Chapter Text
It was the summer of 2027, and two months after Go Hyuntak’s high school graduation. In the meantime, he has decided to take a gap year and apply for a job so he can save money to move out. He got a job as a lifeguard at a beach. It pays him just fine (better than usual, some lifeguards said) because summer vacation finally started.
And today was the same as everyday.
It was a bright sunny morning. The waves rolled gently onto the shore, and the beach was already filled with people. Hyuntak sat in the lifeguard tower, keeping an eye on the people swimming on the water while enjoying the fresh sea breeze. Even though everything looked calm, he still stayed alert, ready to help if anything went wrong.
Nothing and no one could possibly ruin his day, he’s sure.
Every now and then, his mind drifts off to the times his friends visited him while at work. They (specifically Baku and their ‘new’ friend, Suho) kept annoying him while Sieun and Juntae took this chance to relax by the shore.
Sometimes, the two idiots would help him with work too so he guesses he’ll let their antics pass as thanks.
Then, his mind drifted off to something else.. or someone else…
Keum Seongje.
Someone who..
Someone who irritates Hyuntak so much.
He has (unfortunately) known Seongje since high— no, middle school when he sometimes bumps into him near convenience stores or on the way home.
૮(,,¬﹏¬,,ა Flashback
Their first conversation, if you could even call it one, is when they first met during his first year in high school. Hyuntak assumes Seongje was already in the ‘Union’ by then since he was only really there (he, again, assumes) to seek out Baku for their leader or something, he doesn’t know, he never really cared for that group as much as his friend. All he wanted (as much as Baku’s) was peace in his school.
Anyway, their first ‘conversation’ of course ended up with them beating each other up. And all their meetings after that ended up with them fighting.
But, it was fun.
Hyuntak won’t admit that to anyone ever.
And he thinks Seongje found it fun too.
Not that the guy has said it himself.
Hyuntak just knows.
Seongje was the type of person who gets bored very easily. And the fact that he just keeps coming back and annoying Hyuntak (even calling him “his” playmate)? That says it all. He didn’t need any more confirmation for that.
Then suddenly, one evening during his second year of high school, a knock came on his door. He was confused. He’s sure that wasn’t any of his parents because his father was out for a business trip and his mother went on a camping trip with her friends. So who the fuck was knocking on his door at 10 in the evening…?
He walks to his door and hesitantly opens it..
If he dies here, know that his stuff goes to Juntae and all his pens go to Sieun, oh and his basketball to Baku.
…
“Hey, princess. Miss me?”
“Keum Seongje, what the fuck. How are you here, WHY are you here????” Hyuntak glared at the devil incarnate infront of him.
“Details, princess. Mind if I come in?” Seongje said, laughing as he forced his way in.
“Don’t just come in, what the fuck?!” Hyuntak exclaimed but didn’t do anything to get Seongje out of there. He just huffed as he closed the door before following Seongje.
Maybe he didn’t do anything because he did miss the other man?
It’s been almost a month since they’ve last fought after all.
Not that he would ever admit that. Never, he said.
Hyuntak, at this point, has ignored the elephant in the room. To be fair, Seongje has done a lot of weird and strange stuff, he wouldn’t be surprised just because Seongje knew where he lived.
When he got to the living room, he found Seongje just sitting on the couch.
He sighed.
“Why are you here?”
“You won’t see me for a while. Stirring clear or something.” Seongje looked annoyed before going back to his usual smug expression as he looked back at Hyuntak, “Don’t miss me too much, puppy. Don’t worry, you’re my only playmate” He winked.
“Who says I’ll miss you?! I’d be glad you’re gone, no one would annoy the hell out of me and get into fights with the Eunjang students…” Hyuntak drifted off, looking at anywhere other than Seongje.
He heard Seongje chuckle before standing and walking towards him.
Hyuntak took a step back before he was pinned against the wall.
“Look at me, princess.”
Hyuntak exhaled before looking straight up at Seongje’s fierce eyes.
“I’ll be around.”
He said.
It took Hyuntak’s gaze drifting down to the other’s lips for only a heartbeat before their mouths met in a hungry kiss. Then, another beat, Seongje’s hands found themselves under Hyuntak’s shirt. The contact drew a sharp breath from Hyuntak, something between a gasp and a hitch in his throat that Seongje swallowed as the kiss deepened.
Hyuntak’s own hands moved with less certainty, gripping Seongje’s shoulders first then sliding up to tangle in his hair, pulling him closer like he was the only one keeping him sane. Seongje’s hands traced upward as not until their makeout session was interrupted when Hyuntak suddenly broke the kiss.
