⋆.˚ ᡣ𐭩 𝐔NKoWN .𖥔˚ dream x wayv ˎˊ˗
CHaPTER SiXTEEN

DUCK 🦆

MINAH:
DID YOU HAVE FUN YOMI

KIYOMI:
i did :D
we went to brunch and then one a walk around the river
jungwoo did get called to the hospital for an emergency
and then we got ice cream to finish it before parting ways

KIYOMI:
jungwoo did get called to the hospital for an emergency
⮕ YANGYANG:
could be me soon
frfr

HENDERY:
if you get off that damn phone and acc pay attention in your classes
then maybe

YANGYANG:
yea we both know that's not gonna happen

KOKA

KOKA:
la la la la la

TOTO:
the fuck do you want

KOKA:
i wanna see them again

TOTO:
who's them

KOKA:
OUR SIBLINGS??
THE ONES WE HAVENT SEEN SINCE 8TH FUCKING GRADE???

TOTO:
OH THAT THEM

KOKA:
HELLO??
okay so like we should totally meet up all four of us again

TOTO:
i don't think the other two would be too comfortable w that

KOKA:
we're their siblings
quads

TOTO:
it's been a while
you can force connections like that

KOKA:
i'm not forcing connections they're our siblings
i was fucking devastated when i was all the way in paris dancing my ass off without any of my siblings communicating with me

KOKA:
i got you back literally only two years ago
that's not a lot of time
now i have key and zuki and i'm not letting them go kento

TOTO:
fine if you insist
but just know you're going to get another awk interaction

KOKA:
i'll take my chances

KOKA:
i need their numbers
i can't be texting them on instagram like this
it's giving fan behavior

TOTO:
💀

KENTO SET HIS PHONE DOWN WIRH A SOFT TURNED AROUND, only to be met with the sight of xiaoli, sound asleep on his bed. she was curled up, her long dark hair spilling over her face, a stark contrast to the usual chaos she carried with her during waking hours. for a brief moment, he felt an odd pull to brush the strands of hair away, to see her face clearly, but he resisted. that wasn't their dynamic-no need to add any sentimentality to what had long been a transactional arrangement.

he hated to call it that, but it was the truth.

their arrangement, as he thought of it, had started two years ago-an event neither of them would likely ever forget. it was christmas eve, and kohana had hosted a party at her apartment. everyone had gotten so drunk that night, kento and xiaoli included. at some point in the chaos, they had ended up in bed together. it should have been a one-off mistake, a memory fading with the hangover. but for reasons neither of them fully understood, they had kept it going. xiaoli was hopelessly in love with someone else-mark-but she had more than enough unspent sexual energy to channel somewhere. kento... well, he didn't exactly remember what had possessed him to go along with it in the first place.

they'd developed a routine over the last two years. a quick, no-strings-attached text to check in, a plan made with minimal effort. most of the time, it was at kento's apartment-because, frankly, xiaoli was his sister's roommate, and he liked keeping things private. but there were times when they switched it up, when kohana was busy with work at the dance school, which was the case today.

kento carefully got out of bed, making sure not to wake xiaoli. her breathing was deep and steady, and he didn't want to disrupt the fragile silence between them. he gathered his scattered clothes from the floor, dressing quickly, and then paused for a moment, looking back at her. she looked so peaceful.

with one last glance, he grabbed his bag and slipped out of the room. his footsteps were light on the hardwood floor as he exited the apartment, closing the door behind him with a soft click. the cold air of seoul's winter bit at his skin as he stepped outside, and he welcomed the chill.

his phone buzzed in his pocket, and he fished it out, seeing jungwoo's name flash across the screen.

"hey, what's up?" kento answered, his voice still edged with sleep.

"hey, boss," jungwoo's voice came through, sounding unusually strained. "i'm at the hospital right now. they need me to monitor a patient overnight, and i'm the only one available, so i won't be able to make it tonight."

kento sighed, his breath coming out in a puff of mist. "don't worry about it," he said. "i'll cover for you."

"thanks, kenny," jungwoo replied, and kento could hear the grin in his voice. "you're a lifesaver."

kento rolled his eyes, even though he knew jungwoo couldn't see it. "yeah, yeah, whatever. go have fun with the dead or whatever. see you later."

"later, boss."

kento hung up, tucking his phone back into his pocket. he looked around the nearly empty street, feeling that familiar sense of detachment settling over him again. his life wasn't complicated. at least, it didn't have to be.

