*pops confetti* yeahhhhh opening is here!! hello lovelies, i'm yan and i'm here to bring some real top class clownery to liminal in the shape of 26yr old first year surgical resident yoo sungho. he's a good kid, i promise, he's just got...issues T__T i've got his stats and bio up, plots are incoming because i'm a sloth so drop a like and lets brainstorm something in the mean time!! tumblr ims are always open and same goes for discord, hmu for that if you would like 💃🏻 under the cut you will find some lil facts about my boi, and can't wait to write with you all ~
ville city born and raised but often flew back and forth between seoul since his parents are both from there
father is the head of large pharmaceutical company and also an investor in multiple large businesses (not saying he is a trust fund baby or anything but he certainly ain't poor) while his mother is the stereotypical housewife
broken family gang !!! aka his parents are split and he only ever really talks to his mother and sister; parents don't speak but they retain this public image of a good family so the business and stocks aren't impacted
currently resides in a south-facing unit on floor M8S, unit #7
has a roommate and sorry ahead of time to people who live near them ig idk
has a love for photography and used to go on scenic drives just to take photos but as of late, with his hectic work schedule, he hasn't been able to
has a very straightforward and blunt personality which……has caused issues more than once
if you know him from the past and you're a girl, he most likely has flirted with you but not with any intention to take it any further, 'twas all just a game oopsies
has a little sister (npc??? idk someone take this plot) that he loves more than anything, will literally D*e for her
in high school and university, he always got top grades despite his disinterest in studying and more often than not, he would have been caught sleeping in class but What Can You Do
but med school was Fun........if you count not sleeping for days on end, he had to work for his grades for the first time and it was weird but the challenge was interesting and now he's here, first year resident at the city hospital
literally never had a job before this so he doesn't know what it's like to struggle....[bad british accent vc] litchurally unbelievable
12 days of a very sungso christmas ft. some friends - @holyrcller
december, 2021
various locations around seoul, little snippets into their holiday season from his perspective
december 1, 2021
soft white flakes fall from grey skies as bodies hustle to and from, chipper cheers and gentle laughter filling the busy roads where people begin to fall into the holiday spirit upon the first day of the celebratory month. seoul national university's hospital is no different, the atmosphere lighter than usual while the everlasting ominous feeling that accompanies the establishment takes a step back to allow the holiday spirit to slip through. custodians drift through the long hallways of the hospital as decorations begin to be hung, gracing the white walls with dashes of colour that make a smile appear on sungho's lips as he clocks out, the seemingly never-ending moment of his shift finally making an appearance. he says his goodbyes and even helps hang one or two decorations on his way out before he steps into the cold, all bundled up in such a form that only his eyes and bridge of his nose can be seen. he takes out his phone before walking towards the outdoor parkade, mentally cursing himself for snoozing two alarms this morning and forcing himself to trade a few more minutes of sleep and the comfort of his bed for the discomfort of having to park his car outdoors in the cold. his fingers dance across the glass screen of his phone, shades of red appearing on his skin from the harsh winds as he sends a quick message.
( sms: sorin 😘) heading home now, snow's starting to get heavy so it might take me longer but the holidays are here!
( sms: sorin 😘) also, the hospital started putting up decorations so i think it's time we start doing that too. tomorrow since we're both free?
( sms: sorin 😘) see you soon ❤️
december 2, 2021
"that's definitely not where that goes!"
laughter fills the walls of their apartment as glitter flutters from the sphere ornament currently hanging on a hook that sorin has so graciously decided has a place dangling from the right temple of his glasses. the same pair she likes to steal and he likes allowing her to, though he feigns annoyance each time as he whines about not being able to see her, to which she would always have a witty retort. he takes the string of christmas lights he has in his hands, the bunch tangled in a manner that would take much effort to unravel, and gently places it atop the crown of her head in between fits of laughter as the rest of the lights dangle to frame her soft features.
