For a moment, neither of you moved, the silence between you two heavy with anticipation. But as your hand tightened in his, and your breath hitched ever so slightly, Seungcheol knew—he had already crossed the line.

But it didn’t matter. Neither of you could stop now.

The line between responsibility and desire was already blurred, and nothing was going to erase the unspoken understanding that had quietly bloomed between you two.

You didn’t answer right away, but the way you looked at him—those sharp eyes, softened with something vulnerable—spoke louder than words ever could. In that moment, Seungcheol couldn’t help but wonder if you had already known this was coming, if you’d felt it too.

His fingers tightened around yours as you drew a breath, stilling in the tension of the space between you. You took a step closer, and he caught the scent of your perfume, faint but intoxicating. The urgency in the air was undeniable now.

“You’re making this harder,” you whispered, voice shaky but determined.

Seungcheol let out a low chuckle, his breath hitching with the way your bodies were pressed so close, a proximity that had always felt too dangerous but never more so than now. “I didn’t think it was possible for you to make anything harder,” he teased, but even to him, the words sounded different—charged with something deeper.

He watched as your lips parted, then closed again. A moment of hesitation before you lifted your hand, tracing the line of his jaw with the gentleness of someone trying to figure out if they could truly trust their instincts. Seungcheol’s heart raced. He wanted to close the gap, to bridge that space between you that was driving him wild, but he needed to know—was this just a fleeting, heat-of-the-moment thing for you, or something more?

You leaned in, your breath mingling with his, and for a brief second, it felt like everything else in the world had stopped. Time, responsibility, the hospital—it all disappeared into the silence of the room, leaving just the two of you and the undeniable pull between you.

Then, without warning, your lips brushed against his in the softest, most tentative kiss. It was barely a kiss at all, just a whisper of what could be, a question of if you should. And yet, the moment it happened, everything Seungcheol had convinced himself was simple—casual—was shattered.

You pulled back slightly, your face inches from his, and the vulnerability in your eyes was unmistakable. “Is this what you want, Seungcheol?” you asked, your voice steady but betraying a hint of uncertainty.

It was a question that struck him to his core, pulling him from the fog of desire and forcing him to confront what he hadn’t allowed himself to admit. For the first time, he didn’t know what he was supposed to say.

His heart hammered in his chest as he searched your face for any sign of doubt. There was none. Only raw honesty.

“More than anything,” he said softly, his voice barely above a whisper, but firm in its truth.

The history between Seungcheol and you had always been a delicate balance of professional respect and unspoken attraction. From the first time you crossed paths in the ER, there was something electric in the air. You had been a paramedic for years, someone who knew how to handle high-stress situations with ease, and Seungcheol admired that. His admiration was more than just professional—there was something about your confidence, your no-nonsense attitude, and the way you carried yourself that had caught his attention from day one.

At first, it was subtle. A shared glance across the trauma bay. An exchange of words during a particularly hectic shift. You were both used to the pressure, and there was a mutual understanding between the two of you, an unspoken bond forged in the chaos of saving lives. But there were moments—tiny, almost imperceptible ones—that left Seungcheol questioning whether there was more beneath the surface.

You were never one to flirt openly, but the way you lingered just a little longer after a shift, offering a quiet “goodnight” that seemed more loaded than it should have been, made his mind wander. You were sharp, sarcastic, and a little too perceptive when it came to his moods. But you also knew when to push and when to back off, never crossing a line, never making things awkward. It was this balance—this push and pull—that had always kept him coming back for more, even if he was too stubborn to admit it.

And then came the late-night shifts, when the two of you found yourselves alone in the break room, exchanging tired smiles and quick conversations. There was always a sense of relief when you were around, something that made the weight of the hospital’s intensity just a little easier to carry. It was during those late nights that the line between colleague and something more started to blur.

The first real moment of connection came when you had both worked back-to-back shifts, barely catching a break. It was after a particularly harrowing case, the adrenaline still buzzing in your veins. You had walked into the supply room for a brief respite, and Seungcheol had followed not long after. There, in the quiet of the room, everything shifted. You’d been talking—nothing important, just passing the time—but the way your eyes lingered on his, the way the air thickened between you, made it impossible to ignore the tension that had been building for months.

And then it happened. A touch. A lingering hand on his shoulder that lingered just a little too long. A look that said more than words could. Seungcheol didn’t know who leaned in first—he couldn’t remember—but the kiss that followed was the spark that set it all off. It was gentle at first, hesitant even, but it was enough to send a shock through both of you.

From there, things escalated quickly. The moments that had once been innocent now carried weight. A brush of fingers when you passed in the hallway, shared smiles that lingered a little too long, and quiet conversations that ran deeper than either of you intended. It was an unspoken understanding that neither of you was ready to label, but it was becoming harder to ignore.

Yet, despite the undeniable pull between you, Seungcheol remained distant in his own way. He was a man of control, a surgeon who prided himself on making decisions based on logic, not emotion. But with you, all of that control slipped away. He couldn’t explain why, but every time you were near, he felt a rush of something he couldn’t name. And it terrified him.

But tonight, as he stood in the dimly lit supply room, everything seemed different. The walls he had built around himself had crumbled. The weight of his emotions—those he had been ignoring for so long—was now impossible to deny. And when you stepped closer, when your fingers laced with his, Seungcheol realized he was no longer in control. And for once, he didn’t want to be.

The tension between you and Seungcheol was palpable, the quiet of the supply room almost suffocating as you both moved closer. His lips brushed against yours again, this time with more urgency, as if every second apart was torture. His hands roamed to the small of your back, pulling you against him, and you felt the heat of his body through the thin fabric of your uniforms.

Your fingers tangled in his hair as he deepened the kiss, his lips moving with an intensity that made everything else

Fade away. The world outside the room no longer existed-there was only the two of you, lost in a moment that had been building for so long.

But just as Seungcheol’s hands slid up to the buttons of your uniform, eager to pull you closer, the shrill sound of the pager interrupted the moment.

You both froze, hearts racing, breaths shallow. The pager vibrated loudly in the silence, a reminder of the reality you both couldn’t escape. Seungcheol cursed under his breath, his lips still hovering just inches from yours.

“Are you serious?” he muttered, frustration mixing with the desire that still lingered between you.

You pulled away slightly, your chest rising and falling with the sudden shift from heated passion to the reality of your jobs. “Duty calls’ you said with a wry smile, though your voice betrayed the disappointment you felt.

Seungcheol’s hand hovered on your waist, his fingers still feeling the heat of your skin through the fabric. He pressed his forehead to yours, breathing heavily as he reluctantly reached for his pager. “I swear, the timing is always shit.”

You couldn’t help but laugh softly, despite the frustration that lingered in the air. “You know what they say- emergencies don’t wait for anyone.”

He sighed, his lips brushing yours once more in a fleeting, frustrated kiss before pulling away entirely. “We’ll finish this later” he promised, voice low, heated with both desire and the weight of the moment.

As you both adjusted your clothes, the distance between you now felt unbearable. The lingering tension was still there, but you both knew—this wasn’t the end. Just a temporary pause.

With one last lingering look, you both exited the room, the weight of unspoken promises hanging in the air as you headed back into the chaos of the hospital, your hearts still racing from the fire that had ignited just moments before.

The emergency call came through just as you both started to gather yourselves. It was a code red—a car accident, multiple injuries. No time to waste.

You grabbed your gear, quickly re-adjusting your uniform as Seungcheol did the same. His gaze met yours briefly, the heat still lingering between you, but there was no time for lingering looks now. It was a quick, efficient exchange—silent understanding in the way your bodies moved in sync, both of you already shifting into the role that came naturally: professionals.

“Let’s go,” you said, grabbing your medical bag, and heading out the door. Seungcheol didn’t respond verbally, but his nod was all the confirmation you needed. He was already at the door, prepared to go down to the OR. He had his job, and you had yours. No time for anything else.

You rushed to the ambulance, heart still racing—not from the kiss, but from the adrenaline that surged at the thought of the emergency ahead. You and your partner, another paramedic, got the ambulance rolling as quickly as possible, sirens wailing in the night air.

As the city blurred by, you were all business. Your mind was on the victims, on how fast you could get to them, assess the situation, and stabilize them for transport. Seungcheol, meanwhile, would be preparing for what came after. The surgeries, the repairs. His precision and skill would save lives, just as yours would.

The two of you had done this a million times, but tonight, there was an undercurrent of tension—one that neither of you acknowledged aloud but both knew was there.

You arrived on the scene, quickly springing into action as you assessed the situation. Two cars had collided, one of the drivers unconscious, the other with severe lacerations. You moved with practiced ease, taking charge of the scene and giving clear instructions to your team as you worked. Your hands were steady, heart focused on the task at hand.

But as you helped load the patient into the back of the ambulance, you couldn’t help but think of Seungcheol, down in the OR, prepping for whatever was waiting for him.

You had an unspoken agreement—an arrangement that worked for both of you. No feelings. Just duty. It was easier this way. Neither of you had the time to invest in something more complicated. The hospital, the chaos, the hours—it was all-consuming.

But even in the midst of all the chaos, as the ambulance sped toward the hospital, a part of you couldn’t deny the quiet ache that followed you, even with the steady rhythm of your heartbeat.

By the time you arrived at the ER, Seungcheol was already in motion, a blur of action as he moved to assess the incoming patients. You exchanged a glance as you wheeled the stretcher in, but it was brief, a simple nod—nothing more. The momentary spark was gone, replaced with the cold professionalism both of you had perfected.

You handed off the patient to the team, then turned to leave. The work would continue. And so would your arrangement.

There were no feelings. No time for them. Just the rush of saving lives and the unspoken understanding that, for both of you, that was enough.

In the brightly lit operating room, Seungcheol worked with the precision of a man who had done this a thousand times before. His focus was laser-sharp, hands steady as he maneuvered around fractured ribs and internal bleeding. Across from him, Dr. Yoon Jeonghan, neurosurgeon and one of his closest friends, monitored the patient’s cranial stability with equal care, his deft hands ensuring there was no further trauma to the brain.

The two of them had been through countless surgeries together, often speaking in shorthand, their familiarity making even the most complex procedures feel like a well-rehearsed dance. But tonight, Jeonghan couldn’t help but notice something was off.

“Clamp,” Seungcheol called out, his voice calm, but Jeonghan caught the subtle edge to it.

“Clamp,” the scrub nurse echoed, handing it over.

Jeonghan didn’t say anything at first, focusing on his part of the procedure. But as they worked, he kept glancing at Seungcheol. His friend’s movements were as precise as always, but there was a tension in his shoulders, a tightness in his jaw that Jeonghan couldn’t ignore.

“Something on your mind, Choi?” Jeonghan finally asked during a brief lull in the procedure, his tone light but probing.

“Focus on the patient,” Seungcheol replied without looking up, his voice clipped in a way that told Jeonghan he wasn’t in the mood for conversation.

Jeonghan raised a brow behind his surgical mask, exchanging a quick look with the assisting nurse, who wisely kept her head down. “I am focused on the patient,” he said casually. “But I can also focus on my friend, who looks like he’s about to bite someone’s head off.”

“Retractor,” Seungcheol said, ignoring Jeonghan’s comment entirely.

The nurse handed it over, and Seungcheol continued working in silence, refusing to engage. Jeonghan sighed, but didn’t press further—for now. Instead, he turned his attention back to his own work, carefully monitoring the patient’s neurological status.

They finished the surgery with no complications, closing up the patient and ensuring vitals were stable before stepping away to scrub out.

In the post-op room, as they washed up, Jeonghan glanced over at Seungcheol again. “You know, if you keep bottling whatever’s eating at you, you’re going to implode. And we both know that’s going to be messy.”

Seungcheol dried his hands, shooting Jeonghan a look that was equal parts irritation and amusement. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Right.” Jeonghan leaned against the sink, crossing his arms. “You’ve been tense all night. And don’t tell me it’s just the surgery—this is routine for you. So what’s going on? Trouble with admin? Or…” He paused, tilting his head. “Is this about that paramedic?”

Seungcheol stiffened almost imperceptibly, but it was enough for Jeonghan to catch.

“Ah, I see,” Jeonghan said with a knowing smirk. “You’re really going to pretend there’s nothing going on when you reacted exactly like that?”

Seungcheol shot him a warning glance. “Drop it, Yoon.”

“Fine, fine,” Jeonghan said, holding up his hands in mock surrender. “But you should know, you’re terrible at hiding things when it comes to her. Just saying.”

Seungcheol didn’t respond, grabbing his towel and heading for the door. But as he walked away, Jeonghan couldn’t help but chuckle to himself.

“Whatever it is, Choi,” he called after him, “you might want to figure it out before it eats you alive.”

You were at your locker, slipping into your jacket and zipping it up when Suarez leaned casually against the doorframe, his arms crossed and a knowing smirk plastered on his face. He had that look—the one that always meant he was about to say something annoying but true.

