it was only junhui's third day in the lake house, yet he was having an absolute blast! it was only about seven pm when he and the other patients and doctors were having dinner. everyone but minghao.
unfortunately, due to his lack of social interaction, he wasn't allowed to eat with everyone else as it might only worsen his current state. or at least, that's what the three doctor's beside doctor park feared for. however, even with his absence junhui found himself enjoying dinner pretty much.
as doc did not feel like cooking, he had send another adult out to get pizza's. the valley was too abandoned for any delivery service to personally bring them food, so they had to do it this way.
junhui noticed the absence of both the female doctor, whose name he hardly remembered, as well as another male doctor whose name he remembered as roger. a foreign man from around doc's age, who apparently came from europe. junhui assumed they were in minghao's room, since they usually ate dinner all together.
"so if i eat this whole pizza slice at once? do i get an hour more time on my phone tomorrow?" taemin's eyes sparked defiance as the boy held up a pizza slice. even when he was a year older than junhui, his behavior was as childish as ever. but it somehow managed to entertain everyone around the occupied table. even doc seemed fond of it.
"half an hour, young man! don't take it too far!" doctor park warned him, before he gave approval.
"as if. just because you're gay doesn't mean you're able to slide that whole thing down your throat!" wheein sassily spoke, hitting the boy next to him on his back just when he was about to force his pizza slice inside. even when it was just average sized, she might have a point after all.
"and just because you're gay, doesn't mean you're able to ever find a girlfriend!" taemin defensively spat back, giving her an annoyed glare as he continued staring at the size of his pizza.
"well excuse you, but my girlfriend waits for me back at home!" the blonde haired girl flipped her hair before she continued munching on her own piece of pizza.
"go for it man! i don't think you're able to do it!" even the calm yanan, who sat next to junhui, mixed in with this extraordinary conversation. which junhui had gotten used to over the span of three days.
"i bet my mans junhui is the only one who believes in me!" taemin threw a hopeful glance over at junhui, who was only able to laugh in return.
"i want to see this one!" junhui encouraged him as he watched taemin successfully shoving the entire slice of pizza inside his mouth. he let out a muffled sound once his cheeks were entirely puffed by the crust, meaning he succeeded in doing the challenge.
"well good job taemin, i see you're getting over your troubles with eating as well! you know what, just because i'm so proud of you you're allowed an hour extra on your phone tomorrow. but on one condition! i want you to eat your last slice as well." the fatherly figure, who sat on the other side of junhui, said to taemin who was visibly delighted by the price he earned.
"i will, i will." his words were barely even recognizable as his mouth was still stuffed with the pizza slice.
soon enough, cozy chattering took over the atmosphere once again. a perfect moment for junhui to ask the question he had been dying to ask all evening. "say, doc. why is it minghao isn't allowed to eat with us?"
"haven't you asked that exact same question last night?" the other male doctor, who sat on the opposite side of doctor park, interrupted them. he had been silently reading the new paper all dinner and only just mixed in with their conversation with visible traces of annoyance present on his face.
"dohan, please calm down. let the boy ask his question." doc calmed the male in front of him, whose name supposedly was dohan, before he focussed on the curious boy beside him. "i personally would love to have him downstairs junhui, i totally would. but as you might've noticed, minghao isn't the most skillful person when it comes to social contact."
junhui nodded understanding when the doctor took a small break. "therefore we usually let him eat upstairs accompanied by one or two doctors who try to get him to speak."
"isn't it an idea to stop forcing the boy into talking?" junhui proposed, which instantly caught dohan's attention, who certainly wasn't fond of junhui making his own strategy like that.
"as far as i can remember we're certificated doctors? might mind your own business young man!" the man scolded him, annoyance audible in his voice.
"dohan please. act like your age." doc interrupted the male in front of him yet again, before he was able to insult junhui again. "i think he might have a very good point after all. seeing minghao hasn't exactly spoken voluntarily to anyone beside junhui ever since he came here."
"i still don't see why he shouldn't be able to talk to us then? can't we use junhui as a way to get him to speak or something?" dohan proposed, mischievously grinning at junhui who visibly seemed to have a strong sense of aversion towards the doctor.
"with all due respect, but i refuse." junhui calmly replied, not letting the still unfamiliar doctor get on his nerves. "i want minghao to talk to me naturally. isn't it humane to build up something on trust instead of having to force something out?"
"i absolutely agree with junhui, don't you think dohan?" doc patted junhui on his shoulder as he defiantly looked at the doctor, who continued to gaze down at his newspaper.
"it's not like he's curable anyways." he shrugged before he went on with ignoring the occupants around the table.
"say junhui. you also don't think that's true, do you?" junhui determined shook his head, taking a generous bite of his pizza. there had to be a cure for minghao. a way for him to open up and talk about everything that's been bothering him. "i definitely know he'll be able to cure!"
if both doc and junhui only knew about the improvement minghao had made over the past days.