"if this goes here," sungho points to his glasses, the ornament still hanging safely in its spot. "then those go there." he is now pointing to sorin, specifically to the lights illuminating her dark hair, his laughter trailing into a comfortable silence as his arms (now free of the lights) wrap themselves around her tiny figure and he shuffles his feet to stand directly behind her. his chin rests comfortably on her shoulder as he leans forward, one hand leaving the warmth of her waist to reach inside the back pocket of his jeans where he grabs his phone and opens the camera application. he doesn't wait for her to be ready, instead quickly snaps a shot of the moment, insisting that raw memories like these need cherishing when she protests the photo. a gentle kiss on her cheek and a soft "you always look pretty, baby" in her ear quiets her down and they stay just like that for a moment, their prior tasks forgotten as his arms hold her close and the snowy view outside their window provides solace to their antics.
december 3, 2021
busy certainly does not begin to describe their lives, their schedules aligning only once in a blue moon only for something to almost always come up. so they have learned to cherish the brief moments that belong only to them, the outside world momentarily forgotten while they spend their time in their little nest of a home, four walls enveloping a space that belongs only to them. they have fallen into somewhat of a routine for times like this, sorin sleeping soundly in bed as sungho makes breakfast-- something simple for the mornings when he's feeling tired or something more elaborate when he has more energy. it's the latter this morning, with him pulling out all the stops for what he is quite sure will be one of the only few mornings they get to spend without him needing to rush out the door for some hospital emergency, or her needing to hop on an emergency overseas business call.
"that's adulting as a medical intern, get used to it." he hears the words of his seniors echo in the back of his mind from the multiple times he has complained about never getting to see sorin, to which they would always pat him on the shoulder with sympathetic looks on their faces, having experienced much of the same during their intern years.
the clock reads 9:22am when sungho completes the last finishing touches on their morning meal: a heaping load of gingerbread pancakes ("they're festive ~" he'll say when she asks why gingerbread) stacked high accompanied with syrup and whipped cream on the side, a bowl of freshly cut fruit sitting atop vanilla yogurt and drizzled with honey, and lastly a cup of hot coffee brewed just to her liking. though he would have loved to sleep in for a few more hours instead of waking up with the sun, he would love it even more to see the big smile on sorin's face when she wakes up, the look of simple happiness as she digs in to his cooking; being able to sit across from her as they talk about mundane topics, simply enjoying each other's presence.
december 4, 2021
( sms: taeoh ) i don't know dude, it's not our first christmas together but we've barely had time together this year
( sms: taeoh ) don't you think i should get her something a little more extravagant?
no reply.
( sms: taeoh ) come on, you two have been hanging out, give me some idea of what to get her please ㅠ_ㅠ
no reply.
cue the panic. though he isn't sure why he is panicking when he still has three whole weeks to put together a gift but then again, three weeks when you are a first year intern basically means absolutely nothing as you could easily spend most of those days in the hospital. sungho groans at the thought which earns him an odd stare of two from fellow shoppers at the local department store, to which he lowers his head and shifts directions to walk the other way; he didn't really think he would find much in that section anyway. unfortunately, he has been saying that about every section he has been in on the women's floor and while there have been a few items that struck him as potential options, he couldn't find it in himself to purchase them. he knows he could find something better and that he will, with time. she had asked him what he wanted for christmas, the same way he had asked her one night over dinner and neither had a proper response aside from more time together. oh how he wishes he had the power to make that a possibility, to put a pause on her business meetings and his shifts at the hospital but they aren't living in a fairytale, even if sometimes their relationship feels to be such.
december 8, 2021
kevin! what did you do to my room?
*kevin gasps and runs away from the window*
the television screen fades to black and the ending credits begin to roll, signalling the end of the movie and sungho shuffles underneath the blanket that covers both himself and sorin, looking down to see her sleeping figure on his lap. habitually, he reaches out from underneath the blanket and runs his fingers through her tousled dark locks, a smile plasters itself on his lips at the sight before him. movie night isn't anything official, so to speak, just something that they happen upon every now and then when the mood feels right. but neither of them were going to let the holidays pass without at least watching one christmas movie, though he can't say for sure how much sorin really saw of 'home alone' based on the deep slumber she has fallen into. he places a soft peck to her forehead, one hand gently shaking her body as if that would awake it from its slumber. "baby?" his voice is hushed, barely above a whisper but loud enough that she won't miss it if she wakes up. "baby, the movie's over, time to wake up."