“So,” he started, dragging out the word in that teasing tone that made you roll your eyes before he even got to the point. “How’s your secret rendezvous with Dr. Hot Trauma going?”

Your hands froze mid-motion as you were tying your shoelaces, and your head snapped up to look at him. “What?”

“Don’t ‘what’ me,” Suarez said, grinning wider. “You really thought you could keep that under wraps? Come on, I know you better than that.”

Your stomach flipped, but you kept your expression as neutral as possible. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Sure, sure,” Suarez said, pushing off the doorframe and sauntering into the room. “You just happen to disappear on breaks at the same time as Dr. Choi. And don’t think I haven’t noticed how you come back with that look. You know, like you just saved a life and got your world rocked in the same hour.”

“Suarez,” you warned, but your voice lacked any real bite, which only made him laugh.

“Relax, it’s not like I’m going to blab,” he said, leaning against the lockers beside yours. “But seriously, you’re not as subtle as you think. And before you say it—yes, I know you’re ‘keeping it casual’ and ‘have no time for feelings.’” He made air quotes as he spoke, rolling his eyes dramatically.

You stood up, brushing imaginary dust off your pants to avoid looking at him. “Exactly. It’s nothing serious. We’re both busy. End of story.”

Suarez let out a long, exaggerated sigh. “You’re really going to lie to my face like that?”

“It’s not a lie,” you shot back, glaring at him.

“Okay, fine,” he said, raising his hands in mock surrender. “But just so you know, I’ve seen this movie before. Two overworked, ridiculously attractive people start hooking up because it’s convenient and hot. But then, someone—someone—starts catching feelings.”

“That’s not going to happen,” you said firmly, closing your locker with more force than necessary.

Suarez just shook his head, that stupid smirk never leaving his face. “If you say so. Just don’t come crying to me when you’re standing outside the trauma bay, staring at him like some lovesick puppy.”

You shoved past him with an annoyed huff. “Goodnight, Suarez.”

“Goodnight, lover girl!” he called after you, laughing as you walked away.

You rolled your eyes, but as you headed for the parking lot, his words stuck with you. You didn’t have time for feelings—neither of you did. It was easier this way. That’s what you kept telling yourself, anyway.

Seungcheol sat at his desk in the quiet of the on-call room, the faint hum of the hospital around him as he typed up his post-op report. The surgery had gone well, but his mind wasn’t entirely on the case. It kept drifting—back to the supply room, to the way your lips felt against his, the way your hands pulled him closer like you couldn’t bear to let go.

He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as he stared at the screen. Focus, Choi, he told himself. There was no room for distractions, especially not ones that made his pulse race like a rookie intern’s.

His phone buzzed on the desk, breaking his concentration. He glanced at it, expecting an update on a patient or a scheduling alert. Instead, it was a text from you.

[You: So… about that “we’ll finish this later.”]

He froze, his fingers hovering over the keyboard. The corner of his mouth twitched into a smirk as he stared at the screen. You were nothing if not bold. He leaned back in his chair, rereading the message like it might disappear if he blinked too hard.

His fingers moved almost on their own as he typed back.

[Him: Thought you’d be asleep by now.]

The reply came almost instantly.

[You: Thought you’d know me better by now.]

He chuckled under his breath, shaking his head. Of course, you weren’t the type to let things go unresolved.

[Him: Still at the hospital?]

[You: Parking lot. Unless you’re going to make me wait all night.]

His heart skipped a beat, a rush of anticipation coursing through him. He knew he shouldn’t—he should stay focused, keep things compartmentalized. But the thought of you waiting out there, just for him…

Grabbing his jacket, he stood, stuffing his phone in his pocket as he made his way to the elevator. His report could wait.

As the elevator doors closed, he texted back:

[Him: Don’t move. I’ll be right there.]

The car was parked in the farthest corner of the lot, away from the prying eyes of hospital staff and security cameras. By the time Seungcheol’s hands tangled in your hair and your lips found his, the air between you was electric, a current neither of you could resist.

The windows fogged up quickly as the heat of your bodies filled the enclosed space, the chill of the night long forgotten. His jacket was somewhere in the backseat, your shirt halfway undone, his tie loose around his neck.

Your breath hitched as his lips trailed down your jaw, his hands sliding possessively over your waist, pulling you closer until there was no space left between you.

“Seungcheol,” you breathed out, your voice a mix of frustration and want, and he answered by pressing his lips back to yours, his movements desperate yet controlled in a way only he could manage.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. This was supposed to be simple-something to take the edge off the stress of your lives, an outlet. And yet, here you were, tangled together like the rest of the world didn’t exist.

By the time you both pulled back to catch your breaths, the car felt like it was on fire. Your chest heaved as you stared at him, his forehead resting against yours. His hand stayed on your thigh, his fingers twitching slightly, like he didn’t want to let go.

He was quiet for a moment, his gaze heavy as it locked onto yours. And then he said it. “I need you.”

Your eyes widened slightly, and his own seemed to do the same, as though he couldn’t believe the words had slipped out. The air in the car shifted instantly, the weight of his admission pressing against the walls of your unspoken agreement. You blinked, searching his face, trying to process what he’d just said.

“Seungcheol..” you started, your voice softer now, but he shook his head quickly, pulling back slightly.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” he said, his tone rushed, his eyes darting away from yours. “I mean- do, but not… not like that. Forget I said anything.”

You tilted your head, studying him. He was rattled, which was rare for Seungcheol. You’d seen him handle trauma cases with unflinching calm, but this? This had him fumbling. “I think you meant it exactly like that,” you said softly, a slight teasing edge to it.

He sighed, leaning back in his seat and running a hand through his hair. “This wasn’t supposed to get complicated” he muttered, more to himself than to you.

Your chest tightened at his words, small pang you weren’t ready to examine, flaring in your ribs. You forced a smile, brushing a hand over his. “It’s not complicated,’ you said lightly, though the words felt heavier than they should. “We needed this. That’s all it is.”

He nodded, but his jaw clenched, his eyes refusing to meet yours. “Yeah,” he said finally, though the word felt hollow.

The two of you sat there in the quiet for a moment, the sound of your breathing mingling in the fogged-up space. It wasn’t complicated. That’s what you both kept telling yourselves. And yet, as you adjusted your clothes and prepared to leave, you couldn’t shake the feeling that the line you’d drawn in the sand was slowly being washed away.

The shift in Seungcheol’s behavior was impossible to miss. Since that night in the parking lot, he had become a ghost—always too busy, too focused, or conveniently unavailable.

You noticed it immediately. The way his texts, once teasing and quick, became short or nonexistent. The way he avoided your gaze in the halls, no longer meeting your smirks with his usual cocky grin. He buried himself in surgeries and reports, dodging you at every turn, and it was driving you insane.

At first, you thought you were imagining it. Maybe he really was just slammed with work—it wouldn’t be the first time. But as the days passed, the distance grew, and the usual banter that made those chaotic hospital days bearable had evaporated.

You leaned against the ambulance, scrolling through your messages. No new notifications. You scrolled up to your last text to him.

[You: Late shift. Don’t leave me hanging tonight.]

It had been left on read.

A frown tugged at your lips, and Suarez noticed immediately. “Alright, spill it,” he said, leaning against the other side of the ambulance, crossing his arms.

“Spill what?” you asked, not looking up from your phone.

“Whatever has you looking like someone just told you coffee was outlawed,” he said, giving you a pointed look. “Let me guess… Dr. Hot Trauma is ghosting you?”

You shot him a glare. “He’s busy.”

“Uh-huh,” Suarez said, nodding slowly. “So busy that he can’t even send a three-word text? I’ve seen the man patch up someone’s femoral artery while dictating a grocery list. He’s not that busy.”

You sighed, rubbing your temple. “I don’t know. He’s just… different lately. Distant.”

“Maybe he’s catching feelings,” Suarez said casually, shrugging.

Your head snapped up, your stomach twisting at the suggestion. “He’s not. We agreed—this isn’t about feelings. It’s just… fun.”

Suarez gave you a look, one eyebrow raised. “You really think people like you two can keep things casual? Please. You’ve got sparks flying all over this place. It was bound to blow up eventually.”

You scoffed, crossing your arms. “It’s not like that. He’s probably just stressed.”

“Uh-huh,” Suarez said again, his smirk returning. “Keep telling yourself that.”

Meanwhile, Seungcheol

Seungcheol stared at the untouched coffee on his desk, his jaw tight as he reviewed yet another patient chart. He couldn’t focus—hadn’t been able to since that night.

Every time he closed his eyes, he saw you. The way you looked at him in the car, the way you teased him with that soft confidence that always made his walls crumble. And worse, the way you’d brushed off his slip-up like it meant nothing.

You were fine keeping things casual, sending texts that were nothing more than a call for company. But him? He couldn’t keep doing it. Couldn’t keep holding you close when all he wanted was more than you were willing to give.

His phone buzzed, and he didn’t have to look to know it was you. He didn’t pick it up.

“Choi,” a familiar voice said, snapping him out of his thoughts.

Seungcheol looked up to see Jeonghan leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed and a curious expression on his face. “What?”

Jeonghan tilted his head. “You’re brooding. And before you tell me you’re fine, you’ve got that look. The one you get when you’re pretending not to be in a mess.”

Seungcheol groaned, running a hand over his face. “I’m not in a mess.”

Jeonghan walked in, taking a seat across from him. “Oh, you definitely are. Let me guess—this is about the paramedic?”

“Drop it, Jeonghan.”

“I’ll drop it when you stop being so obvious,” Jeonghan shot back. “You’re a wreck. What happened?”

Seungcheol sighed, leaning back in his chair. “I can’t keep doing this.”

Jeonghan raised an eyebrow. “Doing what? Working with her? Hooking up with her?”

Seungcheol hesitated before answering. “Both. I’m… I’m catching feelings, man. And she doesn’t feel the same.”

Jeonghan studied him for a moment, his usual smirk replaced by something softer. “Have you even told her how you feel? Or are you just assuming?”

Seungcheol shook his head. “What’s the point? She’s made it clear what this is. And I’d rather keep her in my life like this than not at all.”

Jeonghan sighed, leaning back. “You’re an idiot, Choi. But I get it. Just… don’t let this eat you alive, alright? You’re no good to anyone like this.”

Seungcheol didn’t respond, his gaze dropping to the phone on his desk. He wasn’t sure if he had it in him to risk losing you. But the thought of keeping you at arm’s length was starting to hurt just as much.

You were just about to clock out, the weight of the day starting to lift off your shoulders when someone grabbed your wrist, pulling you into a supply closet. The door slammed shut behind you with a soft thud, and you barely had time to register what was happening before you were pressed against the cool wall, the scent of antiseptic and fresh linens filling the air.

You gasped, your pulse immediately picking up as you looked up to find Seungcheol standing there, his chest heaving just as much as yours, his eyes dark with something you couldn’t quite place. His hand was still gripping your wrist, but it wasn’t rough—just firm, like he needed to make sure you were there, with him.

“What the hell, Seungcheol?!” you asked, your voice coming out more breathless than you intended. You were surprised, caught off guard by the sudden intensity in his actions.

He didn’t answer at first, his gaze roaming over your face like he was memorizing every detail. When he finally spoke, his voice was low, almost too soft. “I don’t know what the hell I’m doing.”

You raised an eyebrow, unsure of what he meant. “Then why are you doing this?”

Seungcheol exhaled sharply, stepping closer so your bodies were almost flush. His hand released your wrist, but it landed on your hip, pulling you toward him with an almost desperate force. “Because I can’t stop thinking about you,” he confessed, his voice rough around the edges. “I can’t stop wanting you.”

Your breath caught In your throat, and for a moment, it felt like the world outside the small, dimly lit room ceased to exist. His admission was too raw, too honest, and it sent a shiver down your spine. The intensity in his eyes was different from before—this wasn’t about the casual arrangement anymore. This was something more.

Before you could process his words, his lips were on yours, hungry and impatient. It was everything. And nothing like before. The kiss was desperate, as if he was trying to reclaim something he felt slipping away—something you hadn’t even known was there.

His hand slipped to the back of your neck, holding you in place as he deepened the kiss. You felt his heart racing through his chest, his breath hot against your skin, and in that moment, you didn’t know if you were the one pulling him closer or if he was the one pulling you.

You finally broke the kiss, gasping for air, your forehead resting against his. “This—this is what you’ve been avoiding?” you whispered, trying to regain some semblance of composure.

Seungcheol’s eyes were closed for a second, his lips still brushing against yours. “I didn’t know how to handle it,” he murmured. “I’m not good at this… at feeling like this. It’s not supposed to be more than it is.”

You frowned, pushing him back slightly so you could meet his eyes. “Then why do you keep coming back?” you asked, your voice sharp with frustration.

His gaze softened just a fraction, and he let out a frustrated sigh. “Because I can’t walk away now. And I hate that I’m feeling this way. But I don’t know how to stop it.”

