End Of Me (Chapter 3)
Title: End of Me
Chapter : [3/?]
Characters: Kyuhyun, Siwon, Heechul, Eunhyuk, Sungmin etc.
Pairings: Wonkyu, Hyukchul
Rating: R
Genre: AU, Angst
Type: Multi-chaptered
Word Count: 1,636
Warning: Dark imagery
Disclaimer: I own many things, but unfortunately Super Junior isn't one of them.
Summary:
Choi Siwon is the brave, bright and latest addition to the staff of the small and isolated Yongshin Mental Hospital; a man of principle who holds on to what he believes and surrenders the rest to God. But the wall that he so carefully builds around himself threatens to crumble when it comes to one particular and special case; the defiant yet fragile Cho Kyuhyun.
Masterlist
One-shot (linked) - Bright Lights
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
The first time Kyuhyun had seen the new resident he was neither amused nor amazed at all. Or at least that was what he believed or wanted to.
His back was facing the man that day in the middle of a game, but he could very well still see the slightly distorted reflection in the window.
The new face was a young and handsome one, almost like the idol faces he had so often seen in magazines or roadside billboards. He was tall, had short dark hair and a clean-shaven face, maybe a little too clean, too bright. At a quick glance, he even seemed to be glowing a little. Maybe that was just the effect of the bright lights in the room. Or perhaps staying here for a week or so must’ve have taken its effect a little too far. Kyuhyun, however, is still decided on the fact that he’s younger than the new resident doctor. He stood up and shuffled over to turn off the lights.
The handsome face however did not fit the way the man acted in some ways. For one, he was a little sheepish and embarrassing to look at; how could a doctor not know that all the furniture allowed in the room was bolted securely to the floor? He was on the verge of bursting out in snickers, but something inside pulled him back.
Bolting the furniture to the floor was actually insulting the patient’s intelligence, or rather his, because if he was really planning to hurt himself or others, he didn’t need the chair to be mobile.
The newbie had come for another ‘patient interview’. He wished they’d just give it up and leave him alone. Because that was the main idea of checking into the hospital in the first place. It might sound like a crazy idea to other people, because it is if you’re indeed not crazy and normal. But if you had woken up one day and realize that there was another person living inside of you, then staying in a mental hospital is probably the most un-crazy thing to do.
The previous doctor who was supposed to ask him a few questions ended up a little too scared of him, going out almost in tears. Maybe he shouldn’t have been too harsh on her -she was pretty too- but she was getting annoying at trying to fish out things that he didn’t want revealed. Didn’t mental hospitals convince people they are crazy rather than not believe them when people tell them that they are?
This Choi Siwon guy seemed to be a little more confident in himself, an airhead mostly despite the handsome face, but as persistent as hell. But somehow Kyuhyun wished he was a little different than the rest. Because when the silver crucifix fell out of the man’s pocket, a sense of familiarity sparked within him.
“He’s good-looking, Kyu. You like him.”
That Dr Choi had just left the door after talking about stupid promises and trust, none of which meant anything anymore to him. Maybe he had given up, but somehow Kyuhyun wished he didn’t just yet.
He shook his head, trying hard not to let the thoughts get too deep and finally staring into the window. “No and no. You’re tired, go to sleep. I want to finish my game.
“You’re always asking me to sleep so that you get to play your stupid computer games.”
“Just wait a little while and it’s your turn.” He patted the small pile of books on the side table.
“I’ll hold you to your words, Kyu. And just so you know, I don’t like it.”
Kyuhyun looked away from the window and resumed his paused game, just a few more rounds and he’ll advance to the next level. “What? Told you I’ll let you read later if you behave.” His skillful fingers moved swiftly. Almost mechanically, like a machine. His eyes hurt but he refused to let them rest.
No one could help him. He wished they’d known. Because their colourful pills and boring talks were of no use to him. No, he didn’t need any treatment or rest. It was a battle within himself. He just needed to get away from the outside world, away from normal people…for their own safety.
The reply came a little longer than usual.
“That’s not it.” A pause. “I don’t like the way you like him.”
Kyuhyun furrowed his eyebrows and then averted his eyes from his PSP to the window.
The reflection was now his own.
---
A few days later Siwon went to work early with a little something extra in his carrying bag.
