The One With The Hospital

Lee Sung-Hoon

When they stepped into the stadium, they were enveloped in blue magic. Soft blue lights illuminated the whole stadium. Light sticks were raised high up in the air to cheer their favorite artist. The stage was decorated in blue and pink - which were Baekhyun's favorite. An audible gasp escaped Jun-Seo's lips. Eyes widened, and veins fueled with adrenaline, he grabbed Hwan-Woo's arm.

"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" Jun-Seo jumped up and down. "We're at Baekyun's concert! WE ARE AT BAEKYUN'S CONCERT, PEOPLE!"

Hwan-Woo chuckled at his friend's behavior. "Calm down. We know that."

Most Lovelies (Baekyun's fandom name) were busy to notice Jun-Seo's hyperactivity. As soon as he somewhat calmed, the four split up to look for their seats. Once, Sung-Hoon managed to find the seats; the rest joined him. Because Hwan-Woo knew Baekhyun from their high school days in the US, he could get VIP tickets for his friends.

"Wait, hold up," Jun-Seo began. "You're telling me that you KNOW MY IDOL?!"

Ha-Jun's eyes widened, and he shook Hwan-Woo by his shoulders. "Tell us, you bastard! Is it true?! You know him?"

Hwan-Woo laughed heartily. "Yes, yes. He's my high school buddy."

"Very impressive," Lee-Sung Hoon complimented while being on his phone. He was playing a game to avoid talking to the people around him. The men spared him a glance and waited for further explanation.

"I can see that being in the US has given you more opportunities than in South Korea. You would've never been friends with an idol if not for your move to the States."

Hwan-Woo smiled at him even though Sung-Hoon was too focused on his device. "Thanks, man. It did do me good."

"Anyway," Jun-Seo turned Hwan-Woo to face him. "Can we meet him backstage? Please?!"

Hwan-Woo nodded, and that was enough to get another dose of adrenaline pumping through Jun-Seo's system. Before long, the man of the night arrived on stage, and from that moment, everything was a blur. Many screams were heard, giggles were shared, tears were shed, and ears bled because of terrible singing. All in all, the night was one for the history books. In the end, a sweaty Baekhyun bowed in front of his audience.

"Thank you, my Lovelies! See you soon! Love you all!" With that, the concert wrapped. The adrenaline was slowly wearing off, and the three men sighed. Sung-Hoon was silent throughout. The gears in his brain revolved constantly, thus keeping him mentally occupied. Once the artist walked away, Sung-Hoon came to a conclusion.

"So, Mr. Scientist guy," Hwan-Woo called his friend on their way backstage. "Concluded yet?"

Jun-Seo and Ha-Jun were way ahead of them, so Hwan-Woo took this opportunity to learn what was going on inside Sung-Hoon's brain. Sung-Hoon paused for a split second as he tried to gather his thoughts.

"I understand why his fans admire him so much," began the man. "Despite being on the top of the popularity ladder, he remains rooted to the ground. His kindness and attachment to his fans make him loveable. The interaction between the fans and him seem genuine."

"So, the question is," Hwan-Woo paused for a dramatic effect. "Does it get the Sung-Hoon stamp of approval?"

"You do realize I don't give away my stamp of approval for just anything. I regard it as the highest of highs in the council of Sung-Hoon."

Hwan-Woo stared into his eyes, waiting for his answer.

Sung-Hoon rolled his eyes and grumpily said, "Fine. It gets my stamp of approval."

Before Hwan-Woo could break into a grin, Sung-Hoon stuck a finger in front of him. "I'm only doing this because it clearly means a lot to you three."

"It wouldn't hurt to admit that you liked the artist." Hwan-Woo shook his head.

Sung-Hoon punched him on the shoulder. "Hey! I gave him the stamp of approval."

"Who gave who the stamp of approval?" The deep voice grabbed the men's attention. Before them stood a shiny orange-haired man with a fresh set of clothing. There was curiosity in his piercing blue eyes. He flashed the newcomers a bright smile. Meanwhile, Jun-Seo sat on the stool with a juice packet, barely keeping it together. Ha-Jun was off with the manager to get everyone food.

"Baekhyun!" Hwan-Woo raced and pulled his high school friend into a hug. The Idol hugged him back and patted his shoulder before pulling apart.

"It's Bennett for you, Hwan-Woo."

"Fine, whatever, dumbass." Bennett chuckled at his best friend's eye roll. "I want you to meet my childhood friend, Lee Sung-Hoon, and I see you've already met his cousin."

"Hey, nice to meet you," Bennett stuck out his hand for a shake. Sung-Hoon stared at that for a while.

"Hello. I'm not much of a handshake person."

Bennett's hand fell back to his side. Hwan-Woo shut his eyes close and hoped to escape this moment of awkwardness. Luckily for him, Bennett started a new topic of conversation.

