unhealthy - 2jae

four - jaebum

"Choi."

...

That's not what I meant by name, dumbass.

Aren't nurses supposed to be female, anyway?

He intrigues me, though, I have to admit. He's the only one who hasn't been offended to the extreme just because I was rude. Maybe it's because he's a guy and not a girl.

...

It pisses me off.

I want to know what his first name is. I don't want to refer to him as "nurse Choi." It sounds too uncomfortable.

Not only that, I'm hungry. Really hungry, for some reason. What did he say? Ring the bell? I don't want to move, either.

I peer over to the bag—what the fuck is it called, honestly—and see that it's hung on a stand. With wheels on it. That means I can move it around.

My legs kick away the blanket. My back and waist is starting to ache from being bedridden for so long, anyway. I slowly rise from the bed with a loud groan. I lean my head side to side in order to stretch my neck. Simultaneously, I roll my shoulders and arm around. Something cracks. It feels satisfying.

The door looks so far away the more I stare at it. I finally move my legs so that they hang over the side of the bed. And of course I'm not wearing my regular clothes. It's similar to what the male nurses wear but probably lower quality.

I am planning to leave without anyone knowing. I know I am. If the door's unlocked and I'm not shackled to the bed, then why not? My gaze goes to where the "button" is. Somehow, I'm reminded of that guy who insisted I call him Choi.

My hand moves without warning, and it pushes the button. I don't hear any sort of ringing or chime, so I just stand up. It feels like a decade since I've used my legs properly. The first steps are shaky, but the stand is there to help me find my balance. I grip onto it and realize that my rings are gone. I touch both of my ears quickly; at least my earrings are still there.

Clutching my stomach with one hand and dragging the metal stand with the other, I start to head towards the door. The room smells like baby wipes or whatever it is and it's bothering me by now. I want fresh air; I need fresh air.

I'm almost at the door and my hand is reaching out to touch the doorknob. To my surprise, the doorknob starts moving on its own, and soon the door flings open. It's "Choi" again, and he's panting slightly.

"You... pressed the nurse call...?" he asks while pausing to breathe, seeming shocked that I'm on my feet.

"Yeah," I simply say. He sighs.

"Please don't use the nurse call unless it's an absolutely urgent emergency. I have to come here in order to manually turn it off every time," he explains, looking defeated. He steps into the room completely and shuts the door behind himself.

"It is urgent," I tell him. It's the truth.

"Then what is it?"

I stare at him silently before saying, "I'm in urgent need of food." Choi closes his eyes and breathes slowly in attempt to calm himself once I say that. He walks over to where the button is and turns it off. I wonder if there was obnoxious beeping at the nurse's station or something.

"It's rather early," he begins, "so breakfast won't be served until an hour or so. Would you mind waiting until they serve you breakfast?" He's leaning over the bed as he messes with the nurse call. I stare at him the whole time. The way his body moves...

...

"At least tell me your name since you're here already," I blurt out loudly. He turns around and glances at me, frozen. He looks away and briskly walks across the room and to the exit.

"I'll come visit you later," he tells me in a quieter voice, ignoring me. That made me annoyed so I grabbed his arm. It's thin like a girl's.

"Look at me and tell me your first name. It's that simple." I glare at him closely, the height difference causing me to look down on him. For some reason, he looks afraid. Again, he's avoiding his gaze from me.

"Youngjae..." he mutters. I slowly let my grip on his arm loose and he doesn't say a thing as he leaves.

I slump back down on the bed, thinking about why I had to be here.