Hospital Worries and Haeun's Burning Frustration
"Why don't we just take him back to our dorm and let him sleep it off?"
"Gasp."
I opened my eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling. A clean, white one, neatly arranged. I glanced sideways and saw white curtains too.
"Wh-what... where am I...?"
"You're awake!?"
A familiar voice rang out at mine.
"Noona...?"
"Yeah, yeah! How are you feeling?"
Shin Soye was looking down at me, on the verge of tears.
"O-oppa... are you okay...?"
Park Minji was sniffling beside her.
"Uh... yeah, I'm fine. Where are we?"
"Don't worry, it's the hospital."
I turned toward the grumbling voice and saw Im Haeun. She was glaring down at me with her arms crossed, looking pissed. Her eyes seemed oddly red.
"You idiotic, stu... argh! You dumbass, if you're tired, just say so! Why push yourself until you pass out without a word?!"
"No, it's..."
Waking up to nagging out of worry was throwing me off.
"Pardon the intrusion~"
Then an unfamiliar voice cut in. She looked like a nurse from her uniform.
"How are you feeling, sir~?"
"Uh, yeah, fine..."
"Everyone, please step out so we can examine the patient~"
"Can't I stay?"
"We'll be done quick and call you right back~"
"Still..."
"The nurse said to go, come on Minji."
"Hiiing."
"Can't at least one of us stay?"
"Well..."
"Unnie, get out already!"
My surroundings turned chaotic in seconds.
It's a total mess.
I couldn't get a word in and just lay there quietly.
The nurse did a quick check and soon called in the doctor. He examined me fast too and declared nothing wrong. Of course there wasn't—the Hypnosis App had only knocked me out for exactly an hour.
"Damn punk... I told you to manage your stamina."
Nam Bu-jang showed up once the diagnosis was done.
"What happened? I know you fell asleep in the car..."
"Dude, you totally passed out, so Im Haeun freaked, called an ambulance, notified the company, total panic."
I hadn't sent that last message about sleeping an hour, and this was the result.
"So Soye and Minji rushed here too... Man, I thought it was something huge and came running, but it was just overwork collapse."
Isn't collapsing from overwork a big deal?
"I said you'd wake up after a short nap, doc said it'd be fine, but the girls lost it... Whew, wore me out calming them, you punk."
"Sorry."
"Anyway, how's the body? No pain?"
"Yeah... I'm good. Just tired, fell asleep."
"Manage that stamina for real. Higher-ups are pushing you and The Queens more—strike while the iron's hot."
"For real?"
He nodded slightly.
"Don't blab. Nothing official yet."
"Got it."
"Sigh, I'm off then. Calm the girls when they come back, send 'em to the dorm. Haeun even cried, so soothe her extra."
"...Im Haeun cried?"
"Yeah, kid. Seeing everyone care means you're lucky with people."
He left after that.
Im Haeun cried...? For real?
Come to think of it, her eyes were red when I woke up.
"Whew..."
I sighed at the mess I'd caused.
Hoisted by my own petard.
Soye and Haeun must've been shocked seeing me collapse. My little plan to avoid hurting feelings had backfired.
"Gotta be more careful."
First month, no memory after use, so I'd held back. Lately, memory stayed, so I'd used it sparingly for help. But now, even more caution.
Still, slept deep—feeling great.
Anesthesia naps were refreshing; this was it. No need to stay.
Call the nurse for discharge.
Searching for the call button, I heard Im Haeun outside.
"You okay now?"
"Yeah."
"Head? Hurt a lot?"
"Fine."
"Anywhere else hurt?"
"Nope. ...Yeah, fine. Fit as a fiddle."
I raised both hands to show I was good; her question barrage ended.
"Sigh, alright... whatever, as long as you're fine."
"Uh..."
"What? Why that reaction? Oh, looking for unnie? She's talking to the doc. Minji's at the convenience store."
"Okay..."
"You sure you're fine? You look off."
"I'm really good. Just... surprised you're worried about me."
I figured she'd snap worried? In your dreams.
"Can't I be?"
"...Huh?"
Her unexpected reply shut me up.
"I got some shame... I'm sorry, okay."
"Why you?"
"Cuz... I dragged a tired guy and made him collapse."
It was my mistake, not yours. Guilt rising in her.
"If you're not feeling good, say so—why keep going till you drop without a word? Pointlessly..."
She started nagging, then trailed off, turning away and mumbling.
"...Idiot."
Her voice was weak, eyes droopy unlike her usual sharpness. Words harsh, but showed her sorry, worried heart.
"........."
"........."
Silence fell. Not with Soye or Minji, but Haeun—this felt awkward. Couldn't take it.
To lighten the mood, I poked her side.
Poke.
"Eek!? Hey, wh-what the sudden poke?!"
"This bro's touched. Our Im Haeun growing up..."
"What? Bro? What the fu... argh, bro my ass!"
"From constant cursing and attitude, to feeling sorry for collapsing cuz of her—huge progress."
"I didn't curse!"
"You held back. Spitting 'shit' or 'fuckin' counts plenty."
I sat up after.
"Hey, what... up right away? Lie back."
"I'm good. No pain. Slept off the fatigue. Hospital beds are top-notch?"
"No showing off."
"For real. Sleeping home or here, same deal—staying just costs more."
"Worried about bills? Company covers it. We got insurance, right?"
"I'm really fine."
I grinned, patted her head.
"Seriously fine, no more worry."
Pet pet. Stroked with genuine thanks. Training showed she liked head pats.
Her face flushed softly. Mischief rose; I scratched her chin with my other hand.
She reflexively jutted it out.
"Hah?"
She froze, scowled.
"Uwushu, so cute~"
"Y-you... even now, treating me like that..."
Her face reddened more. I stopped, got out of bed.
She grumbled but stuck right by me.
"Hm? What?"
"Just in case you're weak, lean on me..."
"I'm fine. No need."
One more head pat.
"Y-you again..."
"Not joking. Real thanks."
"........."
"Embarrassed? By the petting?"
"G-get your hand off!"
"Kukuku... alright, let's go."
"...Fine."
She huffed, turned away. But stayed glued to my side.
I teased her as we left the room.
"Why don't we just take him back to our dorm and let him sleep it off?"
After talking Shin Soye out of her crazy idea and sending me off in a taxi home, The Queens returned to the dorm. Shocked by the sudden event, they were beat and scattered to their rooms.
"........."
But Im Haeun didn't go in right away. She grabbed a water bottle from the living room fridge and chugged it there.
"Ha, fuck..."
She cursed, trying to cool the heat in her body with one bottle. But it wouldn't subside.
"Just... over that..."
When I'd petted her head and scratched her chin, she'd felt it.
"What the... not some horny middle-schooler, fuck..."
She stripped, tossed her panties in the hamper. They were damp with her juices.
"Driving me crazy..."
A week ignored, masturbating thinking of him, imagining wildly what the three did after Soye's weekend call... She was already pent up.
And head pats, chin scratches—exactly his training moves that got her going.
"Damn, gotta hold back."
But I'd collapsed from overwork? No begging for it awhile.
That thought—no play soon—made her body itch more.
"Haa..."
How much longer? No clue. At least another week.
"Ahh, damn, damn."
One last curse, and Im Haeun headed to the bathroom for a shower.