“If we want to do this properly, we’ll have to go to my bedroom,” Hyuntak murmured as his fingers untangle from Seongje’s hair.
Seongje just chuckled, “Lead the way then, princess.”
Hyuntak groaned at the nickname but, for once, didn’t argue back. He simply led the way, then closing the door behind them. When he turned back to face Seongje, the reality of the situation finally hit him, and a deep blush spread across his cheeks, his ears burning red.
The sight only seemed to excited Seongje more. In one swift motion, he pushed Hyuntak onto the bed, resuming his exploration with renewed hunger, marking Hyuntak’s skin as if staking a claim.
And the rest is history…
Hyuntak didn’t see Seongje after that, just as he’d told him he wouldn’t the previous night. However, the next time he did, it was during the whole Union shtick. It was an incident, a story far too long to get into now. And, the last time he saw Seongje was when he and Baku saved Juntae, who was surprisingly not being held captive at all, but was simply asleep on a couch near a smoking Seongje. Hyuntak was confused about why he had ‘saved’ Juntae, but he didn’t dwell on it, as his friend’s situation was far more pressing at the moment (especially since he can’t risk another friend being hospitalized).
Weeks after, they received news that Baekjin died. Hyuntak expected Seongje to show up at his ‘friend’s’ funeral, but he never appeared.
૮(,,¬﹏¬,,ა End of Flashback (?)
So yeah. Anyway, who cares about that guy?
They made out and fucked one singular time.
Why is Hyuntak so affected?
Why should he care?
Why should he miss him?
He’s sure Seongjr, wherever he was at this moment, does not spend minutes (hours even) thinking about him. Hyuntak’s sure that he was just like any other person for Seongje. That he was really just someone to be ‘played’ with by Seongje. A toy, to name it.
But why was it that this guy just haunts his thoughts, his dreams, even when he doesn’t want to? He just wants to forget Seongje and move on. Move on with his life. Move on from someone who was never that promised ‘constant’.
Hyuntak scowled, rubbing his temples as if he could physically push the memories away. It was ridiculous. He was being ridiculous. Keum Seongje was part of a chapter of his life that he firmly closed after the whole Union incident, a footnote in the chaotic story of his high school years.
But the questions still lingered, something like a persistent (like that #guy) itch in the back of his mind.
Why?
It wasn’t love. Hyuntak’s sure of that. He isn’t an idiot. He’d seen what that looked like through his countless situationships during his third year of high school and after. It wasn’t a series of violent encounters that culminated in a single and desperate night fueled by frustration and something dangerously close to obsession. It wasn’t even ‘like’. Liking someone doesn’t involve wanting to punch their face and developing ways to kill them in your head.
So what was it?
Maybe it was thrill. He has always liked that after all. As a former taekwondo athlete, the thrill of just getting to fight and beating the opponent down just brought him so much thrill. It’s so much more than winning a simple race or beating someone in a game. Because fighting in real life, you can actually see the effect your attacks have in person.
Seongje was a storm, a force of nature that blew into his life and left chaos in his wake. Fighting him was like trying to catch lightning in a bottle: exhilarating and stupidly addictive. Every punch thrown, every dodge, every snarky and teasing comment was a conversation they couldn’t have any other way. It was a language only they understood. It was like a violent ballet competition where the goal wasn’t necessarily to win, but to keep the dance going as long as possible.
Both of them (from what Hyuntak had seen and observed of Seongje) are unfortunately similar in many ways. 1. They both suck at communication. 2. Because of Point 1, they notice when something’s wrong with the other just from the way they respond or how their eyes look. 3. No one has ever staked their claim as much as Seongje. Even before they fucked, the other has already repeatedly called him ‘his playmate’ even infront of other people. And let’s not forget how Hyuntak always takes dibs that he’ll fight Seongje whenever Eunjang students and some Union members from Ganghak fight. And there are other reasons, but we’ll probably be stuck here for a while if I (narrator) list down all of it.
The point was, it was fun. The fights were fun because no one else ever pushed him like that. No one else ever saw past the calmness, responsible, and the almost puppy-like energy facade to the raw and untamed energy simmering just beneath the surface. Seongje didn’t just see it; he reveled in it, prodded it, and matched it blow for blow.