KAZUKI WAS IN THE HOSPITAL. again.

it had only been three weeks since his last visit, but here he was, lying in a sterile bed with a heart monitor attached to his chest. his arrhythmia, a condition that caused his heart to beat irregularly and sometimes dangerously fast or slow, had flared up once more. the episodes had been coming more frequently, leaving him weak and vulnerable. he never knew when the next attack would strike, but he was all too familiar with the process: a sudden surge of exhaustion, dizziness, and then, often, the fainting spells. this time, it had happened while he was cooking dinner.

the incident that led to his hospitalization was both simple and terrifying. kazuki had been preparing his and yibo's usual comfort meal-something light, yet satisfying-when he felt the telltale signs of a looming arrhythmic episode: his heart skipping, his head growing dizzy. he tried to push through it, knowing how to manage the early symptoms, but his vision blurred, and his body grew heavier with each passing second. by the time the boiling water for his noodles was ready, his legs gave out beneath him. the last thing he remembered was collapsing to the floor in front of the stove, the sound of the pot hitting the ground, and then everything went dark. when he came to, he was in an ambulance, the blaring sirens a harsh reminder of how quickly things could turn.

now, in the hospital, kazuki was left to face yet another round of tests, while his mind drifted to the thought of whether this was just another symptom of a condition he couldn't control-or if something else was going on.

"back so soon?" a voice asked, snapping kazuki out of the fog that had settled over his mind.

he blinked, still disoriented, the recent memory of fainting hovering at the edges of his thoughts, fading slowly into the background. his mind was sluggish, thick with confusion, as he tried to focus. when he looked up, standing beside his bed was jungwoo, clipboard in hand, his gaze focused as he moved toward kazuki, checking his vitals with practiced ease.

"nice seeing you too, jungwoo," kazuki mumbled, his voice still faint and weak, as though it didn't quite belong to him yet.

jungwoo smirked, though there was a trace of humor in his eyes. "wish i could say the same," he muttered, already moving through his routine, adjusting machines and jotting down notes, his movements precise and automatic.

kazuki swallowed, the weight of the past few hours still pressing down on him. "sorry i made you stay past your shift," he said quietly, a flash of guilt crossing his features as he glanced up at jungwoo.

jungwoo waved off the apology with a dismissive flick of his wrist. "nah, don't worry about it," he replied, offering a small, almost teasing smile. "just an excuse to see my favorite patient."

kazuki let out a soft scoff, though the corners of his mouth twitched upward. "you probably say that to all your patients."

jungwoo raised an eyebrow, finishing his checks before glancing back at kazuki, his smile turning playful. "i don't see the others as much as i see you," he said, his voice warm with a hint of something more than just professional cheer.

kazuki's gaze lingered on him for a moment before he shifted his focus, trying to ignore the flutter of unease building in his chest. "do you know if yibo's coming?"

jungwoo gave him a reassuring smile as he scribbled something on his clipboard. "he'll be here soon," he assured, offering a quiet confidence that kazuki appreciated even if it didn't fully settle his nerves. "i'll check in every hour, and hopefully, you'll be up and about by the end of the week."

kazuki nodded absentmindedly, but the knot in his stomach tightened. he hated being here, in the sterile white walls of the hospital, surrounded by the relentless beeping of machines and the smell of antiseptic that clung to everything. it felt suffocating, the air too thick with reminders of his own fragility.

with one last smile, jungwoo slipped out, and kazuki was left in the silence of the room, his mind drifting. it didn't last long, though-just as the door clicked shut, it swung open again, this time with yibo practically bursting in. he moved so quickly that he almost collided with jungwoo in the hallway.

"zuki!" yibo's voice cracked with panic as he rushed over, his expression tight with worry. "oh my god, i was so scared when i got the call." without a second thought, he climbed into the bed, folding kazuki into his arms with an urgency that spoke of too many sleepless nights and too many fears about this exact moment.

"are you okay, baby?" yibo's voice trembled as he held kazuki, his hands running over kazuki's back in a gesture both familiar and desperate.

kazuki didn't answer right away. instead, he let himself lean into yibo, feeling the solid presence of his boyfriend-warm, real, and grounding. for a long moment, he just let himself breathe in the comfort of yibo's embrace, not trusting himself to speak. if he did, he knew the dam would break. the tears he'd been holding back would come flooding out, and he wasn't ready to face that yet.

his chest tightened as guilt gnawed at him. he hated himself for this-making yibo worry, making him carry so much. yibo worked tirelessly, his long hours at a job that drained him, all to keep them afloat. meanwhile, kazuki couldn't even hold down a job, couldn't contribute in the ways he wished he could. he felt useless. he felt like a burden. and worst of all, he felt that yibo deserved someone better. someone who could be strong for him, not the other way around.

the soft pressure of yibo's hand rubbing circles on his back jolted him out of his spiraling thoughts. he hadn't even realized the tears had started falling until yibo's gentle touch brought him back to the present, pulling him back from the dark edge of his mind.

"it's okay," yibo whispered, his voice low and soothing. he rocked them both slowly, like he always did when kazuki cried, as though trying to calm not just him but the storm inside kazuki too. "you'll be okay."

kazuki wanted so badly to say the same. to reassure yibo that he was fine, that everything was going to be okay. but the words stuck in his throat, heavy with the weight of everything he couldn't say. because, deep down, he wasn't sure things would be okay. not for him. and not for them.