The space between you both felt charged, like it was about to collapse in on itself. And for the first time, you didn’t know whether you should pull away or lean in closer.

You pulled away before you could stop yourself, your chest rising and falling with every shaky breath. The sudden distance between you both felt like a weight pressing down on your chest, suffocating you. You turned your head, refusing to meet his gaze, as if that would somehow make the tension between you both easier to handle.

Seungcheol froze, his hand falling to his side. You could feel his eyes on you, but you couldn’t look at him—not now. Not when everything inside you was screaming to keep going.

“Why are you pulling away?” His voice was low, rough, like he was trying to hold onto something, anything, that could bridge the gap you’d just created.

You felt his presence like a physical force, but you refused to meet his eyes. If you did, you weren’t sure you’d be able to control yourself. “Because you’re an idiot,” you whispered, your voice trembling just a little. “And I am, too.”

Seungcheol’s breath hitched. “What?”

You ran a hand through your hair, trying to steady your racing thoughts. “I’m not stupid, Seungcheol. This… this thing between us? It’s never going to work. And I’ve been letting it get too complicated.” Your voice faltered as you said the words, even though you knew deep down that they were true.

He stepped forward, but you instinctively backed away, shaking your head. “You don’t get it, do you? We’re not made for this. This—” you gestured between the two of you, “—is just… It’s just for now, for now, and I can’t let myself feel anything else. I’m not built for this.”

The silence that followed was suffocating, thick with words unspoken. You could see him trying to process what you’d just said, his brows furrowed, his mouth slightly open as if he wanted to say something but didn’t know where to start.

Finally, he exhaled sharply. “You’re right,” he muttered, his voice tight with frustration. “I’m the idiot here.”

You looked up, surprised at his response. “What?”

“I’ve been running from this,” he said, his eyes darker now. “I thought I could just… keep this casual with you. But I can’t. Not anymore.” His jaw clenched, and he looked away, as though the truth was something he couldn’t quite face.

You felt the weight of his words hang in the air, and for a moment, you almost thought he might be talking about more than just this physical arrangement. You swallowed hard. “So what now?” you asked, your voice quieter than before.

Seungcheol didn’t answer immediately. He stood there, just staring at you, the two of you caught in the swirling tension that neither of you could escape. Finally, he shook his head and muttered under his breath, “I don’t know. I thought I had it all figured out, but now I’m just… lost.”

You wanted to reach for him, to close the distance, to take the tension and make it all go away. But you couldn’t. You weren’t sure you knew how to stop sabotaging yourself, let alone him.

And so, you said nothing. You just turned, leaving the supply closet behind.

You buried yourself in work, picking up multiple shifts to distract yourself from the gnawing emptiness Seungcheol’s absence had left. It was easier to focus on the chaos of the ER, to be so busy you didn’t have time to think about anything other than the pulse of the hospital and the weight of the lives you were trying to save.

Suarez had been trying to warn you for days, noticing the bags under your eyes, the tension in your shoulders, the way your movements had started to slow despite the usual urgency. But you didn’t want to hear it. You could handle it. You had to.

So, when you found yourself downing Adderall just to stay awake through your third shift in a row, you told yourself it was fine. You had it under control. You’d handled worse.

Except, that wasn’t the case. Not at all.

You stood at the side of the bed, focused on the IV line, the patient’s condition worsening by the second. The adrenaline rush from the constant movement kept you sharp, or so you thought. You made the incision, feeling the slight sting of pressure against the needle as you slid it into the patient’s vein. Your hand was steady, but somewhere in the back of your mind, there was a nagging voice telling you something wasn’t quite right.

It wasn’t until Suarez’s hand shot out, gripping your wrist, that you snapped back to reality.

“Woah, woah, hold up,” he said, his voice sharp with concern. “What the hell are you doing?”

You blinked, disoriented for a second. The IV line had been positioned wrong—too close to the patient’s artery. It could’ve triggered a major reaction. You cursed under your breath, feeling the cold sweat on your forehead as your pulse quickened.

Suarez didn’t let go of your wrist, his grip firm as he moved you out of the way. “You’re lucky you didn’t just kill this guy, [Y/N].” His voice was filled with equal parts anger and concern. “What the hell’s going on with you?”

You swallowed hard, your heart pounding in your chest. “I… I thought I had it under control.”

“You don’t have it under control,” Suarez snapped, pushing you aside so he could correct the IV. “You’re running on empty, [Y/N]. This isn’t you. You’re not thinking straight.”

You stared at him, words caught in your throat. He was right. The panic in your chest, the swirling dizziness—it was all the product of too many hours, too many sleepless nights, too much of everything.

But you didn’t want to admit it. You couldn’t.

“I’m fine,” you muttered, though the tremor in your voice betrayed you. “Just… need to get back to work.”

“No,” Suarez said firmly, his eyes locked on yours. “You’re done for the night. I’m calling it. Go home, get some rest.”

You didn’t argue. It wasn’t worth it. Instead, you let him guide you out of the ER, your feet dragging with the weight of exhaustion you could no longer ignore.

When you got to your car, the adrenaline wore off, and all that was left was the sinking realization of how close you’d come to making a fatal mistake. The sound of your pager buzzing on the seat next to you pulled you from your thoughts, and you hesitated before looking at the screen.

It was Seungcheol.

You stared at his name, fingers hovering over the screen for a moment. You couldn’t bring yourself to reply. After everything—after how you’d pushed him away—you didn’t have the strength to deal with whatever he wanted to say.

So you let the moment slip by, ignoring the message, just like you had been doing for the past few days.

You didn’t realize how deep the exhaustion ran until it hit you all at once. The car seat was uncomfortable, the cold night air biting through your coat, but it didn’t matter. You’d barely closed your eyes before the weight of everything you’d been pushing aside caught up to you.

The world faded Into darkness, and for the first time in days, you let yourself slip into a dreamless sleep, the kind where nothing existed beyond the crushing fatigue.

But it didn’t last.

A rough hand shook your shoulder, pulling you from the haze. Your eyes fluttered open, and you blinked up at Seungcheol, his face a mix of confusion and concern.

“[Y/N]?” His voice was tight, edged with panic. “What the hell are you doing here?”

You didn’t respond at first, still groggy, still disoriented. The sound of his voice was enough to make your heart stumble, your mind fumbling to catch up. “Seungcheol?” you whispered, your throat raw. You tried to sit up but your body felt too heavy. Your head spun, and for a moment, you thought you might fall over.

He crouched down next to you, his hand resting on your shoulder to steady you. “What happened?” His voice softened, and you could see the worry in his eyes, the crease between his brows deepening. “Why are you here like this?”

You blinked again, trying to focus, but everything felt so far away. “I… I don’t know. I was just… so tired. I couldn’t keep going.”

Seungcheol cursed softly, rubbing his forehead. “This is insane. You’re killing yourself doing this.”

You looked up at him, eyes narrowed in confusion. “What do you mean? I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine, [Y/N]. You’re running on empty, and it’s showing. You nearly made a mistake tonight—Suarez had to stop you from messing up an IV. What the hell is going on with you?” He leaned in closer, his voice dropping to something more urgent. “You’re not invincible. You can’t keep doing this to yourself.”

His words cut through the haze in your mind, and for the first time, you felt a pang of guilt. You had been pushing yourself too far. You’d been running from everything, not just the job, but from him, too.

“Why do you care?” you asked, your voice barely above a whisper.

He stared at you for a long moment, his gaze piercing, as if he were trying to figure you out. “Because I’m not stupid, [Y/N]. I know what’s been going on with you. I know you’re avoiding me, and I—” He stopped himself, and you could see the frustration building in his eyes. “You’re not fine.”

You swallowed hard, the weight of his words sinking in. He was right. You hadn’t been fine. And now, here he was, standing in front of you, and the only thing you could do was pull away. But you didn’t have the energy anymore.

“I’m sorry,” you said, the words slipping out before you could stop them. “I… I didn’t know what else to do. I thought… I thought if I just worked enough, I could forget everything. Forget how I’m…” You trailed off, unsure how to explain what was really going on inside your head.

Seungcheol looked at you, his face softening just a fraction. “Forget what, [Y/N]?” His voice was low now, gentler, as if trying to break through the walls you’d built around yourself.

You hesitated, the words caught in your throat. You didn’t want to admit it, but the weight of everything you’d been hiding felt like it was going to break you. “Forget how I feel about you,” you finally whispered, the truth hanging in the air between you.

Seungcheol’s expression faltered for a moment, a mix of surprise and something else you couldn’t quite place crossing his face. He didn’t say anything right away, just sat there next to you, watching you.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he sighed, his hand finding yours. “You’re not the only one with feelings, you know,” he muttered, his thumb brushing over your knuckles. “But I’m not sure what to do with them either.”

You blinked, looking at him with a mixture of confusion and disbelief. “What are you saying?”

Seungcheol leaned back slightly, his eyes searching yours. “I’m saying we’re both idiots, [Y/N]. And maybe… just maybe, we don’t have to figure it all out right now.”

Seungcheol didn’t say anything else after that, his hand still holding yours as if to ground you. He helped you to your feet, gently guiding you towards your car, but the whole time, you felt like your mind was still spinning. There was so much you didn’t know how to process, so much you were still running from.

He didn’t argue when you let him drive. It wasn’t long before you found yourself inside your apartment, the quiet almost suffocating after everything that had happened. He moved through the space with practiced ease, setting you up on the couch with a blanket and some water, his eyes constantly scanning you for signs of distress.

“You’re not going back to work anytime soon,” he said firmly, his voice leaving no room for argument. “You’re detoxing. Resting. I’m handling everything.”

You tried to protest, but the exhaustion was so overwhelming that you barely had the energy to fight him. When he returned, he was holding your pager in his hand, a stern look on his face as he handed it over to you. “You’re off for a couple of days. I’ve already talked to Jihoon’s assistant.”

You blinked, too tired to argue, but noticed the subtle way his words were loaded with care. His hands hovered, uncertain for a second, before he pulled a bottle of water from the fridge and placed it in your hands.

“Just… rest. I’ll take care of things for you, [Y/N].”

As Seungcheol left you to rest, you realized that you hadn’t truly been taking care of yourself. And as much as you didn’t want to admit it, it took him being there for you—pulling you from the brink—to make you realize just how much you’d let everything go, including the part of you that wanted to face the feelings you’d been trying to ignore.

The next day, when you were a little more rested and the fog in your mind started to clear, Seungcheol came back to check on you. He sat beside you, the room silent for a long moment before he broke the stillness.

“You good?” he asked, his voice quieter, softer than before. His gaze was fixed on you, as if waiting for you to say something that would shift the atmosphere.

You exhaled slowly, finally meeting his eyes. The words had been sitting on the tip of your tongue for so long. “This whole thing was stupid,” you muttered, your voice low, almost hesitant. “I was just trying to ignore everything, but… I like you, Seungcheol.” The confession was raw, unfiltered, and it felt like a weight lifting off your chest the moment you spoke it. “I’ve liked you for a while.”

He didn’t say anything right away, his brow furrowing as if he were waiting for you to say more. You continued, the words flowing more easily now. “I never meant for it to get this complicated. And yeah, I was scared. But it was always you. It’s always been you.”

Seungcheol’s eyes softened as he reached out, his thumb grazing over your knuckles. “I like you too,” he admitted quietly. The honesty in his voice made your heart skip. “A lot. It scares me, too. But…” He hesitated, as if he were searching for the right words. “We’re both a mess, [Y/N].”

You chuckled softly, shaking your head. “Yeah. We are. But I think we can figure it out.”

The tension in the room seemed to dissipate as you both sat in the quiet, the weight of your shared confession settling between you. There was still a lot to figure out, but for the first time in a long time, you didn’t feel alone in it. Seungcheol, with all his quiet strength and unpredictable moments of vulnerability, wasn’t the type of man to run. Not now. Not after everything.

“You’re not going to push me away?” you asked softly, needing that reassurance, the one thing that kept you grounded in this new, fragile space between you both.

Seungcheol’s smile was small but real. “Not unless you’re ready for me to.”

The air shifted then, the unspoken agreement clear in his words, and for the first time in days, you felt the possibility of something more than just the chaos of your hectic lives. Maybe this wasn’t just some stupid plan. Maybe it could be something real.

You let the silence stretch between you both, your heart beating a little faster as his gaze lingered on yours. There was something different in the way he was looking at you now, something that felt like the beginning of something more.

Without thinking, you leaned in, just enough that the air between you both seemed to crackle with the unspoken tension. His breath hitched slightly, and for a moment, you thought he might pull back. But instead, his hand reached for your face, cupping it gently, guiding you closer.

When your lips met, it was slow, hesitant at first, as if neither of you were entirely sure what to do with this moment. But the softness of it, the careful way his lips moved against yours, spoke volumes. The intensity built gradually, like a steady wave, each kiss more urgent than the last.