nothing but a slight stir is her response and sungho almost feels guilty for wanting to wake her from her restful slumber. so he decides against it, choosing instead to scoop her up in his arms as he pushes himself off the couch, movements gentle and slow as to not wake her. the blanket falls to the floor and he makes a mental note to pick it up later, or tomorrow-- that's technically later. a few footsteps later and he's carefully opening the door to their shared bedroom, almost turning the lights on out of habit but remembering sorin in his arms, he refrains and carefully steps to their bed instead, internally grateful that they both enjoy a spotless floor, free of obstacles that would harbour his task at hand. he makes it safely to his side of the bed, gently placing her down for a brief moment as he scurries over to her side and pulls away the sheets, allowing a space for her body to be made. he's quick to then pick her up once more and place her back on her side, tucking her in with a loving gaze. "goodnight baby."
december 11, 2021
t-minus fourteen days and he is still without a gift.
lucky for him (or maybe unlucky in another aspect?), sorin is away on a last minute business trip while he has a few free rotations, meaning he can shop freely for her gift without having to sneak in and out of their shared apartment with a different excuse each time. she's smart, maybe she caught on already or maybe not; she hasn't said a word if she has.
"shopping for your girlfriend?"
the question snaps him out of a daze he hadn't realized he had been in, a puzzled look briefly washes over his face before he nods towards the salesperson, eyes fluttering back to the cases of jewelry before him.
"any suggestions?" he asks, looking back up with a hopeful gaze.
the salesperson pulls out a few different necklace options with matching bracelets and nice as they are, they don't seem to yell 'sorin' to him, so he politely thanks the employee and walks away from the jewelry section. he wanders aimlessly for a bit, reaching for a few items here and there but putting them back not long after. it's then that he passes by the home section where rows and rows of frames line the shelves and it's like those movie moments where an imaginary lightbulb goes off above his head, an idea sparks. he sifts through the shelves, an endless array of frames before he finds the right one-- the last one of its kind, actually.
december 15, 2021
as christmas draws closer and closer, the festivities around seoul seem to shine brighter and brighter. a pop-up christmas market appeared in their neighbourhood a few days prior and upon noticing it, both sungho and sorin had insisted on making time to go. now, a few days later, they finally cleared a slot in both their busy schedules to visit the market, basking in the christmas spirit (or is that the mulled wine they have had multiple glasses of already?). it's crowded and he makes sure to always have their hands intertwined in case they lose each other, there's a joke he made about using a pair of gag mittens they had gotten as gifts to ensure separation doesn't happen but they both have a little too much pride to be seen in public in such a manner.
he pulls her towards him as people start making their way in a direction opposite of theirs, holding her her close to his side, letting go of her hand and replacing it with an arm around her shoulder as they brave the crowd. a slur of apologies are exchanged as bodies bump against each other, he mutters a "you alright?" to sorin, she nods and they move forward. he's carefully guiding her towards the light display, complete with a mini tunnel of lights that make the perfect photo opportunity. this time he makes sure she's ready before capturing a quick selfie, all smiles and eyes disappearing into crescent shapes as the shutter clicks. the next photo is taken by a passerby nice enough to ask if they want a photo-- they say yes and a few more shutter clicks later, they step aside for others to take their place. he watches as she walks slightly ahead of him under the tunnel, him snapping candids of her as she gazes at the lights.
another one for the frame, he thinks.
december 18, 2021
the night shifts at the hospital are great until you get home and feel the world collapse beneath your feet. during a time when the world is just beginning their day, sungho is barely finishing his as he drags his feet across the hardwood flooring of their apartment and all but collapses onto the bed. his disturbance awakens sorin and she mumbles something he can't quite make out before his eyes close and he falls asleep almost immediately. his slumber doesn't last long and he's awake a mere five hours later, rolling around under warm sheets as he notices the lack of sorin's presence. there's a moment he considers going back to sleep but he knows that will only throw a wrench in his sleep schedule even more, so he (unwillingly) rolls out of bed, soles of his feet hitting the icy floor as he winces.
it doesn't take him long to get refreshed in the morning, a quick shower to wake him up before he brushes his teeth and washes his face, exiting the bathroom and heading toward the kitchen while he checks his phone. a couple unread messages from sorin letting him know she's heading out for the day for a last minute client meeting (god forbid, on a saturday) and she'll try to catch him before he leaves for his shift.