And that night… Hyuntak groaned, shifting in his chair. That wasn’t just sex. It was a culmination. It was something like an explosive argument except their fists were replaced by mouths. That night, he fully surrendered. He fully let Seongje get his way with him. It was time that they did it. To reiterate, Hyuntak wasn’t an idiot. That tension had been coiling between them for years. It was just about time. Neither of them could hold back anymore. And when they did, of course, neither held back.
He hated this. He hated how Seongje had seen past him, at his most vulnerable and most aggressive, and hadn’t ever flinced. He hated how he’d felt seen in return. He hated that Seongje had been the one to leave, to hide… Hyuntak should be used to it but he’s not.. He’s still not. Instead, it just left him with nothing but memories and a confusing ache in his chest.
Was he okay?
Was he even still in the city? in the country?
Or had he ‘stirred clear’ for good this time?
The thought settled like a stone in his gut. The idea of Seongje being gone for good should have been a relief. It was what he’d claimed he wanted. Peace. No more fights, no more distractions, no more complicated feelings that made his chest feel tight and his head feel like a mess.
So why did the thought of a peaceful and Seongje-free future feel so… empty?
Hyuntak sighed as he shook his head in a sharp motion.
He should stop thinking about him. He had a job to do. He had a future to plan for, one that (for once) did not include a volatile pain the ass who was probably off causing trouble somewhere else anyway.
He forced his way back to the water. To the families laughing and the kids splashing.
This was his reality now: calm, predictable, and safe.
And as he sat there, watching the waves roll in and out, a small and traitorous thought whispered in the back of his mind: he missed the storm.
And just like that, like fate was messing with him, his wish was granted.
He saw a familiar back(?) at the corner of his eye, near the shore and just farther right from the center of the beach.
He squinted.
It couldn’t be.
But as the figure stood up, shaking water from his hair with an infuriatingly familiar casualness, Hyuntak’s heart dropped into his stomach.
Speaking of the devil…
It was him.
Keum Seongje, in all his glory, standing in the shallow water looking like he belonged on a damn magazine cover.
Hyuntak wiped the imaginary drool he had on his face as he started to feel and process the anger and shock warring inside him.
He watched as Seongje went deeper into the water. And then, he did something that made Hyuntak’s brain short-circuit. He flailed. A dramatic, uncoordinated splash of limbs that was so out of character it was almost insulting.
‘Is he pretending to drown…?’ Hyuntak thought as he continued to watch.
But then, the other went under, came up sputtering, and flailed again, looking for all the world like a drowning fool.
“Are you kidding me?” Hyuntak muttered to himself as he grabbed his rescue canister. He was already moving as he slid down the ladder of the tower with practiced speed.
His mind was racing.
This had to be a joke. Seongje, who could probably fight a shark and win, couldn’t swim???
That’s absolute bullshit.
He was definitely being trolled.
A prank designed to ruin his day, yet again.
But… Hyuntak couldn’t help but to rush. Because what if, by some cosmic joke, the universe’s most irritating man was actually in trouble? He couldn’t let him drown, let alone die. Not like this, atleast.
He hit the water, the cool shock doing nothing to calm his fury. He powered through the waves, reaching the flailing idiot in record time.
“Seongje! What the hell are you doing?!” he yelled over the splashing.
Seongje turned to him (damn has he gotten handsomer? no, focus, go hyuntak, focus on saving this asshole. there’s no time for this nonsense). His expression was something akin to panicked incompetence.
“Help! I can’t—” the other managed before going under again.
Hyuntak swore under his breath, grabbing him by the arm and yanking him up. “Stop fighting me, you idiot!” he commanded, trying to get the rescue canister under Seongje’s arms. But Seongje was ‘panicking’, all dead weight and splashing limbs, making the rescue awkward as hell. It took all of Hyuntak’s strength to start towing him back to shore.
The entire beach was watching now. He could feel their eyes on him.
This was humiliating.
Finally, he dragged Seongje onto the sand and dropped him unceremoniously.
Hyuntak’s worry was all gone since the time when Seongje screamed ‘Help!’. Instead, when he leaned over him, hands on his knees, he panted with exertion and rage, saying, “Are you done?”
Seongje coughed a few times for good measure, then propped himself up on his elbows. A slow and infuriatingly smug grin spread across his face. Water dripped from his hair but his eyes were (as usual) sharp and clear. It was full of mischief and not a hint of panic, unlike his mask earlier.
“Well, hello there, princess. Should I call you the ‘little mermaid’ now?” He chuckled. “Didn’t know you were so desperate to get your hands on me again.”
The nerve of this man…
Hyuntak saw red. He straightened up, his fists clenched so tight his knuckles went white. “You… you absolute fucking asshole! Are you insane? You pretended to drown?!”