You pulled away just enough to breathe, your forehead resting against his as you tried to steady yourself, realizing just how long you’d wanted this. “Are you sure about this?” you whispered, the uncertainty creeping back in, though this time it wasn’t fear—it was hope.

Seungcheol’s eyes flickered to your lips before meeting your gaze. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.” And with that, he kissed you again, this time with the certainty of someone who had already made up their mind.

Seungcheol was leaning over a chart in his office, deep in conversation with Jeonghan about a critical patient. His mind was still half on the numbers and the procedure details, but Jeonghan’s casual question caught him off guard.

“So, how’s she doing?” Jeonghan asked, raising an eyebrow as he leaned back in his chair, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “You two seem to be a lot more… friendly lately. Everything okay?”

Seungcheol’s focus snapped to Jeonghan, his expression instantly tightening. He had never been the type to share much about his personal life, especially not with his colleagues. But Jeonghan, being as perceptive as ever, seemed to always find a way to poke around, and the last thing Seungcheol wanted was to talk about you.

“Nothing’s changed,” Seungcheol muttered, trying to brush it off. “We’re busy, that’s all.”

Jeonghan raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Uh-huh. Busy is fine, but I don’t see you looking at your charts like that when you’re talking about the patient.”

Before Seungcheol could reply, the door swung open without warning, and you walked in, as effortlessly as ever. Your eyes caught his immediately, and without a second of hesitation, you went straight to his lap, settling comfortably there as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Jeonghan couldn’t help but laugh at the sight, leaning forward in his chair, his amusement impossible to hide. “Well, well, seems like I didn’t need to ask. Guess the nothing’s changed part wasn’t exactly truthful.”

Seungcheol looked up at you, eyes softening as you gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before leaning back against him. Despite the usual professionalism in the hospital, something about the moment felt different. He let out a quiet sigh, letting himself relax in your presence for the first time all day.

“You’re distracting me,” he muttered, though the smile tugging at the corner of his lips betrayed the seriousness of his words.

You raised an eyebrow at him. “Oh? Distracting you from what?” you teased, fingers trailing lightly over his jacket.

Jeonghan rolled his eyes. “I’ll take that as my cue to leave. You two are insufferable.”

As Jeonghan stood up and made his way to the door, he turned back to Seungcheol with a knowing grin. “You better hold onto her, man. She seems like trouble.” He shot you a wink. “But I’m guessing you already know that.”

Seungcheol shot him a pointed look, his hand resting protectively around your waist. “You don’t know the half of it.”

Once the door clicked shut behind Jeonghan, you turned back to Seungcheol, your playful demeanor shifting just enough for him to see the soft vulnerability in your eyes.

“Jeonghan’s right,” you said quietly, your voice just low enough that only Seungcheol could hear. “I’m a bit of trouble, aren’t I?”

Seungcheol chuckled, leaning in to kiss the top of your head. “You’re the best kind of trouble.”

And in that moment, everything else—the stress, the pressure, the weight of the hospital—seemed to fade away. It was just the two of you, finally letting down your guard, letting the world see what you’d already known: you were in this together.

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The pain had started a few weeks ago—just a dull ache in your lower back, nothing too alarming at first. But it had gradually worsened. You tried to push through it, taking a few extra stretches during your breaks and seeing Mingyu for some physiotherapy in the PT room. You didn’t want to worry Jun. After all, he was busy with his trauma surgeries, and the last thing you wanted was for him to distract himself with your problem. But every time you winced from the pain, you’d find yourself hiding it from him.

Jun, on the other hand, had noticed something off. You’d been sneaking off to the PT room and spending longer than usual talking with Mingyu. He trusted Mingyu, of course—Mingyu was professional and a great guy—but he couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy. It didn’t help that he’d found you two laughing together in the office, your hand on Mingyu’s shoulder as you shared a quiet conversation. Something about it felt… wrong.

The hospital was in full swing, as usual. Junhui was in the ER, quickly wrapping up a round with one of his patients, a middle-aged man with an apparent leg fracture. The busy rhythm of the hospital allowed Junhui to stay focused, and the moment of quiet was brief but welcome.

His patient, now scheduled for an x-ray, was being wheeled down the hall by one of the nurses. Junhui stood in the doorway for a moment, double-checking the patient’s charts before he heard a familiar voice.

You.

His eyes shifted to see you stepping into the hall, Mingyu walking alongside you as you both made your way to the physical therapy room. You were laughing softly at something Mingyu said, your eyes bright with a warmth he hadn’t seen from you in days. It wasn’t the first time he’d caught you two talking, but for some reason, it felt... off this time. Maybe it was the way you seemed a little too at ease around him. Too familiar.

Junhui stood there for a moment, brow furrowing. He felt a pang of discomfort, a nagging thought bubbling up that he couldn’t quite ignore. But before he could dwell on it, his patient’s voice broke through his thoughts.

“Doctor Wen?”

“Oh, right,” Junhui muttered, shaking himself from his distraction. He quickly turned his attention back to the man in front of him. “We’ll get you taken care of, don’t worry.”

As the patient was wheeled away, Junhui’s eyes darted once more to the hallway, but you and Mingyu were already disappearing around the corner. His heart skipped a beat—he wasn’t sure why, but something about that exchange didn’t sit right with him.

He made a quick decision and walked over to where Dr. Xu was standing, filling out some notes in the hallway.

“Dr. Xu,” Junhui called, voice casual, but there was an underlying edge. He hesitated for a moment, but the curiosity won out. “Doesn’t Mingyu have a girlfriend?”

Minghao glanced up from his chart, blinking in mild surprise, nodded, not missing a beat. “Yeah, his ex-patient. She had a minor neck thing a few months ago. He’s been helping her recover.” He paused, then added with a grin, “Why?.”

“No, I just—” Junhui faltered, then shook his head, rubbing the back of his neck. “Never mind. I just noticed him with Y/N a lot. Just seemed... I don’t know, a bit too friendly.”

Minghao raised an eyebrow but gave a casual shrug. “You know Mingyu. He’s just a nice guy. Not everything has to mean something, right?”

“Yeah,” Junhui mumbled, but the seed of doubt was already planted. He forced a half-smile, nodding as though everything was fine.

But as he watched Mingyu walk off in the distance, his mind was a swirl of conflicting thoughts. His gut told him something was off—something didn’t feel right, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being left out of something important. He wasn’t the type to jump to conclusions, but the pieces were starting to form in his mind, and none of them were adding up to a comforting picture.

“Focus,” Junhui muttered to himself, shaking off his unease. There was work to do. But in the back of his mind, the question lingered: Was there something more going on between Y/N and Mingyu?

The emergency department was busy, but that was nothing new. You moved carefully around your patient’s bed, adjusting the IV drip with precision. You tried to keep the discomfort from showing, but each movement seemed to take just a little more effort than the last. The ache in your back had worsened again, and you couldn’t seem to find a position that didn’t aggravate it.

As you straightened up after adjusting the drip, you winced slightly, gripping the edge of the bed for support. You didn’t even realize that Junhui had stepped into the room until you heard his familiar voice.

“Hey.” His tone was warm, but there was a hint of concern. “I was just about to grab some food. Come with me?”

You turned and gave him a small smile, masking the twinge in your back. “Yeah, sure. Just finishing up with my patient here.”

Junhui’s eyes scanned you for a moment, his gaze narrowing slightly as he watched you move. You were trying to be casual, but he couldn’t ignore the way you were moving—carefully, deliberately, like each motion took a little more effort than it should.

His brow furrowed, but before he could say anything, you caught his eye and offered a small, reassuring smile. “What about you? How’s your day been?” you asked, trying to distract him with your usual attempt to focus on him instead.

He hesitated for a moment, but then began talking, falling into the familiar rhythm of sharing details about his rounds. “Busy, as usual. I had a couple of patients today, one of them pretty intense, but nothing I couldn’t handle. Just the usual radiology stuff —nothing too major.”

But even as he spoke, Junhui couldn’t help but keep his attention on you. His mind kept drifting back to the way you moved, the careful posture, the way you subtly shifted to avoid putting too much pressure on your back. He wanted to ask if something was wrong, but part of him held back. He’d already overstepped once, confronting you about Mingyu, and he didn’t want to make it seem like he was policing your every move.

He noticed the way you seemed to stiffen when you sat down on the stool beside the patient’s bed, carefully adjusting yourself before settling in. It didn’t escape him. The familiar ache of concern curled in his chest, but he just… kept it to himself.

You watched him quietly, waiting for him to elaborate, but the longer you spoke, the more distant his words seemed. His mind was clearly elsewhere, his eyes darting to you, then back to the floor, and then again to the patient.

Finally, after what felt like a long moment of silence, Junhui shook his head slightly and gave you a half-smile, as if to dismiss his thoughts.

“Anyway, I’ve got a page. Pediatric wing. Looks like I’m on call for the next few hours. We can grab food later, yeah?”

You nodded, relieved that he was distracted enough by his work to not press the issue.

“Of course. Go on, you have your hands full. I’ll be fine.”

He hesitated for just a second, giving you another quick glance before he straightened up. “Okay. But we’ll talk later, alright? Just—try not to push yourself too much, love.”

You gave him a smile, though it didn’t quite reach your eyes as much as it usually did. “I’ll be fine, Jun. Go take care of your patients.”

He nodded, still staring at you for a moment longer than he probably should have. Then, with a soft sigh, he turned to leave.

As he walked down the hallway toward the pediatric wing, the nagging feeling inside of him didn’t subside. He couldn’t help but wonder if he’d missed something, if there was something you weren’t telling him. The way you were moving... the way you’d been so distracted recently... It all felt like pieces of a puzzle he hadn’t quite figured out yet. But for now, he had to focus on the kids in the pediatric wing.

It was late when Jun found Mingyu in the hallway, just after you had left the PT room. His eyes were hard, his voice tight with tension.

“Mingyu,” he started, his voice low. “We need to talk.”

Mingyu, who had just finished wrapping up a session, looked up, clearly surprised. “What’s up, Jun?”

Jun took a step forward, his hands shoved in his pockets as his gaze locked with Mingyu’s. “What’s going on between you and my girlfriend?”

Mingyu blinked, taken aback. “What are you talking about?”

“I’ve seen you two,” Jun continued, the frustration clear in his tone. “You’ve been talking to her in your office, in the PT room. She spends more time with you than she does with me lately. What’s going on?”

Mingyu’s expression softened, realizing what was happening. “Jun, it’s not like that. She’s been in pain—back pain. She came to me because of that. We’re just working on some exercises to help her.”

Jun’s face softened, but the suspicion didn’t fade. “Then why all the secrecy? She’s not telling me anything.”

Mingyu paused, knowing this wasn’t his fight to pick, but still feeling the need to clear things up. “She didn’t want you to worry. She didn’t want to add anything more to your plate.”

Jun’s face twisted in a mixture of guilt and anger. “So that’s it? She’s been sneaking around, and you’re keeping it from me?”

Mingyu sighed, stepping closer. “It’s not like that. She cares about you, Jun. She didn’t want to add unnecessary stress.”

Before Jun could say anything else, the door to the office opened, and you stepped out, your eyes widening when you saw the tension between them.

You felt your heart sink at the sight of the two of them standing there, an unspoken tension filling the air.

“Jun…?” you began softly, trying to diffuse the situation.

Jun’s eyes were narrowed, his posture rigid. “Why didn’t you tell me, huh? You’ve been sneaking around with Mingyu. I thought—” He cut himself off, shaking his head in frustration. “I thought you were cheating on me.”

Your stomach twisted at the accusation, the weight of your secret pressing down on you. You stepped forward, putting a hand on Jun’s arm. “It’s not like that,” you whispered.

Jun’s eyes softened, though the hurt was still there. “Then why all the secrecy?”

You took a deep breath, finally deciding to open up. “I’ve been having some back pain… for a while now. I didn’t want you to worry. I didn’t think it was a big deal, but it’s been getting worse. Mingyu’s been helping me with it.”

Jun’s expression shifted from anger to something else—concern, confusion, maybe even guilt. “Back pain?” he repeated, his voice softening. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t want to burden you,” you admitted, looking up at him. “You’ve already got so much going on with your surgeries… I didn’t want to add more to your plate.”

Jun’s face softened as he cupped your face in his hands. “You’re not a burden, ever. I care about you. We’re supposed to be in this together. You should’ve told me.”

The tension seemed to evaporate in that moment, but it was clear Jun still needed some reassurance. “I… I was worried.”

“I know,” you whispered, “I should’ve trusted you more. I’m sorry.”

The next day, Jun insisted you get an x-ray with him. You reluctantly agreed, knowing it was the only way to calm his worries. The results showed a minor spinal issue that could be resolved with physical therapy and some rest.

Jun let out a relieved sigh, pulling you into a tight hug. “So, this whole time, you were just trying to protect me from worrying?”

You nodded, resting your head against his chest. “I didn’t want to add to your stress.”

Jun chuckled softly, holding you even tighter. “I’m an idiot, aren’t I?”

