Can We Start Again 8: Subtitle - First Choice
Wonwoo, who barely managed to escape from Mingyu and got on the elevator, hugged his stomach, which had been aching for a while, and gasped to calm his pounding heart. “Byeol-ah, I’m sorry, please bear with it a little longer, okay?” Wonwoo’s words were meaningless as the pain grew worse. He bit his lip as the elevator felt especially slow today and leaned against the wall, trying to ease the pain. When the elevator stopped, Wonwoo got out and walked to the entrance. When he saw Junhui waiting against the car, his legs gave out and he collapsed. Startled, Junhui ran over and tried to help him up, but Wonwoo couldn’t get up and could only groan.
"Ha...Jun, Hwi..."
"Wonwoo, where does it hurt? Huh?"
"My stomach, my stomach hurts..."
"Your stomach hurts? Since when?"
"Ugh... I don't know... I don't know..."
"Wonwoo, Jeon Wonwoo!!"
Jun-hwi, who was flustered by Won-woo's collapse while talking, quickly picked him up and put him in the backseat before getting in the car himself. Jun-hwi hurried to the emergency room of the hospital Won-woo had been going to, grabbed a passing nurse, and explained Won-woo's condition in a rambling manner. The nurse, seeing Jun-hwi's desperate expression and Won-woo's face contorted in pain in his arms, quickly contacted a doctor and took them to a bed in the emergency room. The doctor came soon after and examined Won-woo. The doctor, who seemed to know Won-woo well, made a face.
"I told you to be careful because you are sensitive."
"Why did you let it get to this point?" Jun-hwi frowned at the doctor's words as he injected nutritional supplements and painkillers into the IV. From his perspective, not knowing what had happened to Won-woo or what his current state of mind was only made him more frustrated. Jun-hwi unconsciously clenched his fists when the doctor said the collapse was due to mild malnutrition and stress. In the over ten years he'd been taking care of Won-woo since middle school, he'd had plenty of minor ailments, but never a single collapse. Confused by the doctor's suggestion that a little longer could have resulted in a miscarriage, Jun-hwi listened to the doctor's instructions, pulled out a cot, and lay down. After sorting out his complicated thoughts, he lay down and fell asleep.
* * *
Wonwoo woke up about two hours later. He blinked slowly, as if he couldn't grasp the situation. A sudden thought struck him, and he was overcome with fear. "A hospital? My stomach hurt earlier—Byeol, our baby. Could it be... No way?" Wonwoo frantically tried to get up and leave, oblivious to the needle sticking into his body. The commotion nearby woke Junhwi, who hugged him and stopped him.
"Wonwoo, are you okay? Okay?"
"Jun-hwi... Byeol..."
"Nothing's wrong. Byeol-i is fine...calm down."
Wonwoo continued to touch his stomach anxiously, and Junhwi held him, soothing him before pressing the call button. Wonwoo was gripped by anxiety until the doctor arrived a little later and began the ultrasound. However, seeing the baby and its heartbeat on the ultrasound image finally brought relief, and Wonwoo squeezed Junhwi's hand tightly. Malnutrition and stress. Even if the malnutrition was due to morning sickness and a recent inability to eat well, the stress was likely due to Mingyu. Even before he collapsed, he had had a seemingly insignificant argument with Mingyu. Wonwoo's expression darkened as he thought about that. Junhwi, seeing Wonwoo's expression, seemed to realize the reason, and his expression hardened for a moment before relaxing. Wonwoo agreed to the doctor's recommendation of a day or two of hospitalization, and Junhwi went to check in on him. Wonwoo, who had been listening to the doctor's further instructions, suddenly began to hold his stomach, startling the doctor. "Why, are you in pain again?" he asked.
"No, I'm just...a little anxious..."
"It's okay, there's nothing wrong with the child. But you shouldn't stress him out anymore, he's sensitive."
"It's a miracle you didn't miscarry, considering your condition," Wonwoo said, chuckling bitterly at the doctor's joke. A moment later, he went into the locker room to change into the patient gown the nurse had brought. After changing, he cradled his still-unseen belly. "Byeol-ah, Mommy, I won't cry anymore. It won't hurt," Wonwoo muttered, his resolve firm for the first time. To protect the child who had come to him.
* * *
When Jun-hwi finished registering and went up to the hospital room, Won-woo had already changed his clothes and was putting the needle back in. Won-woo's expression looked somewhat relieved. "Are you okay?" Jun-hwi asked, stroking Won-woo's hair, and Won-woo smiled. Jun-hwi then took Won-woo's hand and sat down next to him. After checking Won-woo's condition, he picked up his phone and made a call, and Won-woo's eyes widened. Won-woo quickly snatched the phone away, but his eyes wavered. Jun-hwi asked, "What's wrong?"
"...Don't tell Taehyung and Jungkook..."
"Why? You collapsed. Even if Jungkook doesn't know, I know you're pregnant..."
"Really, this is the last time. Really...keeping it a secret like this, Min-gyu...ah..."
Wonwoo covered his mouth in a hurry at the sound of Mingyu's name, which came out without his knowledge, then groaned and touched his wrist. Junhwi quickly grabbed Wonwoo's wrist when he saw a faint bruise through the slightly loose hospital gown. J...Junhwi,
"I'm sick..."
"This...is this what Min-gyu is like?"
"...no."
"Then, why did Mingyu's name come up earlier..? You were avoiding my eyes.. No way... was it because of Mingyu that you collapsed?"
Wonwoo, who had been keeping his mouth shut, finally explained what had happened in front of his house after Junhwi's constant questioning and persuasion. Junhwi, who had been listening intently, tried to suppress his anger when Wonwoo finished speaking.
"Then, you won't tell anyone?"
"...huh.."
"I'll listen to you this time. But if something like this happens again..."
"Next time this won't happen. If it does, I'll definitely tell you."
"Really,"
"Yeah..." Jun-hwi, after hearing Won-woo's answer, tilted the bed back so he could lie down. Won-woo, whose eyes were trembling with anxiety, finally fell asleep after receiving confirmation that he wouldn't speak to anyone else. Jun-hwi, his mind racing, picked up his phone and left a text message.
- Room 717, Hospital ㅇㅇ. Come when you wake up in the morning.
* * *
Hehe... It's been so long... I'm sorry...
Subtitle... I didn't know what to do, so I just did that.
Who was the last person Jun-hwi left a text message to?
Serialization of more than 10 comments
The next episode will unfold from Min-gyu's perspective!