Sunrise [Yungi FF]

11. Look at the Mirror

San went out into the living room again when he heard the jingle of keys. Sure enough, Mingi was standing by the door, fully dressed. "Are you going to him again?"

"Yes," Mingi replied wearily, his hand sliding off the door handle. "His name is Yunho, you know?"

The last word had barely left Mingi's mouth when San said, "I don't care what his name is."

That prompted Mingi to turn around, his facial features stretched tight.

San exhaled, letting his own stern eyes soften. "I know he's important to you and you're important to him, but you wouldn't want to put both of you in danger, right?"

"Don't make me sound like a monster. I'm a patient," Mingi retorted.

The low and dangerous voice didn't faze San. "Then are you going to explain to him how you forget most of the things that happen at night because of the medications you need to take?"

"No," answered Mingi. Then, with more confidence, he added, "I'm just not going to take them."

The boldness of that statement stunned San momentarily. "You-you know you can't do that."

Mingi turned himself so he was fully facing San now. "No, I don't, actually. I listened to you and stopped seeing Yunho, but nothing has happened. It killed me to leave him alone without an explanation, and I'm not doing it again. I'm done listening to you."

San's heart clenched in pain, but the sensation was barely noticeable under the panic. He could tell that Mingi's patience was running low; he had to say something.

"But-"

"But what?" Mingi blurted, the sharp end of the 't' bouncing off the walls of the flat. "I know what you're going to say, so unless you have something else to tell me, I'm going to leave."

"I-" San stuttered. He did have something to say, but he didn't know how to say it; his tongue was tied with panic and distress.

Meanwhile, Mingi was struggling to withstand the flood of emotions. "I really need this, San," he said, almost choking on the words with the heavy feelings trying to flow up his throat. "And I know you know."

The desperation in Mingi's glistening eyes and the sentiment in his soft voice made up San's mind.

"Can you at least tell me where you're going?"

"Yunho's place. He lives nearby," replied Mingi as he opened the door.

As he watched, San thought about the dead stray cats he saw in the alley last night and added hastily, "And be careful!"

The door clicked shut behind Mingi. He felt heavy from the conversation, but the notion that he was going to see Yunho soon lifted his mood.

Mingi's heart pounded harder the closer he got to his destination. By the time he was standing at the door, his ribcage was rattling with the type of breathtaking anticipation you had right before going on a rollercoaster.

Inside, Yunho jumped off the couch as soon as he heard the knocks. He brushed his bangs a final time and pulled open the door, revealing the goofy smile on Mingi's face.

Yunho's lips curled up naturally in response. "Come in."

A savory aroma wafted up Mingi's nose the moment he stepped in. That turned up his appetite up a notch even though he was used to having dinner later at night. "What are you making?"

"Sundubu jjigae," Yunho replied as he disappeared into the kitchen to make tea.

Before following, Mingi took a peek at the living room. It was just the perfect size for a cozy atmosphere, with a small gray couch - designed for two people but could just fit a third person - on one side of the room and a wall-mounted TV on the opposite end. The handwoven gray and white rug in the middle complemented the shadow colored shelf under the TV, looking so soft Mingi almost wanted to step on it.