The Odd Doctor Out | A Drama | S. 3

424 🩺 It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas...

Sitting on his office chair, Hongjoong smirked fondly as he watched Wooyoung pull out the plastic storage tub under his bed and struggle to take the lid off of it.

'Do you want some help?' he asked, biting into his lip as he watched the blonde run his hands all the way around the top of the tub looking for the clasp.

'No! You sit down, and I'll do it!' Finding the latch, he flicked one side off, struggling with the other, until with a small agitated whine, he managed to undo it, too. 'See?! Didn't need your help at all.'

Hongjoong smirked to himself, giving him a soft applaud and nod as if to say yes, I see that. Good job.

Fondly, he watched as Wooyoung crawled up onto his bed beside the tub and began picking through its contents...

Christmas contents.

'Aww... Joong-ah. Do you remember making these?' Wooyoung held up three paper Christmas ornaments, two stars and an angel that they had made in primary school many years ago. They had since been laminated to preserve them, and the terrible, yet nostalgic drawings shone through perfectly.

He snorted. 'I still can't believe my teacher let me spend that afternoon in you and Sang's class instead of mine.'

Wooyoung's smokily made up eyes rolled, his dark lashes accentuating it. 'I can. It was the last day of school before holidays and it wasn't like they were going to be actually teaching anything. Most people didn't even go to school that day.'

'Fair enough,' he replied, shrugging.

Taking a deep breath, Hongjoong climbed up onto the bed beside him and began sifting through the tub. 'Do you want to wait for Sang to put up the tree?'

Wooyoung suddenly froze, turning his unimpressed sleek eyes on him. 'What sort of a question is that?' he said flatly.

It made him laugh. 'Well I thought maybe you might want to surprise him when he got home from work tonight.'

'Of course I do. But that's why I'm decorating his room. We always put the tree up together. All of us...'

His small pout and sparkling eyes made his heart flutter warmly. 'Sang said your parents are coming over one of these nights coming. Did you want to do it then?'

Wooyoung's lips pulled into a wonderfully sweet smile as he nodded. But there was something off with his smile. It was like he was happy, but there was something else heavier weighing down upon him...

One might have thought it was because his first appointment with the therapist was coming...

But Hongjoong knew better...

'I made sure I have Friday off,' he said gently...

And Wooyoung looked up, suddenly incredibly timid... 'Thank you... Hyung...'

'Yeosang took our clothes to the cleaners too, so you wouldn't have to...'

He watched as Wooyoung nodded solemnly, before glancing out the window to where it was quite overcast, and a soft snow sprinkling from the sky.. His gaze was wistful and heartfelt...

And it speared Hongjoong through the heart.

Scooting across to him, he reached out and took Wooyoung's shoulders in his hands, distracting him and drawing his gaze to himself. And as he gently pressed their foreheads together, he heard the blonde's soft outtake of breath - relieved, and calmer.

'Hyung...' Wooyoung whispered, reaching out and putting soft hands on the tops of his thighs, gently taking the hem of his shirt in his fingers and holding on. 'Do you think that if my parents could see me now, they would be ashamed?' he asked softly.

His heart shattered. 'No. No, honey, no- god, Wooyoung both of your parents, are proud of you. Mrs and Mr Kang are so incredibly happy, and love telling everyone about how kind and smart their boys are. And Woo, even if we can't see them, your parents, are proud of the man you have become.'

Gently reaching out, he flattened his hand over Wooyoung's chest, right over his heart, and let his palm meld against the fabric over his skin. 'You can feel it here, Woo. You have done so many wonderful things-'

'But I've also done so many horrific, shameful things...'

He shook his head against him confidently. 'No, Woo. You have the kindest, purest heart. I truly, honestly believe, that if your parents and grandparents materialised before us, and you got to ask them this very question yourself, I really, deeply believe, that they would cry, telling you over and over again, that they are proud. You have done so much good, Wooyoung. So much. I promise you, they are so proud of you.'

Sniffing, Wooyoung glanced down, taking a shaky breath, before suddenly, he crawled closer, putting himself in his lap, and in his arms, resting into his chest and letting his tears fall softly. 'Thank you, Hyung...' he whispered.

And Hongjoong melted. 'I'm sorry I can't bring them back, Woo. I would if I could.'

'I know...~'

Hugging, and finding safety in one another's arms, it was in that moment that Hongjoong realised how relieved he was that he hadn't gone back to work full time like he'd been considering. He had always felt so much farther away from where he needed to be, and now that he was here... at home, with his family...

He didn't want to leave.

Especially when in only two sleeps, like every year, their family would wake up solemnly, him and Yeosang would put on their blacks with Wooyoung in his grieving white... They would head to the botanical gardens where they would pick flowers, to the temple to give thanks and respects, and the columbarium, where they would visit the people who had a distinct invisible, yet spiritual presence in their lives...

Wooyoung's bereaved family.

It would be the anniversary of his parents' deaths, and thus, the saddest time of year for their little family.

Hongjoong suddenly felt guilty that he had considered going back to work, when it was such a hard time, as it was...

'Hyung,' Wooyoung whispered, sniffing, before sitting up, wiping his eyes a little, and then gently rubbing his hands over his chest.

'Mmm?'

'I think I'm going to ask San to come with me... On Friday...'

His heart melted. 'I think he'd love to come, Woo. I'm sure your parents would love to see him again.'

Wooyoung's lips pulled into a small, pained smile as he sniffed. 'I think so too~.'

Very smally, he reached up to wipe the smudged mascara from his eye, before he took a brave breath and leaned forward to search through the tub.

One moment, later, Hongjoong found himself sitting with a piece of pink tinsel around his neck, scratching at his skin as Wooyoung giggled.

'Now all you need is a star on your head, and you can be the tree,' he giggled.

And Hongjoong's heart melted as he laughed. 'I thought you were waiting for Sang?' he chuckled.

And Wooyoung's solemnly happy smile was everything.

'Oops. I guess I'll just have to decorate you again when he gets home~.'

And if it made him smile like this...

Hongjoong was sure he'd let him.

~~~