( sms: sorin 😘) missed you this morning :( have a good day and see you later tonight
he types a quick response before moving on to the next thread from an unknown number, he's usually skeptical but this is a text he has been waiting to receive. the central part of his christmas gift to sorin is ready for pickup later this afternoon, just in time for him to finish the gift itself before she comes home or he has to leave.
maybe he isn't so screwed after all.
december 22, 2021
the kitchen is a disaster and it's almost comical.
baking christmas cookies at 10pm sounded like a good idea until sungho realized while sorin can't cook, she is almost even worse at baking. the state of their kitchen is what he thinks a warzone would have looked like had he lived through one. bowls are everywhere, messy ingredients spill across the counter and sungho can't tell whether he should laugh or shake his head in disappointment. he lands on the decision that neither would make the situation any better or make sorin happy so he simply places two hands on her shoulder and gently nudges her away from the counter and towards the edges of their kitchen.
"why don't i take care of the rest of this, yeah? you go take a break on the couch and i'll let you know when the cookies are done so we can decorate." she probably pouts at him shooing her out of the kitchen but he plants a quick kiss on her lips to make it all better. she huffs but obliges and sungho turns to face the abundance of dishes needing his attention and he sighs deeply before rolling up his sleeves.
a good fifteen minutes must have passed and he's near done when the timer rings, signalling their baked goods are ready to be taken from the oven. he exchanges his dish washing gloves for baking gloves, turning the timer off with his non-gloved hand and opening the door to the oven, a heat wave rushing out that causes him to take a step back. he then carefully leans forward and takes each baking pan from the oven and placing them on the counter before he skilfully transfers the parchment paper filled with sugar cookies from each of the two pans to the cooling racks he had previously set up on the stove.
sungho calls her over as the cookies begin to cool and he finds her child-like reaction the most adorable thing he has seen all day. setting up for decorating is simple; thank god for store-bought items, he thinks. and that is how they spend the rest of their night, icing on cookies, sometimes on each other, christmas music in the background as snow falls heavily outside the window. he has an endearing look on his face every time he looks over and sees sorin concentrating on her piece and despite not being able to actually take a picture of this moment, he takes a mental snapshot for the memories.
december 23, 2021
last night's baking session left the house with a lingering sweet scent as sungho makes his way to the kitchen, rubbing away any leftover sleep in his eyes. he takes a cookie from the cookie jar and munches on that as he starts up a pot of coffee-- the mix of two scents are heavenly in his opinion. he's scrolling his phone and leaning with one side against the countertop when he hears a slight shuffle of feet against the floor and a pair of arms wrap themselves around his torso, he feels sorin bury her face in his back and he chuckles. setting his phone aside, he grabs ahold of her arms and gently untangle them from his torso as he turns himself around to face her, "morning sleepyhead." he mumbles into the crown of her head as he leaves a soft kiss there, his arms wrapping themselves around her shoulders in a warm hug. there's something incoherent that she says, face too far buried into his chest for him to make out the words but she doesn't pull away so he can at least tell she isn't complaining.
their morning is rather lazy, with both of them not having work the motivation to do anything is lacking. breakfast is simple, eggs and toast with coffee and a cooking from the night before. the rest of the day is spent cuddling on the couch flipping through channels on tv, at some point they make their way to the bedroom for a mid-day nap before waking up just in time for an early dinner. neither of them are up for cooking so they settle for delivery from a nearby restaurant, soup for the cold weather. more time is spent together though it doesn't seem even close to being enough when sungho gets called in to the hospital for an emergency and he is forced to bid sorin farewell for the night. he's the one pouting now but he can't say no, so he quickly takes a few more bites of his meal before changing into his scrubs and grabbing his work bag. she tells him to drive safe and work hard, he nods and says of course and that he will be back soon.
december 24, 2021
christmas eve creeps up on them like a ghost and sungho barely notices as he works overtime at the hospital, car crashes are the theme of the night. he only realizes the date and time when he catches a quick snack break and a fellow intern asks him if his girlfriend is pissed he has to spend christmas eve at the hospital. shit! he thinks. but he knows sorin understands the nature of his job and would never get angry at him for something like this that he cannot control. despite this, he sends her a few quick texts anyway before getting called back to work.