“You’re not,” you replied with a small smile. “Just a little overprotective.”

“Well, I’m just glad it’s nothing serious. And next time, don’t hide things from me, okay? We’re a team.”

“I promise,” you said, looking up at him with a smile. “No more secrets.”

And with that, the misunderstanding was put to rest, leaving you both stronger than before.

It had been hours since the truth had come to light—the x-ray, the back misalignment, and all the tension that had built up between you and Junhui. The misunderstandings were cleared, but the air still felt thick with emotions, each of you processing what had happened. The silence between you two wasn’t uncomfortable, but rather, it was filled with the weight of unspoken apologies.

You and Junhui had found a quiet corner of the hospital—an empty lounge where you could sit without being disturbed. The dim light in the room cast soft shadows across the walls as you sat together on the couch. The hum of the fluorescent lights above and the occasional distant chatter from the hallway were the only sounds that surrounded you.

Junhui was beside you, his arm gently brushing against yours, and yet there was a palpable distance. Neither of you quite knew how to navigate this moment after everything. After the argument. After the confusion. After the truth.

He hadn’t let go of your hand since the moment he found out. His grip was soft but insistent, like he was trying to reassure himself that you were really here, that everything was okay.

“I’m sorry,” Junhui murmured, his voice low. He squeezed your hand, his thumb brushing over your knuckles. “I shouldn’t have doubted you. I should’ve trusted you more.”

You let out a soft breath, your head leaning gently against his shoulder. “Jun... it wasn’t your fault. I should’ve told you sooner. I didn’t want you to worry about me. But I know now that I should’ve trusted you enough to let you in.”

There was a long pause, both of you simply sitting there, the moment stretching out like a quiet lullaby. Junhui shifted, adjusting his position so that he could face you fully, his eyes searching yours with that familiar softness.

“I can’t believe I jumped to conclusions,” he said, his voice thick with regret. “I let my insecurities take over... and I hurt you in the process. I should’ve asked, instead of assuming.”

You reached out, gently cupping his face in your hands, bringing him closer so that you could look into his eyes. “It’s okay. We both made mistakes. But... I don’t want to hide anything from you again. I want us to be open with each other, no matter what.”

Junhui leaned into your touch, his face softening as his forehead rested against yours. “I never want to hurt you again. I just want to make things right.”

You smiled, but the ache in your back reminded you of the fragile space between you. The pain that had been haunting you, even now. You sighed softly, feeling the discomfort radiating through your body despite the closeness of the moment.

“Jun, I...” you hesitated, your words catching in your throat as you looked down. “I want to be close to you, too. But we can’t really... we can’t do anything like we usually would. It’ll just make the pain worse. I can’t... I can’t handle that right now.”

He pulled back just slightly, concern flashing in his eyes as he looked at you with soft understanding. “You don’t have to apologize, love. I don’t need anything from you right now, but you being okay. I’m here, and that’s enough.”

You reached for his hand, lacing your fingers together. “I just... need some time to heal. But I promise, once I’m better, we’ll get back to where we were.”

Junhui’s lips curled into a tender smile as he kissed your forehead gently. Then, as he pulled away, he softly cupped your face in his hands, his eyes searching yours with a quiet intensity that made your heart flutter. Without a word, he leaned in and pressed his lips to yours—slowly, softly, the kiss filled with all the emotions you both had been carrying.

It was brief but meaningful—gentle, full of apology and tenderness, and everything that was unsaid between you. When he pulled back, his forehead rested against yours, his breath mingling with yours.

“I’m here. Always,” he whispered, his voice barely above a whisper. “We’ll get through this together.”

You closed your eyes for a moment, the warmth of his kiss still lingering on your lips. In that moment, nothing else mattered. You felt safe, loved, and understood. The pain in your back was still there, but his presence made it feel a little less overwhelming.

You smiled softly, a quiet promise in your eyes. “I know. Thank you, Junie. For waiting. For being patient with me.”

Junhui nodded, brushing a strand of hair behind your ear as his thumb gently caressed your cheek. “No need to thank me, love. I’m just happy you’re here. I’ll wait as long as it takes.”

And as the two of you sat together in the quiet of the room, it was clear—this was just the beginning of healing, not only for your body, but for the relationship between the two of you. When the time was right, you’d pick up where you left off. But for now, being here in this moment was enough.

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The majority of patients who came into the ED were in serious condition. Any ED staff member would tell you their work was extremely fast paced and stressful. They saw the ugliest sides of mankind, and the worst that life has to offer. Their days (and nights) working in the ED could be characterised by thousands of life threatening injuries, allergic reactions, and serious illnesses. While many lives could be saved thanks to their valiant efforts and the wonders of modern medicine, just as many patients could not escape from the clutches of death. 

Not to mention, working in an ED was a thankless job. They weren’t only treating their patients, but their patients’ distraught or hysterical loved ones as well. The ED staff members were witnesses, participants, and often the so-called “perpetrators” in some of the worst, if not the worst days of people’s lives. Many times, when a patient’s loved one could not handle the stress of the situation they were suddenly thrown into, tensions and emotions would run high in the ED, which meant the staff were usually on the receiving end of many emotional outbursts. 

The ED staff members shouldered these burdens, silently enduring the physical, mental, and emotional stress that came with the job. It was a small price to pay to be on the front lines. If they could have a hand in saving lives, everything they endured was worth it. 

However, just because they silently endured it, doesn’t mean the stress never got to them. 

Having worked as an ED nurse for almost a decade, Seungkwan knew this all too well. He had, afterall, been one of the miserable, burnt out, overworked, underappreciated nurses who still gritted his teeth and went to work day after day. While he enjoyed being a nurse, it came to a point where the sterile white felt dull, and the blinding fluorescent lights in the ED ironically became an omen of darkness and suffering in his life. 

But, everything changed when Seungkwan moved over to Seventeen Med. When Jihoon offered him a new position, one where he could work with his university friends, he accepted immediately. He loved his friends, and he was in desperate need for a change of environment. Who knows, he thought, perhaps he could rekindle the spark he was looking for… perhaps he could come to genuinely find love and fulfillment in doing his job again. 

Seungkwan wanted a change of environment, and he certainly got it. As Soonyoung, Seungkwan’s old friend (and new boss) gave him a tour of the hospital’s premises, Seungkwan looked around, completely awestruck. Seventeen Med was unlike any other hospital Seungkwan ever saw before. Gone were the white walls of his past, replaced by walls painted in pretty shades of PANTONE 13-1520 and PANTONE 15-3919, or rose quartz and serenity respectively. The contrast of the warm pink and cooler blue colours helped to ground people by evoking a sense of tranquility in an otherwise chaotic place. The beautifully coloured walls, coupled with the floor to ceiling windows, dove grey tiles lining the floor, sunbleached wooden furniture, and decor made of crystal, marble or glass, allowed the entire place to feel bright, open, calm, and inviting. In Seungkwan’s opinion, the design of Seventeen Med was less like a hospital, and more of a luxury retreat. 

By the time Soonyoung brought Seungkwan to the Emergency Department where they would be working, Seungkwan felt more refreshed than he had felt in a long, long time. He was feeling excited to begin his new job, and he felt oddly inspired. It was amazing how a change in the colour scheme and decor of a place could impact his mood. He followed Soonyoung into the ED, chattering animatedly about all the ideas he had about sprucing up the place further. Caught up with Seungkwan’s newfound enthusiasm, Soonyoung began rambling along with him. 

“Maybe we can create a tiger themed ED,” Soonyoung said, grinning gleefully. 

“No. That’s so tacky.”

“Seungkwan pppllleeeaasssseeee. Come on, we can get those tiger print blankets.”

“No.”

“Small tiger figurines we can give away to the children.”

“No, you would hog them all.”

“Tiger snacks?”

Seungkwan gave Soonyoung a disgusted look, “Absolutely not.”

Soonyoung’s grin faded into a sad pout. He whined, “Not even tiger lilies?”

Seungkwan was about to immediately reject Soonyoung’s next stupid suggestion, but he held his tongue because decorating the ED with tiger lilies didn't sound stupid after all. Rubbing his chin, he deliberated over Soonyoung’s surprisingly good suggestion, “Tiger lilies huh? You might be onto something. How about we get flowers for the ED? Fake flowers of course, since real flowers pose a risk. We can buy a new bouquet every week to change up the atmosphere. Plus when we change the bouquet, we can give the old ones away to the children.”

Soonyoung nodded, “Yes. We can even set up a small arts and crafts station near the back of the waiting room mended by volunteers to teach people how to make bouquets, paintings, or origami flowers.”

Filled with pride at his own suggestion and Seungkwan’s idea, Soonyoung gave Seungkwan a thumbs up and a smirk, “Okay! I approve of this proposal. Your first task as my second in charge will be to go to the hospital’s flower shop and get some fake flowers for the ED, preferably tiger lilies… They should have it because the shop actually brings in a whole variety of fake flowers as an alternative for those with allergies. We’ll try this idea out for a month, and if it works, you can write a formal proposal to Jihoon to get funding to turn this into a full time project. I would do it, but you know, I’m your boss and you have to listen to me.”

Rolling his eyes and giving Soonyoung a mock salute, Seungkwan turned on his heel to seek out the hospital’s flower shop. 

--⌃⌄-💎-⌃⌄–

Absent-mindedly fiddling with his new staff ID, Seungkwan hummed as he approached the hospital’s flower shop. He would pick up the tiger lilies Soonyoung ordered him to get, albeit begrudgingly, before returning to his post. If he was quick, the whole transaction shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes. 

Seungkwan was sorely mistaken. Upon arriving at the front of the flower shop, he came to an abrupt halt when he spotted you, adorned in your apron and armed with your gardening shears. His breathing hitched, his grip on his staff ID loosening, causing it to fall to the floor with a soft “clank.” Despite there being a vast display of various types of flowers, they didn’t matter to Seungkwan, nor did he pay them any mind. He ignored the regal roses, charming carnations, heavenly hydrangeas, colourful chrysanthemums, ornate orchids, dainty dahlias, and the luscious lilies. Instead, his eyes were completely transfixed on you. 

To him, you were the most stunning flower of all. 

Hearing the sound of something dropping on the floor, you turned to look in that direction. Noticing your stare, Seungkwan blushed and averted his gaze. He bent down, fumbling to pick up his staff ID. Whether it was out of embarrassment, or the adrenaline pumping through his body because he saw just one of the most stunning women ever, he couldn’t get a good grip on his ID. 

You giggled, amused at how adorable Seungkwan’s clumsy movements were. Deciding to put him out of his misery, you crouched down beside him, picking up his staff ID for him.

Curious as to who this butterfingered stranger was, you read off his staff ID, “Boo Seungkwan. RN. Date of Issue? Oh, it’s today. Hey, welcome to Seventeen Med! I’m Y/n L/n, Med’s resident florist. As you can see, I run this flower shop.”

Seungkwan stared at you, wide eyed and very red faced. He stuttered, grimacing slightly at his mistake, “Uhm… Yes… Nice to meet you flower… no sorry. I mean Y/n.”

You flush, clearing your throat to cover up how flustered you really were over his tiny slip up. Hanging him his staff ID back, you ask him kindly, “How can I help you today Nurse Boo? What type of flowers are you interested in? Perhaps a bouquet for a special someone?”

Seungkwan waved his hands in front of his face frantically, “No, no, not for a special someone. I’m looking for a bouquet of fake tiger lilies. It’s for the ED.”

Pretending not to notice the way your heart leaped when he said he wasn’t going to give the flowers to a special someone, you focused on the fact he was looking for tiger lilies instead, “Soonyoung?”

Seungkwan let out an exasperated, exaggerated sigh, “You know about his tiger obsession too?”

You laughed, “Please, the whole hospital knows about it. On his first day of work, he came dressed head to toe in a tiger print jumpsuit. His excuse was that he was going to change into scrubs anyway, so why not dress in something comfortable? I think Mr Xu almost burst a blood vessel when he saw Soonyoung.”

Seungkwan muttered, “You don’t even know half of it. One time, he came to class dressed in a tigger onesie underneath his lab coat.”

You snickered, moving around Seungkwan to get to the flower display. You carefully picked out some fake tiger lilies from the corner, laying them out on the table to be wrapped up into a bouquet. Meanwhile, Seungkwan watched silently as you worked, trying to ignore how the sight of you arranging the flowers and wrapping the bouquet in a soft, delicate piece of paper sent the butterflies in his stomach fluttering wildly. 

After a short while, you handed over the bouquet to Seungkwan after giving the bow a final tug to ensure you tied it securely, “You can transfer the whole bouquet into a dry vase. If the material of the flower petals gets dusty, just use a slightly damp cloth to wipe it off.”

“How much do I owe you for it?”

Shaking your head, you gave him a smile, teasing him, “Don’t worry about it. Since it’s for the ED, this bouquet is on the house. Besides, I have a feeling I’ll be seeing you around more frequently, Nurse Boo.”

