Let Me Out | SEUNGIN - Stray Kids

Chapter 9 - A Smile on My Face

Jeongin pov:

Day 28

Welp, it's almost a month. Time flies when you are thinking of sneaking sunflowers into a certain somebody's room. And tell me about it. I should decorate a shirt with 'Sunflowers are my life' and wear it every time I see him. (I haven't done that but it would be really funny.) And as much as I wanted to get close to him, it was also really fun to tease him and get him all worked up like that.

Not exactly worked up because that man is one hell of a calm person. Or to be put simply, he looked calm. The only time he showed emotion except scowling at me over the weeks was the time I gave him the book. He really loved the book to the point he kept reading like five or six times. Rereading, you know?

And about the sunflower sneaking . . . I asked the nurses to give him a new bouquet whenever they had to go into his room for his daily meals. I couldn't get him to open the door anymore just because I had hit him the last time. Okay, that's only when I said that I don't have a bouquet in my hands. He didn't trust me anymore after that incident. I mean, was it that bad? But when I gave him a book along with the bouquet, he seemed to be fine with it. (More like I had to announce that I had a book with me but this works, too, I guess.) I had been testing the theory a bit. I guess I am making some real progress now.

I was also giving him new books to read. I had already given him like three books in this week. I was literally bribing him. Don't blame me. That's because he showed emotions only when he's reading a book. And maybe when he saw that he had again received those 'those-goddamn-happy-flowers' (as he said). But that was scowling so it wasn't as successful as giving him books. I wonder what grudge he had against the innocent flowers to scowl every time he saw them.

As I said, he had been opening the door only when I said that I had a book with me. Other than that, no matter how much I begged, he would not open the damn door. I had not tried to get into his room with force like the last time again. I had learnt my lesson. (And I definitely did not want to learn it again, thank you very much.) I mean, he was so mad that he was even breathing heavily the last time I did. I believed it's better to not piss him off again.

And then there's the most important part. The treatment. I had absolutely no idea on that. At that moment, the only thing I had in my mind was to just be friends with him first. All because he was so lonely and I honestly thought I should start that only when I get close to him. And subtly as well, he seemed to have some paranoia when it comes down to doctors. It was also because I had heard some extremely good news from the other doctors that he defensed himself with . . . books everytime they tried to treat him. Medicine, it was okay but talking with him without tying him up? That doctor could be said to be lucky if he lasted ten seconds while talking with the infamous Kim Seungmin. He would thrash around. We're talking for more than ten seconds but that did not count. At all. And for some odd reason, he didn't seem to remember that I was one of those doctors he hated so much.

I couldn't keep the smile off my face as I stared at the sunflower bouquet in my hands. Cannot stop including this little tradition we had formed over the weeks. Although this time I included a few purple hyacinths and a few pink roses. Even if purple hyacinths mean forgiveness, I wasn't exactly asking for his forgiveness. I just thought it would be a nice change from the usual yellow and pink. I brought a new book along as well. A romance book. He would like it.

"Hyung? I'm here!" I singsonged. "And I have a book for you!"

He opened the door readily (still not letting me in, sadly and I'm definitely not planning to make him furious anymore. I had said that, I believe.) with an interested glint in his eyes. But when he saw the flowers in my hands, he groaned in annoyance. Know what I mean about him hating those beautiful, innocent flowers?