unharmed from the fight.
Juntae thinks someone ought to go check on Seongje, he might be collapsed on the floor right now but a stern look from his boss and he immediately folds into himself, maybe he would silently check over dinner.
—------
Seongje never showed up to dinner, no one was sure where he was but nobody seemed overly concerned that he was absent. Juntae has a slight fear that Seongje is more hurt then he’s letting on.
“What's on your mind, buddy?” Baku exclaimed, sitting down on Juntae’s left side while Hyuntak occupied his right. Baku draped an arm around Juntae’s shoulder with a very playful expression plastered on his face.
“Where's Seongje?” As soon as the name left his mouth, both Hyuntak and Baku’s face morphed into disbelief and something Juntae couldn't quite pinpoint.
“No idea. Someone said they saw him walking to the toilet but he hasn't been seen since.” That sent alarm bells off in his head, it wasn't usual for someone to not see Seongje between long periods of time; he wasn't one to coop himself up if he was struggling. He was seen fighting more if anything.
“What if he’s badly injured? Concussed? Broken leg? Broken arm? Fractured skull?” Juntae just started listing injuries to be taken seriously even if they had nothing to do with a head injury. It was quite ridiculous but it wasn't like Hyuntak or Baku would or even could tell him he was wrong.
“I wouldn't worry, our usual medic, John, is good at keeping an eye on the fighters. Nothing can get past him.”
—------
It seemed a lot had gotten past him because when Seongje walked into training that morning, Juntae audibly gasped and tried to grab John’s attention. Seongje had no colour to his face and his eyes seemed to be squinting against the bright lights in the training room not even mentioning the fact that he looked about 5 seconds from bending over and throwing whatever he could find in his already empty stomach.
“John, look!” One of the main coaches gets John’s attention before Juntae could and as soon as John’s eyes locked with Seongje, all hell broke loose.
“Newbie, I need to grab the kit, get Seongje sat down and ready for me.” John shouted over his shoulder, already running out into the hallway, Juntae knew he should have checked in on Seongje last night.
“Seongje, let’s go sit down.” Juntae whispered softly, wrapping an arm around his shoulder to offer some sort of support. Seongje tried to bat his arm away but the attempt was weak and rather pathetic in Juntae’s opinion.
“I’m fine.” Even his attempt to fool Juntae was pathetic, it was weird to see Seongje so weak. It was a struggle to remember the man in front of him had once upon a time beaten his friends up for the fun of it supposedly.
“Come on now Seongje, that was just pathetic.” Juntae mocked lovingly and began to lead the boy to a seat in the corner of a room.
By the time they reached the chair, Seongje might as well have been deadweight in Juntae’s arms and he nearly slid straight off the chair. Just as Juntae was worried he would have to perform some life saving procedure with no equipment, John sprints back into the room holding every medical device you could think of.
“You actually got him to sit.” John stated kneeling on the other side of Seongje and placed all the supplies on the floor between them, “Impressive.”
“I’m fi-” His second attempt to fool them might have been more pathetic then the first attempt as it’s interrupted by a groan as John began shining a light into Seongje’s eyes.
Juntae had a sneaky suspicion that Seongje knew he was concussed but had no intention of sharing that information with anyone else, especially not either of the two medics. Although, Seongje eyes lingered on Juntae for a second too long and then flashed to the floor when he realised he’d been caught staring.
Juntae didn't pay it much attention, he had to be alert and ready in case John needed any further support with Seongje. John worked in precise harmony checking Seongje over with no slight hesitation in his step. Juntae hoped he reached that part in his career soon.
“Shit, I forgot the ice packs in the room.” John cursed under his breath clearly disappointed in his own forgetfulness, swiftly standing from his spot on the floor. “Do not let him move an inch.”
“I’m not even concussed, Jesus.” Seongje muttered under his breath clearly agitated that he wasn't warming up with the other lads, he seemed far too aware of his surroundings to be concussed seriously anyway but Juntae would wait for John’s diagnosis given he’s the professional between the two.
John was strutting back over fiddling with an ice pack in both hands, reclaiming his position on the floor on one side of Seongje, handing him the ice pack he had just had in his hands.
“Not a concussion as far as I can see but you will not train today and I will be keeping a close eye on you.” John reported back as Seongje reluctantly placed the ice pack on the right side of his forehead, Juntae can only assume that’s where the most pain is right now.
“Ugh, ridiculous. The championship is next month.” Seongje argued but the tone indicated that he was already aware that no argument will work, not on John and not even on Juntae.
“Newbie, keep an eye out, call me if his condition worsens. I’ll call you if I need any help with this lot.” He explained as he walked over to observe the warm up the rest of the guys were engaging in.
Juntae pulled a chair from nearby and accepted begrudgingly that his day would consist of concussion watch and maybe catching some practice if they ever made it into the ring.
—--
They did eventually make it to the ring, unfortunately it was that moment that Seongje decided to speak up when the day was just getting interesting.
“Newbie?” He questioned and Juntae realised that just because Seongje looks exactly like he did 5 years ago doesn't mean that Juntae does, in fact he knows he looks completely different. “How dizzy is too dizzy?”
“How many fingers am I holding up?” The trick Juntae learned was to always hold up 2 fingers because someone who was concussed would see 4 and it was a giveaway if a head injury is serious or not. Juntae decides against calling John over when he sees him tending to another fighter.