--⌃⌄-💎-⌃⌄–

And see Nurse Boo around more frequently, you did, because you became one of the main suppliers for the hospital’s newly implemented “Smile Flower Initiative.”

Built upon Seungkwan’s proposal to start decorating the ED with flowers, the “Smile Flower Initiative” turned out to be a major success. Regardless of how well designed the ED was, how well run the ED was, or how nice all the staff members were, at the end of the day, Seventeen Med’s ED was still an ED. Injuries, illnesses, and distraught and disgruntled people were still commonplace in the ED. Working there was no less fast paced or stressful as working in EDs elsewhere. 

Although a seemingly simple addition to the ED, the flowers worked wonders and there was a noticeable difference in the atmosphere. The presence of flowers helped to significantly improve the mood of staff, patients, and visitors alike. As his friend, psychiatrist Dr. Lee Dokyeom, would explain, flowers release a chemical called mycobacterium vaccae, which signals the brain to realse the “feel good” hormone, serotonin, thereby naturally improving people’s moods. To put it simply, the flowers, yes even the fake ones, brought happiness, serenity, and hope to people, especially in a place like the ED. 

Jihoon signed off on Seungkwan’s proposal to have the hospital fund the flowers for the ED even before the end of the one month trial. He saw how well received the flowers were, and admitted that while real flowers were used as decorations elsewhere in the hospital, he never thought to use fake flowers as a replacement in departments where real flowers were a safety hazard. Seungkwan mentally face palmed at Jihoon’s admission, but preened under his praise. 

Once the proposal was implemented, the ED was soon full of different types of fake flowers. Knitted or crochet flowers, flowers on blankets, pieces of art featuring flowers, etc. Most items were either donated, handmade by volunteers, or funded by the hospital. Seungkwan loved how each item was unique, usually personalised by the person who supplied it to them. He strongly believed the flowers brought more life and colour into the ED. 

Out of everything he saw though, Seungkwan’s favourite types of flower decorations were still the bouquets you would so lovingly arrange and prepare for him every week. Week after week, month after month, Seungkwan would meet you at your flower shop on Mondays at 10.30am sharp to collect the bouquet of the week. He always looked forward to seeing what new bouquet arrangements you prepared specially for him. The excited expressions from his co-workers, patients, and visitors to the ED when they saw the new bouquets were also highly anticipated. 

At least, those were the reasons Seungkwan told himself justify the excited, tingly, jittery feeling he had whenever it was time to pick up the flowers from your shop. As the time approached, he would be overcome with a rapidly beating heart, hot flushes, a wild blush on his face, clammy hands, and sweaty palms. He would feel slightly lightheaded, and yet he couldn’t manage to keep still, like he needed to bounce or jump about to release some pent up energy. 

Despite the many, many times Seungkwan told himself it was simply adrenaline from the excitement of being able to bring joy to the ED, he knew it wasn’t that. He knew the real reason behind his buzzing nerves - you, the flower shop’s (very cute) florist. While he could try to live in denial, it wasn’t lost on Seungkwan that he might have a huge tiny crush on you. 

Seungkwan’s feelings weren’t lost on Soonyoung either. Soonyoung would frequently observe Seungkwan from a distance as he floated off to pick up the bouquet with a spring in his step, and a lovestruck expression plastered across his face. There were so many times Seungkwan tripped over a cart or almost bumped into someone because he was thinking so intensely about you. Seungkwan liked to believe no one saw him fumble about, but Soonyoung was more observant than most people thought. If Soonyoung was being honest with himself, he was tired and fed up that most of his friends were so hopeless when it came to love. For how much crap Seungkwan liked to give Dokyeom for being a trainwreck before the latter began dating his girlfriend, Seungkwan was no better. 

The process of Seungkwan actually accepting that he did in fact have a crush on you was rather long and arduous, much to Soonyoung’s chargrain. But, Seungkwan was eventually able to accept his feelings for you, and not a moment too soon because Soonyoung was about to start screaming his head off from exasperation. 

Fortunately for Soonyoung, before he worked himself up into having a terrible sore throat, Seungkwan sought him out one day asking for a pleasantly surprising favour.

“YOU WHAT???” 

Seungkwan’s hands flew up to protect his ears. He gave Soonyoung a death glare, “You don’t need to screech in my ears, you hamster face. Did you not hear me? All I asked was if you could do me a favour and cover my shift next Sunday so I can take Y/n out on a date.”

Soonyoung brought his hand to his face, pretending to wipe away his fake tears, “Yea I heard you the first time. I’m just so proud of you. My little shriveled up tangerine tree, you bore no flowers, leaves, or fruit, for your dead roots never found a pool full of love to drink from. Now, you’ve found it, you’re finally growing up, heart open, leaves sprouting. You’re ready to love so go forth, and let your flowers, drinking hungrily from the pools of love, bloom. BLOOM I SAY. BLOOOMMMMMMMPPPHJHHHHHHHHHH.”

Soonyoung’s enthusiastic monologue was cut off by Seungkwan clamping his hand over Soonyoung’s mouth tightly, “I take it that’s a yes?”

“MMMHSMMM.”

“You’re going to cover my shift? So I can go on my date?”

“MMMHSMMM. MMMHHHMMM.”

Seungkwan, satisfied by Soonyoung’s answers, released his grip on the elder. Soonyoung grumbled, “You ask me for a favour, I grant you what you want, and this is how you treat me. Woe is me.”

Seungkwan shrugged, “You were the one being overdramatic.”

Rubbing his sore chin, Soonyoung retorted, “You can’t blame me. You were pathetically pining over her for months now, and now out of the blue you ask me to cover your shift because you’ve finally asked her out and she agreed to go on a date with you. Can’t a guy be happy for his friend?”

Seungkwan paled, the words “you’ve finally asked her out and she agreed to go on a date with you” echoing through his head repeatedly. 

Noticing Seungkwan’s unusual silence and lack of a snarky comment, Soonyoung looked at him questioningly, “Uhm… you have asked her out right? That’s why you’re asking me for the favour? Because you asked her on a date and she said yes?”

Alarmed, Seungkwan shrieked, his hands flailing all over the place as he dashed out of the ED, “Wait. Wait… WAIT. YOU’RE RIGHT. I NEVER ASKED HER OUT TO BEGIN WITH!”

Soonyoung reached out to grab Seungkwan’s shirt, wanting to stop him from rushing off halfway during a shift, but he missed it by an inch. Completely bewildered, Soonyoung stood motionless in the corner of the ED. He opened his mouth to try to say something, only to close it again. After what seemed like an eternity, Soonyoung finally processed what he saw and leaned against the nearby wall for support. He exhaled shakily, “Whooo boy, and I thought Dokyeommie was helpless. Seungkwan, he’s on a whole other planet.”

--⌃⌄-💎-⌃⌄–

Meanwhile, you were assisting your best friend at the hospital’s gift shop. 

“My angel, do you think these orange petunias would go with the new shipment of teddy bears?”

Your best friend lightly pinched your cheek, “Munchkin. Orange flowers with those purple teddy bears? I don’t see why not. Go for it.”

You squealed, immediately grabbing a teddy to try and put together a cute teddy flower bouquet. As you picked out new flowers for the bouquet, your best friend worked on a new gift basket arrangement. You worked in comfortable silence for a while, but your best friend soon grew bored.

With an evil glint in her eye, she abandoned the gift basket, propping herself up on her seat. Leaning in towards you, she asked, “Sooooooo. How’s your Boo?”

You rolled your eyes, “I should be asking you how’s your dating life now you’re with Dr Chwe.”

Unimpressed, she retorted, “At least I have a dating life babie. Nurse Boo and you should be dating by now. Go and ask him out on a date.”

“I don’t have the guts to ask someone out and you know it. Besides, what if he says no? He’s Nurse Boo. I’m sure he’s surrounded by pretty nurses and doctors all the time. Why settle for me?”

Your best friend reeled back, placing a hand over her heart, “EXCUSE ME? Settle for you? Babie. Munchkin. My love. My heart will die if you say that. Anyone who cannot see how amazing you are needs to get their brain checked. You’re more than enough so don’t doubt yourself like that.”

Fiddling with the finished teddy flower bouquet, you nodded shakily. 

Your best friend patted your head, swiveling your seat around to face the shop’s entrance, “Good. Now. Once again, you’re more than enough. I can see that, and Nurse Boo definitely can see it too.”

From your position, you could see Seungkwan frantically looking around your flower shop calling out your name. You stared in shock as you felt your best friend gently nudge you forward and out of her shop, guiding you towards him. 

Your best friend cheekily called out, “Delivery for Nurse Boo!!”

Snapping out of your daze, you glared at her as she retreated back into the gift shop howling with laughter. 

You muttered an apology to Seungkwan, awkwardly asking, “Sorry about that Seungkwan. Is there anything I can help you with today? Do you need a new bouquet urgently?”

Face flushed and ears pink, both from being out of breath and from what he was about to do, Seungkwan shifted around a bit, wringing his bands, “Uh. Yea, there is something you can help me with… Would you… umm, happen to be free next Sunday? For a date, with… me?

Seungkwan was asking you on a date. Next Sunday. Just the two of you. You and him. Together. Alone. On a date. Romantic date. Date with Seungkwan. 

Letting Seungkwan’s question sink in, you squeaked, hiding your warm face behind the teddy flower bouquet you were still holding. Through the gaps in the flowers, you could see Seungkwan’s eyes sparkle with apprehension, and more importantly, hope. Your heart fluttered with the same adoring feeling you had whenever you saw flowers swaying gently in the wind. 

Seungkwan wanted to go on this date with you. 

Somehow, that realisation made your grip on the bouquet grow tighter, and you refused to meet his eyes. 

Standing opposite from you, Seungkwan’s hope was beginning to falter. With you hiding behind the bouquet, he was unable to read your reaction properly. Were you shy because of the question? Was he weird? Were you so turned off by the idea of having to go on a date with him you hid behind your flowers? Beads of sweat rolled down his face, he gulped, sucking in a deep breath, about to try to cut through the uneasy, uncomfortable tension by telling you it was okay if you didn’t want to you know? There was no pressure at all.

“NURSE BOO, YOU BROKE HER. BUT Y/N WOULD LOVE TO GO ON A DATE WITH YOU. GO ON Y/N SAY YES. GET YOUR MAN.” Your best friend, who was finally unable to take the silence anymore, screamed from the gift shop.

You quickly lowered the bouquet, giving Seungkwan a reassuring, albeit sheepish nod, “Yes yes. What she said. I would love to go on a date with you Seungkwan.”

Relieved, Seungkwan let out the breath he was holding in, “Oh thank the heavens. I’ll pick you up next Sunday. Say, 11am?”

You smiled, hugging the bouquet closer to your body, “11am sounds perfect.”

--⌃⌄-💎-⌃⌄–

If there was one word to describe how Seungkwan felt last week after he actually asked you out on a date and you said yes, it would be “perfect.” Everything was perfect. While he was apprehensive about the date, he was more excited than anything else. He spent the week agonising over every inch of his plans, the places to bring you, food to eat, conversation topics. Everything was going to be perfect. It had to be, for you. 

Alas, when perfection is what is highly sought after and anticipated, reality always falls short of it. Fast forward one week, and the one word to describe how the date was going now was “disaster.”

Seungkwan’s original plan was to pick you up at 11am, drive two hours away to a pretty flower field you mentioned in passing one time during your previous conversations. You would have a quiet lunch at the restaurant overlooking the flower field before roaming around and taking in the sights for a few hours. Should you feel parched or tired halfway, there was also a cafe on the edge of the flower field where you could have some tea. During the drive back into the city, you would stop by another restaurant serving your favourite dish. If all went well, he would have you home safely by 9 or 10pm. 

Unfortunately, Seungkwan’s plans were derailed one by one, and soon the perfection he was aiming for was nothing more than a fleeting dream replaced by this disaster of a date. 

Absolutely nothing went his way. In the morning, Seungkwan’s car wouldn’t start when he prepared to head over to your apartment to pick you up. By the time he managed to get a hold of a mechanic to jump start his car, he was over an hour late. Despite your reassurances that it was okay to reschedule the date, Seungkwan was stubborn. He wasn’t going to let this little setback ruin the perfect day he so meticulously planned. 

The drive to the flower field started out lovely. There was a lot of talking, and even more laughs. Everything was looking up for Seungkwan, but as the saying goes, “when it rains, it pours.” In this case, quite literally. What began as a sunny day turned into a dark, gloomy, overcast one as rain began pelting down harshly on the ground. Nevertheless, Seungkwan insisted on moving forward with his original plans. Sudden showers weren’t uncommon during this time of the year, and perhaps the rain would clear up by the time you arrived at your destination. 

When you finally arrived at the flower field, the rain stopped, but Seungkwan’s good spirits were dashed by further setbacks in his plans. The restaurant regretfully informed Seungkwan that you had missed your reservation, and because you arrived 2 hours late, the restaurant was now closing for the afternoon. To make matters worse, the flower field which housed the cafe, was also closed due to flash flooding from the rain. 