( sms: sorin 😘) omg baby i'm so sorry, i didn't even realize the time had passed so fast
( sms: sorin 😘) i should be able to leave soon and still spend the rest of christmas eve (and christmas) with you
( sms: sorin 😘) hope you're sleeping well, i love you ❤️
most of the rest of his shift is rather calm and he clocks out "on time", if you can call working almost 5 hours of overtime leaving on time. he's tired to the point that driving seems unsafe and in the interest of arriving home safe and also for the other cars on the road, he takes a quick power nap in the break room. he exchanges "merry christmas!" and "happy holidays!" with a few fellow doctors and nurses before he knocks out like a light.
december 25, 2021
"merry christmas baby, i love you."
sungho presents her his gift, a two-parter. he tells her to unwrap the smaller box first, nudging it towards her as he watches her carefully unwrap the christmas themed wrapping paper. he had figured she would rather have something useful than not, at least for one part of the gift so he had bought her a new handbag to replace her daily one, big enough to fit any documents she would need to carry but not too large to be bulky. he takes it that she enjoys the gift when she tries it on immediately, slinging the strap over her shoulder and walks with giddy footsteps over to the mirror beside their door. he calls for her to come back for a second, that her gift is done yet. this is the part he's excited about, the part he worked hard on. it's a slightly odd shape, too big to be wall art but too small to just be one framed photo. he laughs at her guesses and simply urges her to unwrap it. so she does, and underneath the wrapping paper appears a big photo frame with multiple mini frames that each hold a photo from each step of their lives together.
"it's like...our story, you know?"
he tries to explain the flow, the beginning picture from their childhood years when she would play with inyoung while he was over at the kim's household playing with inho. he doesn't know where the photo came from but he's happy to have it, a cherished memory of a time they hadn't really known of each others existence and would't have thought much of the other, but look at them now. the pictures that follow are them over the years, of course there are gaps when they had momentarily departed from each others lives but the important thing is that they came back together in the end. the last picture, the most recent, is the one he took at the beginning of the month when they had been decorating the apartment for the holidays. it's silly, it's abnormal, but it's very much them.
not too big where you never see the same person twice, but big enough that if you really tried, you could make yourself disappear. he presumes that is why over the past decade, the city has seemed to make a name for itself and he has seen more and more incoming traffic that outgoing. this, of course, is nowhere near a complaint, for sungho feels pride in seeing his birthplace grow. it has even become a vacation spot for people who just want a breath of fresh air from their homes and he understands; he, too, has his place for that.
he takes in the mixed crowd before him at the crosswalk, a sea of differing faces that all have their own story. all strangers until he does a double take at a particularly striking visual. he remembers her as yiseul, though he isn't sure she remembers him in any way shape or form. their interaction had been small, brief exchanges through social media a few years back when he had been planning a trip overseas with his sister and yiseul happened to have written about the food scene there.
they didn't stay in touch afterwards, the occasional comment on a post of hers from him and the even less occasional response on her end but nonetheless he's stepping forward to tap her on the shoulder. a bright smile dons his lips, the friendliest look he could possibly have before he potentially embarrasses himself in front of the girl.
"hey! yiseul, right? you...might remember me, or might not?" there's a soft laugh as he tries to think of something that could jog her memory. "remember, i asked you about that particularly hidden restaurant in japan before-- like a few years ago and we've kind of been online acquaintances ever since?"
“sungho, are you assisting with any surgeries today?” sunghyun questions, his eyes shifting from the other to his computer, checking up on his rooster for today. “if you’re free then, would you like to join me to met one of the patients?”
the man clicks off of the window, standing up from his seat, putting on the white lab coat that hung not too far from him. “have you met jane in room 405?” sunghyun questions, a smile appearing of his lips as he recalls the young girl who has resided there for at least a year now. “it’s important to check up on our long term patients especially in pediatrics, a lot of times we forget they’re just children, you know?”
it’s always nerve-wracking when someone with higher authority calls upon him, when someone who can easily make or break his career speaks his name in a tone he can’t quite decipher. sungho doesn’t thin he’s done anything to warrant sit-down talk, especially not with the head of his current rotation block but he can never be too careful. so he’s oddly quiet following sunghyun into his office, oddly standoffish when the older male sits down and he remains standing. carefree and often times overly-confident sungho is overshadowed by the uncertainty that is this meeting.
but he lets out a sigh of relief when the older male finally speaks, almost finding it comical that he had been so nervous for something so...routine. one can never be too careful in their intern and resident years though, he thinks. he had been taught that almost anything and everything can be some sort of trick-- a test of sorts. nonetheless, he finally manages to meet the older male’s eyes and shakes his head at the inquiry and flashes a small smile that soon fades. “no surgeries today! though...i suppose i shouldn’t be happy about that.” he chuckles sheepishly, an attempt to hide his embarrassment but he doesn’t think it’s going too well for him.