“Fuck idk, everything fuzzy.” That answer alone sent alarm bells through Juntae’s head, fuzzy feeling was never a good one especially not after a head injury that had been left for a day to fester.
“Ok, do you feel sick? Faint? Headache? Numbness?” Juntae tried to think of every concussion symptom he had learnt in his studies 6 months ago, he could picture himself writing them down but his mind hit a blank when he needed it most.
“Just fuzzy.” Seongje’s eyes drooped and then blinked back to full awareness, Juntae had seen enough to know that something wasn't right. Something was seriously wrong.
“John!” Juntae’s voice boomed across the room causing everyone to stop instinctively and focus on Juntae. He would normally shrink with everyone's eyes on him but the situation was a bit more catastrophic than his average high school presentation task. “Seongje needs you now.”
John immediately rushed over planting himself right in front of Seongje and looking him over, the only problem was Seongje looked absolutely fine, no head lacerations, no bruising, nothing to show he was experiencing a serious injury. John seemed to pick up on that as he glared at Juntae for an explanation.
“He said he felt fuzzy and complained of dizziness.” Juntae listed what Seongje had told him, he is worried about Seongje especially with him hiding his symptoms, Juntae couldn't imagine what last night must have been like for Seongje.
“That’s not positive, I suggest we take him to the medic room and get some tests run. Keep your phone nearby, an ambulance may be needed.” Juntae didn't like the sound of that, he was aware of the dangers of a head injury but for an ambulance to be needed when they had so much medical equipment at hand was scary to say the least.
“Juntae, help me support him.” The use of his actual name tells Juntae just how serious John was about serious injuries that came to his team, maybe Juntae had been too harsh on his first impressions of the skilled medic.
Juntae occupied his left side while John covered his right side, he was basically deadweight on his feet so they both had to carry half of his weight, Juntae now realises how fast and terrifying head injuries can really be especially in sporting situations. Maybe this placement wasn't so useless after all.
The noise of training was behind them as they walked into the quiet hallway, the very few people who were loitering in the halls looked over to them but Juntae refused to give them so much as a glance, his sole concern was Seongje and his safety.
No words were traded between the three, there are many times Juntae wants to try and reassure Seongje when he lets the fear seep through the brick wall defences he had built but it feels out of place, almost awkward. The first words spoken are when Juntae is pulled away from Seongje by John with a troubled expression plastered on his face.
“Call an ambulance, this isn't just your average head injury.” Juntae tries to keep a neutral expression to not scare Seongje but he fears the shock and horror is much too clear on his face. He slowly walks out the room, phone in hand, emergency services on speed dial for this exact situation.
—----
“Hello, emergency services, which service do you require today?” The person who answered seemed nice enough if not a bit tired, Juntae imagined she didn't have long left of her shift.
“I’m a trainee medic at Korea's national MMA team and I have suspicions of a serious head injury here and require an ambulance for further evaluation.” Juntae explained in a cool calm manner, he saw no point in getting angry, it didn't help the situation and it definitely didn't change it. Seongje was hurt, he needed help whether he got angry or stayed calm. People listen better when they feel respected.
“An ambulance is 5 minutes out from the training ground, can you tell me symptoms so I can let the medics know.” Juntae can hear the smile on her lips and wonders if the tiredness is an act to see the kind of person that they are addressing, it would be a rather amazing tactic if that was the case. It might be a personal thing after having to deal with one too many cruel people in the past.
“He’s complaining of dizziness, fuzziness and thought it would be best to call and get an evaluation.” Juntae explained, trying to stay calm but he really doesn't know what's going on with Seongje and he’s rather scared for his old acquaintance.
“Ok the ambulance is 2 minutes out, refrain from moving him and keep him lying down.” Juntae doesn't get to answer before the call ends and cautiously enters the room again.
“Ambulance is on the way, what’s up?” Juntae took one look at the horror on both Seongje’s and John’s face tells him all he needs to know. “What happened?”
“M-My legs, W-Why? Oh god…” Seongje mumbled incoherent words, this was a sign of shock something big had happened since Juntae had stepped out to make the call and he doesn't even want to imagine the physical and mental pain coursing through Seongje’s body.
“The feeling in his legs are gone which could signify a significant brain damage that has gone unnoticed.” Juntae’s heart breaks when John explains the new symptoms that hadn't been present at all in this timeframe unless it was something Seongje had been hiding from them. This could mean his own MMA career would be over before it could properly even start, he was a new and upcoming superstar and now that could be all over because of one training fight.
A knock on the door interrupted their conversation and Juntae was quick to open it. With the newfound information it was vital that Seongje got checked out as soon as possible or he could be faced with permanent damage.
“I’m Micheal, this is Joe, where is the patient?”
“Right over here, he’s lost feeling in his legs since I talked to the operator on the phone.” All the possibilities are spinning around Juntae’s head as he watches the paramedics check Seongje over for any obvious injuries.
“We are gonna take him in, we are concerned about the loss of feelings in his legs.” One paramedic explained, Micheal, while Joe slipped a neck brace around Seongje’s neck and secured it. Juntae made the assumption that Joe was the more experienced one in this situation.
They both slid a backboard under Seongje and transferred them over to the stretcher, they lifted him and began the trip back to where they had left the ambulance. Juntae followed along on instinct and he was more than a little surprised when John didn't stop him.
“Keep him safe, yeah?” John yelled from behind Juntae, the statement alone made Juntae chuckle slightly. It was never in doubt that he would keep Seongje safe, he kind of owed it to the boy after all.