Seungkwan’s shoulders slumped as his last rays of hope were dashed. So much for the perfect date. This date could possibly have been the worst date you had ever been on. Throughout the day, you had been reassuring him that you could always reschedule the date, or spend the day at a cafe in the city. And when he insisted on going through with his plans, you never once objected to them or complained about his stubborn nature. He felt like the biggest fool of the century. In his mission to plan the perfect date for you to make you happy, he ended up ruining the entire date. Although you didn’t show any indication of it, he was sure you were having a horrible time and would never want to go out with him ever again. 

You observed Seungkwan silently from the passenger’s seat of his car. His dejected, dull, downcast eyes told you everything. He was full of regret and disappointment at how the day turned out. Worst of all, he was most disappointed with himself. He blamed himself for ruining the day and was chastising himself internally.

You nudged him gently, “Seungkwan, it’s kind of late now and we both haven’t eaten since this morning. How about we turn around and head back into the city? I saw a burger place on the way here. Maybe we can grab some? I know you like burgers…”

By requesting something from Seungkwan, you hoped you could pull him out of his fixation on the ruined day. Seungkwan was a giver, someone who was always ready to help others. You had a hunch that by giving him something else to focus on, he would shift his attention onto how he could best carry out your request to satisfy you. Your hunch proved to be correct. A deep frown was still evident on Seungkwan’s face, but he visibly relaxed at your request. 

The drive to the burger place was silent and slightly tense. Seungkwan’s mind was muddled up with countless thoughts. What should he say to you? Were you mad at him for this ruined date? He practically wasted your time when you could have been at home, warm and well fed. He would obviously have to apologise, but how? He continuously grabbed at the steering wheel as he glanced at you nervously from the corner of his eye. You didn’t look the least bit upset. In fact, you appeared to be quite content with gazing out the window at the passing scenery. That was a good sign right?

As the burger place came into sight, Seungkwan’s stomach growled, cutting through the silence in the car. You snickered at him, “Looks like someone is hungry. Let’s go and get some food for you.”

Knowing Seungkwan was trying to make himself feel better just as much as he was trying to make the day up to you, you didn’t bother arguing with Seungkwan when he insisted on paying. You could always treat him to a meal another time. 

A little while later, Seungkwan returned with your meals and you both dug in hungrily. There was nothing like a warm meal on a cold and wet day. 

“I’m sorry.”

At the sound of Seungkwan’s voice, you retracted your hand from your french fries. Ah, so the time had come. 

You asked him gently, “Whatever for?”

Poking at his burger, Seungkwan murmured, “For ruining the date. I’m sorry I ruined it. Everything was supposed to be perfect. I wanted this date to be perfect for you so you would be happy and instead I ruined it. It was a total disaster.”

You shook your head, “Seungkwan. In my opinion, this date was perfect. So what if our plans were derailed. I’m still enjoying this date with you immensely.”

Seungkwan’s eyes widened in shock. He sputtered, “You mean… you’re not disappointed or upset at me?”

“Is that what you think?”

“Yes.”

You softened, your heart breaking at his self-reprimanding tone, “Am I disappointed the flower field was closed due to flash floods? Yes. But am I disappointed and upset at you? Absolutely not. You couldn’t have predicted what would happen today. You planned a wonderful day for us and I am grateful to you for that. Besides, despite everything you still tried your best to ensure the date was perfect. It was perfect, and still is. Spending this precious time with you is more important to me than anything else. How else was I supposed to learn you were in a comedy group named BooSeokSoon in college along with Nurse Kwon and Dr. Lee?”

Seungkwan’s head lifted and his frown morphed into a proud smile, “Comedy slash singing group. We wanted to bring smiles to everyone around us. I guess you’re right. This time I spent with you is precious.”

You smirked, “Of course. I wouldn’t want to spend my Sundays in a random burger place with anyone else but you.”

Content with the way Seungkwan’s mood was lifted significantly, your heart swelled with pride as you gazed at him fondly. This was the man you came to adore over the past few months. The man who was selfless, who always sought to do his best for everyone else around him just so he could uplift their moods and bring them happiness. Even when he wasn’t doing much, his smile and presence alone could brighten up the whole room, a feat not many were able to achieve. You saw the warmth surrounding his heart, his patience, kindness, and gentle actions towards others, which were always carried out with such attention to detail and love. Boo Seungkwan was the epitome of a nurse and he set the standard for what kind of human you aspired to be. 

Musing over the wonderful being that was Seungkwan for a moment longer, you couldn’t help but blurt, “You’re such a kind person Seungkwan.”

Caught off guard by your compliment, Seungkwan stammered, “What… what brought this compliment about?”

You shrugged, “I was thinking about you. All the things you do to make others smile, bring them happiness. Your whole “Smile Flower Initiative” for instance, or the date you planned today. Oh and don’t think I don’t see you regularly buying coffee for the staff and volunteers who work at the ED, or the way you sometimes get those small tiger pins from the gift shop to give to Nurse Kwon. I’ve also heard stories about how you would work frequently overtime at the ED because some of the elderly regulars are most comfortable around you. One time, I heard from my best friend that you spent the whole night singing to one of the children who was going to undergo an orthopedic surgery. Hospital regulation stated his parents couldn’t be there, and so you stayed with him until he went in.”

Seungkwan grumbled, “Vernon has a big mouth for someone who talks so little sometimes.”

You snorted, “My point being. You’re always putting other people’s happiness first. But what about you? What are some times you like to do which brings you happiness?”

Stirring his drink, Seungkwan wrecked his brain for an answer, “I like talking to the people at the ED, and spending time with the elderly in the geriatric ward. To be able to speak to them outside of when I’m working is fulfilling for me. It humanises them in a way, helps me to see them as individuals, it reminds me how important my work is to helping them get back on their feet. Working in the ED can be tiring, but it is refreshing to finally feel fulfilled and passionate about my job again.”

Cheekily chucking a french fry at Seungkwan, you pressed him further, “As nice as all that is, I mean what are some things you like to do outside of work to decompress? What are some things you like to do for you?”

Pushing around the empty wrappers on the table, Seungkwan’s smile faltered. Yea, what has he done for himself lately? At his previous hospital, he didn’t have the luxury to even think about having time off for himself. When he went home, he would shower, eat, and go straight to bed. Now, he had more downtime, but what did he decide to do? Throw himself into doing more work because he was caught up in his renewed passion for his work. Today was probably the first day since he began working at Seventeen Med where he took a full day off work. Hell, he couldn’t remember the last time he spent a day doing absolutely nothing. 

“Hmm. What are some of your hobbies?”

Your voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Without hesitation, Seungkwan declared smugly, “I love badminton. I used to play in a team recreationally on weekends, and I was good.”

“Favourite food?”

“Jokbal, braised pigs trotters.”

“Favourite places to visit?”

“The beach just off the road from the Caratland theme park. Years ago, I used to spend my days off feeling the sea breeze in my hair and blowing on the dandelions.”

Clapping your hands together gleefully, your eyes sparkled in excitement, “Okay! That settles it. If you’re okay with it, for our next date, we can play badminton in the morning, have Jokbal for lunch, and then visit the beach, make wishes on dandelions, and have a simple picnic for dinner while watching the sunset!”

Seungkwan’s eyes widened, “Next date? You want to go on another date with me?”

Tilting your head questioningly at Seungkwan, you exclaimed, “Of course I would! Uhm, only if you want to?”

Overcome with emotion, Seungkwan shot out of his clair and walked over to sit next to you. He gazed into your eyes, brushing your cheek lightly with his hand, “Earlier, you asked me what are some things I like to do that bring me happiness. I think I have something new to add to my list.”

You shuddered under his soft, feathery touch, “And what would that be?”

Intertwining his hand with yours, Seungkwan whispered, “That would be going on many, many dates with you, my beautiful flower.”

--⌃⌄-💎-⌃⌄–

The following day in the break room, Soonyoung scuttered around Seungkwan, probing him for details on his date, “So, how was the date?”

“It was a total disaster. Nothing went according to plan.”

Patting Seungkwan on the back empathetically, Soonyoung comforted him, “I’m sorry to hear that…”

Recalling the events of the previous day, Seungkwan sighed blissfully, “Don’t be. It was the best date I’ve ever been on.”

Watching Seungkwan strut out of the break room, Soonyoung shrugged. He was confused but he would accept the answer. Who was he to question his friends’ weird love lives?

Because love was in bloom, and that was the most important point.

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The majority of patients who came into the ED were in serious condition. Any ED staff member would tell you their work was extremely fast paced and stressful. They saw the ugliest sides of mankind, and the worst that life has to offer. Their days (and nights) working in the ED could be characterised by thousands of life threatening injuries, allergic reactions, and serious illnesses. While many lives could be saved thanks to their valiant efforts and the wonders of modern medicine, just as many patients could not escape from the clutches of death. 

Not to mention, working in an ED was a thankless job. They weren’t only treating their patients, but their patients’ distraught or hysterical loved ones as well. The ED staff members were witnesses, participants, and often the so-called “perpetrators” in some of the worst, if not the worst days of people’s lives. Many times, when a patient’s loved one could not handle the stress of the situation they were suddenly thrown into, tensions and emotions would run high in the ED, which meant the staff were usually on the receiving end of many emotional outbursts. 

The ED staff members shouldered these burdens, silently enduring the physical, mental, and emotional stress that came with the job. It was a small price to pay to be on the front lines. If they could have a hand in saving lives, everything they endured was worth it. 

However, just because they silently endured it, doesn’t mean the stress never got to them. 

Having worked as an ED nurse for almost a decade, Seungkwan knew this all too well. He had, afterall, been one of the miserable, burnt out, overworked, underappreciated nurses who still gritted his teeth and went to work day after day. While he enjoyed being a nurse, it came to a point where the sterile white felt dull, and the blinding fluorescent lights in the ED ironically became an omen of darkness and suffering in his life. 

But, everything changed when Seungkwan moved over to Seventeen Med. When Jihoon offered him a new position, one where he could work with his university friends, he accepted immediately. He loved his friends, and he was in desperate need for a change of environment. Who knows, he thought, perhaps he could rekindle the spark he was looking for… perhaps he could come to genuinely find love and fulfillment in doing his job again. 

Seungkwan wanted a change of environment, and he certainly got it. As Soonyoung, Seungkwan’s old friend (and new boss) gave him a tour of the hospital’s premises, Seungkwan looked around, completely awestruck. Seventeen Med was unlike any other hospital Seungkwan ever saw before. Gone were the white walls of his past, replaced by walls painted in pretty shades of PANTONE 13-1520 and PANTONE 15-3919, or rose quartz and serenity respectively. The contrast of the warm pink and cooler blue colours helped to ground people by evoking a sense of tranquility in an otherwise chaotic place. The beautifully coloured walls, coupled with the floor to ceiling windows, dove grey tiles lining the floor, sunbleached wooden furniture, and decor made of crystal, marble or glass, allowed the entire place to feel bright, open, calm, and inviting. In Seungkwan’s opinion, the design of Seventeen Med was less like a hospital, and more of a luxury retreat. 

By the time Soonyoung brought Seungkwan to the Emergency Department where they would be working, Seungkwan felt more refreshed than he had felt in a long, long time. He was feeling excited to begin his new job, and he felt oddly inspired. It was amazing how a change in the colour scheme and decor of a place could impact his mood. He followed Soonyoung into the ED, chattering animatedly about all the ideas he had about sprucing up the place further. Caught up with Seungkwan’s newfound enthusiasm, Soonyoung began rambling along with him. 

“Maybe we can create a tiger themed ED,” Soonyoung said, grinning gleefully. 

“No. That’s so tacky.”

“Seungkwan pppllleeeaasssseeee. Come on, we can get those tiger print blankets.”

“No.”

“Small tiger figurines we can give away to the children.”

“No, you would hog them all.”

“Tiger snacks?”

Seungkwan gave Soonyoung a disgusted look, “Absolutely not.”

Soonyoung’s grin faded into a sad pout. He whined, “Not even tiger lilies?”

Seungkwan was about to immediately reject Soonyoung’s next stupid suggestion, but he held his tongue because decorating the ED with tiger lilies didn't sound stupid after all. Rubbing his chin, he deliberated over Soonyoung’s surprisingly good suggestion, “Tiger lilies huh? You might be onto something. How about we get flowers for the ED? Fake flowers of course, since real flowers pose a risk. We can buy a new bouquet every week to change up the atmosphere. Plus when we change the bouquet, we can give the old ones away to the children.”

Soonyoung nodded, “Yes. We can even set up a small arts and crafts station near the back of the waiting room mended by volunteers to teach people how to make bouquets, paintings, or origami flowers.”