he’s snapped back to reality at the mention of meeting patients, an offer he would have to be a serious idiot to refuse. when he first started med school and even when he had started his internship he hadn’t thought of himself as the type to enjoy paediatrics but his mind changed rather quickly upon meeting sunghyun (who he has now coined his mentor, but that’s off the record of course). “i’d love to meet jane, i think i remember hearing about her before. um...”
he trails off for a moment, his brain flipping through mental notes he has made of patients he has heard from fellow doctors, a hand fishing out the notebook he always keeps in his right pocket and also physically flipping through pages of written notes; barely legible, in true medical student manner. “she’s the one who had that tricky heart surgery, right?” he prays he is correct and he didn’t just make a fool out of himself in front of sunghyun. “i heard she’s healing well but i never got to see her. i’d also love to meet any other patient you want to introduce me to. i’m sure i have notes on them here somewhere.” he taps his head with his index finger, eyes twinkling with excitement at the mere thought.
not like i don't have things owing or anything 🤡 but the halloween event is here so !!! if anybody wants to plot something short ‘n sweet (or not so short, i’m okay with that too) hmu or drop a heart and i’ll come running to you 🏃🏻♀️
(this is) the best part — @holyrcller (the year 2020)
two years ago, sungho would have never imagined that this would be where he is in life.
sure, he always knew he would be in medical school and on the right path to secure his residency at the city's best hospital, but he never imagined sorin would be part of this plan. he never imagined that at the peak of his academic career and the beginning of his actual career, he would be packing up his belongings from his own single bedroom apartment and moving in with the girl that had started off as just his buddy's little sister's friend. the girl he never bothered to give the time of day to, the girl who also never looked his way. but alas, here they are, boxes of their separate belongings unpacked into what he can only hope will be their home for a long while.
sungho blinks a few times before his eyes fully open, the rays of sunshine glowing through the soft set of curtains that came with the furnished apartment and instantly waking him from his steady slumber. it's the first morning in their shared apartment and there's a smile on his lips as he rolls over in bed, eyes landing upon the sleeping face of his girlfriend, her soft features illuminated by the sun. he brings a hand out from under the covers, fingers tracing the frame of sorin's face and tucking loose strands of hair behind her ear, careful not to wake her. he then reaches over and places his lips against her forehead for a light kiss before retreating to his spot under the covers and stifling a yawn that comes over him.
he gently turns the other way and pats the nightside table for his phone, his vision blurry from not wearing his glasses just yet. upon finding the device, he taps the screen and the digital clock display shows just a few minutes past nine o'clock. despite both of them having the day off to finalize unpacking things in their apartment, sungho thinks they shouldn't sleep in too much-- or perhaps he's just giddy about the fact that they now share a space of their own and he doesn't want to bask in this fact alone; it's most likely the latter. which then goes on to explain him reaching over in bed again, a couple fingers gently tapping against her skin. "baby, wake up. i'm hungry and want breakfast-- i'm cooking, of course. " he hums a tune quietly as he waits for her response, a sigh of contentment leaving his lips as the realization hits him; they're officially living together.
no more having to figure out whose place to sleep at when they don't want to say goodbye, no more missing each other when they're too busy to meet up.
most days, sungho finds himself returning to the apartment either too early in the morning or too late into the night to run into many of neighbours, and on his days off he much prefers resting at home than going out but sometimes things are inevitable. or he supposes the right phrase would be that some people are inevitable, namely an old friend of his. for someone wanting to move to a different part of ville city to start fresh, he’s sure finding himself running into more familiar faces than he would have imagined. he isn't complaining, per say, it just comes as a surprise. especially the scene before him.
"jo?" he rubs his eyes confirming the sight of the female before him, confirming that he isn't hallucinating after a particularly rough 12-hour shift. it isn't so much the sight of the female that hits him by surprise, but the little child she has in tow which has sungho raising an eyebrow in question. upon first glance it could easily be jo hanging out with a relative's kid but...he had most certainly heard her say the words 'my child'. the last he heard from the female had been years ago but he would have never imagined that in these few years she would have given birth to a child. "is that..." sungho doesn't finish his question, the shock still refusing to wear off.
he's happy for her, that's number one. he's very much confused, that's number two. he feels a slight pang of hurt at not being told the news, that's number three.
all in order of their importance.