"So, I, uh, have heard a lot about you two and Ha-Jun. Hwan-Woo told me a lot of stories from your childhood. It got me curious, so I wanted to meet you all."

Jun-Seo's eyes widened. "Oh my god, really?! You wanted to meet us? We're just mere mortals, and the God of Singing wanted to meet us?!"

Hwan-Woo piped in. "Don't mind him. He's a fan, just like the others."

Bennett grinned. "Awesome! I can always count on him to give me honest opinions since he's not just a fan but also a friend."

"F-Friend?" Jun-Seo stammered. "I-I'm a friend of yours?"

THUD!

"I'm calling the ambulance," informed Sung-Hoon as he pulled out his phone. "Tell Ha-Jun to meet us there."

When Sung-Hoon stepped out of the room to make the call, Bennett turned to Hwan-Woo.

"Is he always this uptight?"

"I wouldn't call him uptight, per se."

"Then what would you call him?"

Hwan-Woo pondered.

"Humanoid: Man completely devoid of human emotions."

~

"Where am I?" A barely audible raspy voice was forced out of Jun-Seo's lips when his consciousness returned. He observed the pasty white walls, the giant tv, and some tubes stuck to his arm.

"Don't act like you lost your memory." Sung-Hoon crossed his arms against his chest. "You fainted because you starved yourself."

"No, he fainted because he met Baekhyun." Ha-Jun pointed out while reading the magazine on the table.

"Well, the scientific explanation behind that is vasovagal syncope. It occurs when one's body overreacts to certain triggers. It causes blood pressure and heart rate to plummet within moments."

Jun-Seo sighed. A headache slowly developed on the sides of his head. He shut his eyes close and pretended to be asleep.

Ha-Jun pulled Sung-Hoon outside.

"What?" Sung-Hoon inquired. "Why'd you pull me outside?"

Ha-Jun's eyes flared with anger. He crossed his arms against his chest and glared at him.

"Did it ever occur to you that, at times, he might need a brother instead of a scientist guy?"

Clueless, Sung-Hoon asked. "What are you talking about?"

Ha-Jun dragged him to an empty room so they could have a little conversation. He didn't wish to blow up and have people watch them.

"Why can't you be a little empathetic towards others, Sung-Hoon-ah?" Ha-Jun yelled. "Just a little. I'm not asking you to move mountains here. For once, you didn't try to lend your shoulder for Jun-Seo to cry on. For God's sake, he just lost his mother! Then when he fainted today, you were being a total jerk instead of asking him if he was okay."

Sung-Hoon remained silent.

"Hwan-Woo even told him how you acted in front of Baekhyun. I get it that you're uncomfortable with certain aspects of daily life. But you don't have to make our lives miserable! There are so many things I wanna point out right now, but I think it'll take forever."

Ha-Jun sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"If you can't be there for Jun-Seo then I have to ask you to leave."

Sung-Hoon furrowed his eyebrows and threw his hands in the air. "You can't ask me to leave like this!"

"I can," Ha-Jun coldly replied. "Enough is enough. We don't need the scientist guy in the hospital."

Sung-Hoon waited for a second before turning on his heel and storming out of the room. Ha-Jun collapsed on the chair and rubbed his forehead.

Kim Ha-Jun

"That was rough," Baekhyun's voice forced him to look up.

"You tell me," sighed Ha-Jun. "All my life I've seen Sung-Hoon act like this. Every day I believed he'd change, but that day never came. When Jun-Seo's mother died, I expected him to at least try to comfort him in his own Sung-Hoon way, but no. He was aloof the entire time. It was Hwan-Woo and I who watched him bawl his eyes out."

"Chocolate cookie?" Baekhyun offered with a smile.

"No, thanks."

"Come on, take one," Baekhyun urged. "Yelling took a lot out of you. Have this to recharge your battery."

After a little insisting, Ha-Jun took the whole packet of chocolate cookies and devoured it. Baekhyun chuckled.

"Sorry."

He shook his head. "Don't be. I know how difficult it was for you to confront Sung-Hoon."

"Did you have friends like him?" Ha-Jun asked with a mouth stuffed with cookies.

Baekhyun took a deep breath. "Once. A long time ago."

"How did you deal with them?"

"Well, I murdered him. The police haven't found his body yet."

Ha-Jun's jaw dropped and a shiver ran down his spine. The packet of cookies fell out of his hand.

Baekhyun laughed. "I'm kidding!"

Ha-Jun punched his arm. "Ya! You had me there for a second. Seriously, how did you deal with the person?"

"I was patient with him," Baekyun said. "People like him either don't receive love growing up or are too introverted. In both cases, they find it difficult to show affection or express their emotions towards people."

"Just give him time, Ha-Jun," Baekhyun softly placed his hand on his shoulder. "With time, he will start functioning like a human."

"I don't know," Ha-Jun seemed hesitant. "We've been friends for more than a decade now."

"Trust me. He will change."