Seongje chuckled again.
Hyuntak swore if he chuckles again, he’d fill his mouth up with sand and drag him over to the ocean to drown him himself.
Seongje pushed himself up to sit, “Well, I was bored. And I heard from a certain birdie, a puppy was working here. Thought I’d test your skills. Gotta say, I’m impressed. Very heroic of you.” He winked. “Y’know, the view from down here isn’t bad either.”
Hyuntak wanted to hit him, wanted to strangle him. Instead, he just sat there, trembling with a fury so intense it was making him dizzy. (He missed this feeling.)
Hyuntak didn’t reply. Didn’t want to give him the reaction Seongje wanted out of him. Rather, he stood up.
“Don’t fucking do this again or else I’ll call the police, I swear.” Hyuntak said as he walked away. He could hear Seongje’s laugh from behind him.
“No promises, my little mermaid~!”
That feeling was back.
His heart was hammering against his ribs. He was furious and humiliated.
He knew he wanted the storm to be back but he wasn’t ready yet. He just wished for #that because he got caught up in the moment.
Fuck, he didn’t know what to think or what to feel…
Hyuntak climbed back into the lifeguard tower with a headache that settled right behind his eyes. He put the rescue canister down beside him as he sat down, groaning, and closed his eyes.
He should have known.
No— he did know.
But maybe because it’s been so long that he forgot who this was…
This was Keum Seongje.
The same bastard who thought picking fights behind convenience stores counted as entertainment. The same idiot who treated common sense like a personal enemy. The same menace who made him suffer all the time during high school.
Hyuntak leaned both elbows on the railing and buried his face in his hands.
“I literally just wished for peace…”
He should’ve stopped himself when he wished #him to come back.
A whistle from another lifeguard snapped him out of it.
“You good up there?”
Hyuntak raised a thumb without looking and mumbled, “...Fine.”
He wasn’t fine. Not at all.
Every few seconds he’d catch himself glancing towards the shoreline, half-expecting Seongje to be there waving at him like nothing had happened.
He wasn’t.
Good.
Stay gone.
Nearly fifteen minus has passed.
The beach settled back into its lazy rhythm. Some families were already packing their things, but he could still see some people enjoying their time: children building sandcastles, teenagers playing volleyball, and parents reading by the shoreline.
Hyuntak slowly forced himself back into work mode, scanning his assigned zone from left to right the way he’d been trained.
Left.
Center.
Right—
…
Wait…
His gaze paused.
Farther out than the designated swimming area, a lone figure bobbed awkwardly between the swells.
It was too far to see who it was.
The distance made it difficult to make out details, but…
Black hair, broad shoulders, eye (fucking) glasses (seriously, who wears their glasses when going out for a swim?).
“...”
No.
There’s absolutely no way.
He narrowed his eyes.
The figure lifted an arm.
Then disappeared behind a wave.
A second later, it surfaced again.
Flailing.
Hyuntak stared.
“...Seriously? He’s seriously taking it this far..?” He laughed, “Nice try.”
He’s for sure not falling for the same trick twice.
Hyuntak deliberately looked away as he continued his scan of the shoreline.
Everything was normal.
See?
He wasn’t going to reward Seongje’s stupidity again, in exchange for a humiliation ritual as the people watch him drag out an obviously not drowning individual.
…
Something nagged at him.
Hyuntak frowned.
He looked back.
The spot where he’s seen the figure…
…was empty.
He blinked.
Maybe another wave blocked his view.
He stood from his chair.
Nothing. His eyes swept farther left. Then farther right. Still nothing…
His heartbeat slowed for exactly half a second, then accelerated.
“...”
No.
No, no, no.
His instinct kicked in before his thoughts did.
‘A missing swimmer, a possible submersion. And it was possibly Seongje…’
He grabbed the rescue tube and slide won the tower so quickly his feet barely touched the ladder.
Another lifeguard noticed.
“Hyuntak?”
“Please take over my area for a bit, hyung! I’m checking something!” He replied not even waiting for an answer as he was already sprinting away.
The sand burned beneath his feet before the water swallowed his legs.
He dove. Cold water rushed over him but he didn’t care.
One thought was repeating over and over in his mind, ‘Save him.’
He surfaced and scanned.
Nothing.
“Damn it…”
He swam farther, and faster… His breaths came harder with every stroke.
‘Don’t panic, Go Hyuntak.’ He thought to himself. ‘You’re trained for this. Look for bubbles.Look below the surface. Look for signs. Look—’
There. He found something.