sungho cracks a soft smile to break himself from the daze, light steps bringing him closer to jo and the small child beside her. he crouches down when he's an appropriate distance from them, eyes sparkling with joy as he reaches out to gently pat the child on the head. "hey kiddo. i'm a friend of your moms." he then looks up at her, finally able to finish the question he had started earlier, "so...you have a kid now, huh? a few years of not seeing each other and this is the surprise i get." he finally stands up straight, taking a step closer to her and nudging her arm with his elbow, "so who's the unlucky fellow, hm?"
there is family, and then there is family — @f0ulfellow
he should have known.
there truly is only so much he can expect from his family at big eventful dinners where they must all throw on the facade of a golden family that disaster wouldn't even dream of touching. the reality is so far from that and often times sungho finds himself completely drained even though the dinner has barely scratched the midway point; while the appetizer on his plate remains untouched until his sister nudges him to at least act as if he wants to be there. sungho flashes her a soft apologetic smile and focuses his attention on the conversation at large; his father discussing an investment plan of some sort with a few investors from one of his many businesses-- sungho has lost count and lost his way of tracking which is in question at the moment.
by the time the main course rolls around the conversation has switched to the siblings (mainly sungho, as the eldest and the son). he answers politely, documenting his whereabouts and what he has been up to lately as if he had been reciting a monologue off a script, laughing at just the right moments and smiling when necessary. his answers please the crowd and as they move on to his sister, he quietly takes out his phone from his suit pocket, nimble fingers tapping silently agains the glass screen, eyes barely wavering from the gaze he holds as he half listens to what his sister has to say.
( to: 인호 형) hopefully you're not doing anything in 30 minutes
( to: 인호 형) because i definitely plan on showing up at your door
( to: 인호 형) unless this dinner kills me first...but i'm trying not to think about that ㅠㅠ
he casually slips the device back into his pocket, moving his attention now to the last bites of his meal on the plate before him, before he decides he has had enough and signals for a waiter to come take his dish away. this prompts his sister to follow suit and soon enough, the table is clear and the end seems to be in sight. but it would appear that his happiness is short lived as conversations at the table begin again and sungho finds himself resisting the urge to roll his eyes. he looks over to his mother who sits at his father's side, silent almost the entire meeting but making sure she has a smile on her lips. he leans over to his sister and whispers in her ear that he's making his escape, he's too drained to carry on the act and she gives him an annoyed look, knowing he is abandoning her but he makes sure to announce his departure to the table before she gets a word in. the apologetic smile from earlier makes another appearance as he rises from his chair and heads towards the exit of the restaurant.
the car ride back to the apartment is quick despite his pit stop at the liquor store and he's grateful for the half-empty roads mixed with his luck of not running into many red lights. he does his usual after work routine of parking his car, making sure all doors are locked, and heading into the elevator but instead of pressing the 8th floor he hits the button for 6. soon enough he appears before inho's front door, ringing the doorbell and knocking. "hyung, i'm here! let me in ~" his tone is whiny, child-like, as it usually is when he shows up unannounced in front of inho's door.
the off-white coloured walls, the hustle and bustle of nurses and doctors running back and forth, the waves of patients that he sees pass him by as he stands with his back leaning against a railing. sungho takes it all in, for the city hospital is his new home now, at least for the next four years.
his eyes scan the floor for a familiar face, the face he would see year after year as a child until his parents split and the family stopped going on trips to seoul. it turned virtual then, started off with him only hearing her voice over the phone every now and then before they were both old enough to get their own computers and could video chat. kim yisol, not his childhood best friend, but definitely his childhood friend-- one of many back then, and one of few he keeps in touch with these days.
the news of her moving to ville city and working at the local hospital had come as a shock. he never pictured her leaving seoul but he hadn't pushed the topic further when she told him; simply congratulated her and promised he would visit her whenever their schedules matched. but then they didn't and he figured that was just adult life. so it makes it all the better that he's here now, a first year resident at the same hospital, though he had yet to drop the news to her-- it had to be the right moment. not that the right moment would be in the middle of the east-wing of the hospital but that's just logistics.
he had bribed charmed one of the admin staff into letting him know where she would be stationed this morning and if his source isn't wrong, she should be turning the corner right about now. his lips curve upwards into a smile when he spots her, still looking the same as he would have expected, and before she can spot him he ducks his head, feet quickly making their way across the floor before he quite literally) pops up behind her, two palms landing on her shoulder as he peeks out from behind her.