He shuffled on his feet manually as he stifled a yawn, barely hearing the sound that indicated that had locked his car. He made an effort to widen his eyes in attempt to make himself feel a little more awake, but the cooling autumn breeze was not helping. A few other medical staff walked past him, a few of them looking not unlike him, tired and worn out by the demands in the medical line.
Although he did not work on a night shift the night before, he had spent the wee hours of the morning doing some research online and his mind couldn’t stop reminding him of his first patient in this hospital.
Those intense eyes he had a chance to glimpse into, like the moon so mysteriously eclipsed, so careful as to not let anything slip. It was almost killing him with curiosity, killing him with the desire to know, to dig everything out from beneath, to break it apart piece by piece, and to answer his burning questions: why?
He was almost dying with the desire to find a way to help, and was dead disappointed when he found nothing much with so little information. When he finally retired to bed, he prayed a silent prayer, asking God to help him get to the bottom of the case, to help the boy regain his innocence. For the maturity in his eyes did not fit him; it should have been vibrant with life, not cold with hatred.
A pat on his shoulders nearly sent him tripping onto the pavement leading to the hospital entrance. He made a mental note not to space out again while he was walking. He turned around to find a neat mop of hair the colour of the fallen leaves all around, soft-looking locks framing the young face of a man, looking at him with eyes as naïve as a bunny rabbit.
“Good morning, Choi Siwon-ssi. I am Lee Sungmin, the senior nurse around here. Nice to meet you, and boy, do I need shoe lifts around you.”
Siwon bowed hurriedly with a flustered smile. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Sungmin-ssi.”
“So how are you adapting to our hospital, Siwon-ssi?” A playful smile settled on the man’s lips as he walked ahead first, followed by Siwon from behind. The skip in his walk reminded of Siwon of high school girls in uniform, carefree and chewing gum while walking to school.
“It’s been good so far. Everyone’s been really, uh, kind to me.”
“Really? What about Heechul-hyung? I meant Dr Kim. I hope he didn’t scare you into tending a transfer letter this fast.” Sungmin’s eyes were peering down at the taller man’s briefcase, noting the piece of white paper poking out it slightly.
“Oh, no, this? It’s just the wrapper I used to wrap my bible up with. I intend to give it to my patient as a present.” Siwon explained, smiling rather sheepishly, hand reaching to brush his meticulously-gelled hair which was threatening to go out of shape thanks to the wind.
“Your patient? You mean Kyuhyun-ssi?” Sungmin stopped in his tracks suddenly, just two steps away from the automatic entrance door which opened at detection, revealing the rather quiet hospital lobby.
Siwon scratched his head awkwardly, wondering what made the man stopped so suddenly. “Why would you give him a bible?”
“Uh, I’m a Christian.”
“So you go around giving free bibles?”
Siwon furrowed his eyebrows puzzledly. “No, but I can give you a copy too if you want, Sungmin-ssi.”
“You seem close to Kyuhyun-ssi. The staff nurses are telling me you’ve been visiting him even after office hours.”
“Huh? No, he’s my patient. But I think having faith in God will help his condition.” Siwon cleared his throat uncomfortably.
“Really? “ Sungmin shrugged and leaned in closer, beckoning Siwon to follow suit. “Kyuhyun-ssi’s a good boy, I can tell just by looking. We’ll have to give him time, I guess. But just a piece of advice, Siwonnie. You’re new so I need to tell you this. Even experienced doctors fall for it sometimes, but don’t get too emotionally-involved with your patients. It’s not healthy, for either of you.”
“But I just-“ Sungmin held up hand as he straightened up again.
“Just a piece of advice. Your eyes give you away, Siwon-ssi. See you later.” The man walked into the building and disappeared into the elevator with a wave.
Siwon stood rooted to where his feet were on the ground, mouth slightly agape from confusion. He recounted the number of times he had been to Cho Kyuhyun’s room this week. It was true; he didn’t realize how frequent it was compared to the other patients under his care.
But Sungmin-ssi and the staff nurses obviously did not know the number of times he managed to get the boy to talk more than three sentences to him. All he needed was his thumb, index finger and the middle one for that.
He shook his head and trudged on. Maybe God will help him today. Surely there’s something inside the Bible to shed him some light where medical books fail.
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A/N : So what's everyone up to during the last few days of 2011? hope everyone's having a great time! sadly it's also my study break....T.T comments will make me realllllly happy. lol. :P thanks for reading anyway~! happy new year, everyone!