A shape. Several meters ahead, just beneath the water.
A body.
Hyuntak’s stomach dropped.
He dove without thinking.
The seawater blurred everything into a blue-green haze, but he could make out the familiar dark hair drifting with the current.
“Seongje…” Hyuntak grabbed him under the arms.
The body was limp, far too limp. And that scared Hyuntak.
He wrapped the rescue tube around him and began towing him toward shore.
“Hey!”
No response.
“Je-yah…!”
Nothing.
Hyuntak kicked towards the surface with everything he had. He doesn’t know if the reason why his heart was beating so fast came from the adrenaline of the situation or from his fear of Seongje dying. How ironic of him, for someone who wished he could kill Seongje someday…
His muscles started to scream as the current fought against his movements.
Every second felt twice as long.
“Come on…”
He wasn’t supposed to panic. Afterall, lifeguards were taught to stay calm, assess, think properly, and respond accordingly. Instead, his thoughts spiraled.
‘Not like this. Don’t you dare. You absolute idiot…’ Hyuntak would think.
By the time they reached the shoreline, two other lifeguards were already running toward them.
“I’ve got him!” Hyuntak yelled.
The other lifeguards yelled back but Hyuntak barely heard them.
When the two guys got down to help, Hyuntak repeated, “I’ve got him.” almost snapping as he glared at the two.
They, fortunately, backed off.
Hyuntak lowered Seongje carefully onto the sand. His hands trembled.
“...Come on.”
He tilted Seongje’s head back slightly and lifted his chin to open the airway. Then, his fingers searched for breathing.
It was weak. Too weak.
He exhaled and swallowed hard.
“Call emergency services!” someone shouted.
One of the lifeguards was already reaching for a radio.
Hyuntak placed the heel of one hand in the center of Seongje’s chest, the other hand on top, before he began compressions.
One.
Two.
Three.
Seongje’s arms moved briefly.
Four.
Five.
Six—
Hyuntak counted automatically while his mind screamed over itself.
“You’re not allowed to die.”
“Not after disappearing for almost two years.”
“Not after showing up just to make my life miserable again.”
“Not like this.”
He finished a cycle of compressions and pinched Seongje’s nose shut.
Taking a breath, he leaned down.
The instant their faces were inches apart, dark brown eyes snapped open.
“...”
“...”
Seongje grinned. Then bursted into laughter.
Hyuntak jerked backward so violently he nearly fell over.
“What the— You—!”
“You should have heard yourself!!” Seongje wheezed between laughs, sitting up as if he hadn’t just been unconscious. “Princess, I thought you were gonna cry.”
Silence.
Complete silence.
Even the nearby lifeguards looked utterly confused.
Meanwhile, Hyuntak simply stared.
His brain refused to process what he’d just witnessed.
“...What…”
“...the fuck?”
Seongje laughed harder, “I’ve never heard you panic like that.”
Hyuntak’s eye twitched.
He should have expected this.
He really should have.
This was Keum Seongje, for God’s sake!
Someone who had been making his life difficult since high school.
Someone who treated fights like a hobby.
Someone who seemed physically incapable of acting like a normal human being for more than five minutes.
And for some inexplicable reason…
Someone who loved bothering Hyuntak more than anyone else.
Hyuntak had long since given up trying to understand why.
And he wasn’t about to start now.
He watched in complete disbelief as Seongje stood up, stretched his shoulders, and rolled his neck.
Like he hadn’t just caused an entire emergency response.
Like Hyuntak hadn’t nearly worked himself into a heart attack.
Seongje dusted sand off his shorts before flashing that same infuriating smile.
“I’ll see you around,” he said before walking away.
After a few steps, he glanced back over one shoulder.
“You look cute when you’re mad, puppy.” He laughed to himself and continued goingt to the changing rooms near the entrance of the beach.
Hyuntak remained frozen, “...”
A beat passed, then teh realization hit. His face exploded red with outrage.
“OI!” Seongje didn’t even turn around. “DON’T CALL ME THAT YOU, PSYCHO!”
A few beachgoers looked over.
“I’M SERIOUS!!!”
Still no response.
Hyuntak took two furious steps after him before stopping himself.
He let out a long and exhausted groan, and muttered “I’m going to kill him.”
One of the lifeguards walked closer, “So what do we do with the ambulance that’s coming over right now…?”
Hyuntak sighed as he turned to look at the man, “I might have to go to the hospital instead then, hyung. Eurgh, I really thought I was going to have a heart attack.”
“Okay then. Go ahead and change, Tak. I’ll cover your remaining hours.” The other lifeguard said.
“Really. Thank you so much, hyungs.” Hyuntak said before going to the staff’s changing rooms and showered for a bit before changing.
Minutes later, he heard the wail of a siren. He approached the vehicle just as it came to a stop near the first-aid station. The back doors swung open, and two parademics climbed out, already carrying a stretcher between them.
“Where’s the drowning victim?” one of them asked.
Hyuntak scratched the back of his neck, “...About that.”
The paremedics looked at him expectantly.
“He…” Hyuntak sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “...got up and walked away.”
Silence.
“Excuse me…?” one of them asked.
“The caller reported an unconscious drowning victim,” the other added.
“Well, there was one,” Hyuntak said quickly. “But it turned out, he faked it. He kept faking it even all the way to the shore and when I was starting CPR.”
A long silence followed.
The older paramedic rubbed his temple, “I’ve been doing this for eighteen years,”
“This is a first?”
“This is a first.”
Hyuntak groaned, dragging a hand down his face.
“So, do we have any other emergencies..?” The younger paramedic asked.
“Um, so because of that incident… My heart’s beating really fast, I don’t know if it’s still normal or not so I wanted to get it checked…”
“Alright. We’ll check it. Please come up here and lay down on the bed.”
He did what he was told to do.
The ambulance door shut with a solid thunk.
“This is so embarrassing…” He groaned as he covered his face with one arm.
The older paramedic, whose name he learned was ‘Yoon Jiho’, wrapped the blood pressure cuff around his upper arm, “Just relax.”
“Hard to relax after that stunt, to be honest…” Hyuntak sighed.
The cuff inflated until it squeezed uncomfortably tight.
Medic Yoon watched the monitor, “Hm…”
Hyuntak noticed the pause.
“Is that a good or bad pause…?” He asked.
The medic didn’t answer. Instead, she reached for the pulse oximeter and clipped it onto his finger before attaching ECG leads across his chest, “Just stay still.”
The younger medic, whose name he learned was ‘Lee Hyunwoo’, looked over the monitor as the machine began printing a strip of paper.
The rhythmic beep… beep… beep… filled the small compartment.
Hyuntak frowned, “...Is something wrong?”
The two medics exchanged a glance.
Then, Medic Yoon started asking him questions.
“Have you ever had hypertension?”
“No.”
“Heart problems?”
“No.”
“Family history?”
“My dad has high blood pressure.”
“Hm.”
Medic Yoon looked back at the monitor before checking the blood pressure reading again manually.
“... One hundred and forty over ninety.”
Hyuntak blinked, “Excuse me?”
Medic Lee met his eyes instead, “Meaning your blood pressure is extremely high. Currently at Stage 2 Hypertension right now.” He said before trying to find something. Then, he clicked on a button where he seemingly informed the driver to start driving.
“Stage 2..?!” Hyuntak panned over to Medic Yoon who gestured toward the EGC tracing.
“Your rhythm is sinus tachycardia, but what’s concerning is that you’re showing signs consistent with severe cardiovascular stress.”
Hyuntak let out a small laugh like everything was getting a bit too ridiculous now, “All this just because of one idiot…?” He muttered to himself.
Medic Lee looked at him carefully.
“Chest pain?”
“... A little.”
“When did it start?”
“I don’t know but I only noticed it when I stopped panicking.”
“Does it spread anywhere?”
Hyuntak hesitated for a moment before answering, “...My left shoulder feels weird.”
Both medics immediately became much more serious.
“Any jaw pain?”
“No.”
“Shortness of breath?”
“...Kind of.”
The medic nodded once.
“I know you’re not taking this serious right now based from your expressions but your blood pressure is dangerously elevated, and your symptoms mean you’re sitting on the edge of one until a hospital proves otherwise.”
Silence.
“That sounds bad when you phrase it like that.”
“It is bad.”
Another silence.
“Just sleep for now.”
He looked at him for a long moment, the last of his stubbornness fading into reluctant acceptance.
“Okay…”
Hyuntak shifted carefully until he found a position that didn't make his head pound quite as much. His eyelids were heavy now, the adrenaline from earlier probably draining away and leaving nothing but exhaustion.
He let out a slow breath.
His eyes closed.
‘What the hell happened to this day? I told myself nothing and no one was going to ruin it… Seongje, you devil-spawn incarnate, just you fucking wait.’
And with that final thought, he slipped into consciousness.