Filled with pride at his own suggestion and Seungkwan’s idea, Soonyoung gave Seungkwan a thumbs up and a smirk, “Okay! I approve of this proposal. Your first task as my second in charge will be to go to the hospital’s flower shop and get some fake flowers for the ED, preferably tiger lilies… They should have it because the shop actually brings in a whole variety of fake flowers as an alternative for those with allergies. We’ll try this idea out for a month, and if it works, you can write a formal proposal to Jihoon to get funding to turn this into a full time project. I would do it, but you know, I’m your boss and you have to listen to me.”

Rolling his eyes and giving Soonyoung a mock salute, Seungkwan turned on his heel to seek out the hospital’s flower shop. 

--⌃⌄-💎-⌃⌄–

Absent-mindedly fiddling with his new staff ID, Seungkwan hummed as he approached the hospital’s flower shop. He would pick up the tiger lilies Soonyoung ordered him to get, albeit begrudgingly, before returning to his post. If he was quick, the whole transaction shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes. 

Seungkwan was sorely mistaken. Upon arriving at the front of the flower shop, he came to an abrupt halt when he spotted you, adorned in your apron and armed with your gardening shears. His breathing hitched, his grip on his staff ID loosening, causing it to fall to the floor with a soft “clank.” Despite there being a vast display of various types of flowers, they didn’t matter to Seungkwan, nor did he pay them any mind. He ignored the regal roses, charming carnations, heavenly hydrangeas, colourful chrysanthemums, ornate orchids, dainty dahlias, and the luscious lilies. Instead, his eyes were completely transfixed on you. 

To him, you were the most stunning flower of all. 

Hearing the sound of something dropping on the floor, you turned to look in that direction. Noticing your stare, Seungkwan blushed and averted his gaze. He bent down, fumbling to pick up his staff ID. Whether it was out of embarrassment, or the adrenaline pumping through his body because he saw just one of the most stunning women ever, he couldn’t get a good grip on his ID. 

You giggled, amused at how adorable Seungkwan’s clumsy movements were. Deciding to put him out of his misery, you crouched down beside him, picking up his staff ID for him.

Curious as to who this butterfingered stranger was, you read off his staff ID, “Boo Seungkwan. RN. Date of Issue? Oh, it’s today. Hey, welcome to Seventeen Med! I’m Y/n L/n, Med’s resident florist. As you can see, I run this flower shop.”

Seungkwan stared at you, wide eyed and very red faced. He stuttered, grimacing slightly at his mistake, “Uhm… Yes… Nice to meet you flower… no sorry. I mean Y/n.”

You flush, clearing your throat to cover up how flustered you really were over his tiny slip up. Hanging him his staff ID back, you ask him kindly, “How can I help you today Nurse Boo? What type of flowers are you interested in? Perhaps a bouquet for a special someone?”

Seungkwan waved his hands in front of his face frantically, “No, no, not for a special someone. I’m looking for a bouquet of fake tiger lilies. It’s for the ED.”

Pretending not to notice the way your heart leaped when he said he wasn’t going to give the flowers to a special someone, you focused on the fact he was looking for tiger lilies instead, “Soonyoung?”

Seungkwan let out an exasperated, exaggerated sigh, “You know about his tiger obsession too?”

You laughed, “Please, the whole hospital knows about it. On his first day of work, he came dressed head to toe in a tiger print jumpsuit. His excuse was that he was going to change into scrubs anyway, so why not dress in something comfortable? I think Mr Xu almost burst a blood vessel when he saw Soonyoung.”

Seungkwan muttered, “You don’t even know half of it. One time, he came to class dressed in a tigger onesie underneath his lab coat.”

You snickered, moving around Seungkwan to get to the flower display. You carefully picked out some fake tiger lilies from the corner, laying them out on the table to be wrapped up into a bouquet. Meanwhile, Seungkwan watched silently as you worked, trying to ignore how the sight of you arranging the flowers and wrapping the bouquet in a soft, delicate piece of paper sent the butterflies in his stomach fluttering wildly. 

After a short while, you handed over the bouquet to Seungkwan after giving the bow a final tug to ensure you tied it securely, “You can transfer the whole bouquet into a dry vase. If the material of the flower petals gets dusty, just use a slightly damp cloth to wipe it off.”

“How much do I owe you for it?”

Shaking your head, you gave him a smile, teasing him, “Don’t worry about it. Since it’s for the ED, this bouquet is on the house. Besides, I have a feeling I’ll be seeing you around more frequently, Nurse Boo.”

--⌃⌄-💎-⌃⌄–

And see Nurse Boo around more frequently, you did, because you became one of the main suppliers for the hospital’s newly implemented “Smile Flower Initiative.”

Built upon Seungkwan’s proposal to start decorating the ED with flowers, the “Smile Flower Initiative” turned out to be a major success. Regardless of how well designed the ED was, how well run the ED was, or how nice all the staff members were, at the end of the day, Seventeen Med’s ED was still an ED. Injuries, illnesses, and distraught and disgruntled people were still commonplace in the ED. Working there was no less fast paced or stressful as working in EDs elsewhere. 

Although a seemingly simple addition to the ED, the flowers worked wonders and there was a noticeable difference in the atmosphere. The presence of flowers helped to significantly improve the mood of staff, patients, and visitors alike. As his friend, psychiatrist Dr. Lee Dokyeom, would explain, flowers release a chemical called mycobacterium vaccae, which signals the brain to realse the “feel good” hormone, serotonin, thereby naturally improving people’s moods. To put it simply, the flowers, yes even the fake ones, brought happiness, serenity, and hope to people, especially in a place like the ED. 

Jihoon signed off on Seungkwan’s proposal to have the hospital fund the flowers for the ED even before the end of the one month trial. He saw how well received the flowers were, and admitted that while real flowers were used as decorations elsewhere in the hospital, he never thought to use fake flowers as a replacement in departments where real flowers were a safety hazard. Seungkwan mentally face palmed at Jihoon’s admission, but preened under his praise. 

Once the proposal was implemented, the ED was soon full of different types of fake flowers. Knitted or crochet flowers, flowers on blankets, pieces of art featuring flowers, etc. Most items were either donated, handmade by volunteers, or funded by the hospital. Seungkwan loved how each item was unique, usually personalised by the person who supplied it to them. He strongly believed the flowers brought more life and colour into the ED. 

Out of everything he saw though, Seungkwan’s favourite types of flower decorations were still the bouquets you would so lovingly arrange and prepare for him every week. Week after week, month after month, Seungkwan would meet you at your flower shop on Mondays at 10.30am sharp to collect the bouquet of the week. He always looked forward to seeing what new bouquet arrangements you prepared specially for him. The excited expressions from his co-workers, patients, and visitors to the ED when they saw the new bouquets were also highly anticipated. 

At least, those were the reasons Seungkwan told himself justify the excited, tingly, jittery feeling he had whenever it was time to pick up the flowers from your shop. As the time approached, he would be overcome with a rapidly beating heart, hot flushes, a wild blush on his face, clammy hands, and sweaty palms. He would feel slightly lightheaded, and yet he couldn’t manage to keep still, like he needed to bounce or jump about to release some pent up energy. 

Despite the many, many times Seungkwan told himself it was simply adrenaline from the excitement of being able to bring joy to the ED, he knew it wasn’t that. He knew the real reason behind his buzzing nerves - you, the flower shop’s (very cute) florist. While he could try to live in denial, it wasn’t lost on Seungkwan that he might have a huge tiny crush on you. 

Seungkwan’s feelings weren’t lost on Soonyoung either. Soonyoung would frequently observe Seungkwan from a distance as he floated off to pick up the bouquet with a spring in his step, and a lovestruck expression plastered across his face. There were so many times Seungkwan tripped over a cart or almost bumped into someone because he was thinking so intensely about you. Seungkwan liked to believe no one saw him fumble about, but Soonyoung was more observant than most people thought. If Soonyoung was being honest with himself, he was tired and fed up that most of his friends were so hopeless when it came to love. For how much crap Seungkwan liked to give Dokyeom for being a trainwreck before the latter began dating his girlfriend, Seungkwan was no better. 

The process of Seungkwan actually accepting that he did in fact have a crush on you was rather long and arduous, much to Soonyoung’s chargrain. But, Seungkwan was eventually able to accept his feelings for you, and not a moment too soon because Soonyoung was about to start screaming his head off from exasperation. 

Fortunately for Soonyoung, before he worked himself up into having a terrible sore throat, Seungkwan sought him out one day asking for a pleasantly surprising favour.

“YOU WHAT???” 

Seungkwan’s hands flew up to protect his ears. He gave Soonyoung a death glare, “You don’t need to screech in my ears, you hamster face. Did you not hear me? All I asked was if you could do me a favour and cover my shift next Sunday so I can take Y/n out on a date.”

Soonyoung brought his hand to his face, pretending to wipe away his fake tears, “Yea I heard you the first time. I’m just so proud of you. My little shriveled up tangerine tree, you bore no flowers, leaves, or fruit, for your dead roots never found a pool full of love to drink from. Now, you’ve found it, you’re finally growing up, heart open, leaves sprouting. You’re ready to love so go forth, and let your flowers, drinking hungrily from the pools of love, bloom. BLOOM I SAY. BLOOOMMMMMMMPPPHJHHHHHHHHHH.”

Soonyoung’s enthusiastic monologue was cut off by Seungkwan clamping his hand over Soonyoung’s mouth tightly, “I take it that’s a yes?”

“MMMHSMMM.”

“You’re going to cover my shift? So I can go on my date?”

“MMMHSMMM. MMMHHHMMM.”

Seungkwan, satisfied by Soonyoung’s answers, released his grip on the elder. Soonyoung grumbled, “You ask me for a favour, I grant you what you want, and this is how you treat me. Woe is me.”

Seungkwan shrugged, “You were the one being overdramatic.”

Rubbing his sore chin, Soonyoung retorted, “You can’t blame me. You were pathetically pining over her for months now, and now out of the blue you ask me to cover your shift because you’ve finally asked her out and she agreed to go on a date with you. Can’t a guy be happy for his friend?”

Seungkwan paled, the words “you’ve finally asked her out and she agreed to go on a date with you” echoing through his head repeatedly. 

Noticing Seungkwan’s unusual silence and lack of a snarky comment, Soonyoung looked at him questioningly, “Uhm… you have asked her out right? That’s why you’re asking me for the favour? Because you asked her on a date and she said yes?”

Alarmed, Seungkwan shrieked, his hands flailing all over the place as he dashed out of the ED, “Wait. Wait… WAIT. YOU’RE RIGHT. I NEVER ASKED HER OUT TO BEGIN WITH!”

Soonyoung reached out to grab Seungkwan’s shirt, wanting to stop him from rushing off halfway during a shift, but he missed it by an inch. Completely bewildered, Soonyoung stood motionless in the corner of the ED. He opened his mouth to try to say something, only to close it again. After what seemed like an eternity, Soonyoung finally processed what he saw and leaned against the nearby wall for support. He exhaled shakily, “Whooo boy, and I thought Dokyeommie was helpless. Seungkwan, he’s on a whole other planet.”

--⌃⌄-💎-⌃⌄–

Meanwhile, you were assisting your best friend at the hospital’s gift shop. 

“My angel, do you think these orange petunias would go with the new shipment of teddy bears?”

Your best friend lightly pinched your cheek, “Munchkin. Orange flowers with those purple teddy bears? I don’t see why not. Go for it.”

You squealed, immediately grabbing a teddy to try and put together a cute teddy flower bouquet. As you picked out new flowers for the bouquet, your best friend worked on a new gift basket arrangement. You worked in comfortable silence for a while, but your best friend soon grew bored.

With an evil glint in her eye, she abandoned the gift basket, propping herself up on her seat. Leaning in towards you, she asked, “Sooooooo. How’s your Boo?”

You rolled your eyes, “I should be asking you how’s your dating life now you’re with Dr Chwe.”

Unimpressed, she retorted, “At least I have a dating life babie. Nurse Boo and you should be dating by now. Go and ask him out on a date.”

“I don’t have the guts to ask someone out and you know it. Besides, what if he says no? He’s Nurse Boo. I’m sure he’s surrounded by pretty nurses and doctors all the time. Why settle for me?”

Your best friend reeled back, placing a hand over her heart, “EXCUSE ME? Settle for you? Babie. Munchkin. My love. My heart will die if you say that. Anyone who cannot see how amazing you are needs to get their brain checked. You’re more than enough so don’t doubt yourself like that.”

Fiddling with the finished teddy flower bouquet, you nodded shakily. 

Your best friend patted your head, swiveling your seat around to face the shop’s entrance, “Good. Now. Once again, you’re more than enough. I can see that, and Nurse Boo definitely can see it too.”

From your position, you could see Seungkwan frantically looking around your flower shop calling out your name. You stared in shock as you felt your best friend gently nudge you forward and out of her shop, guiding you towards him. 

Your best friend cheekily called out, “Delivery for Nurse Boo!!”

Snapping out of your daze, you glared at her as she retreated back into the gift shop howling with laughter. 

You muttered an apology to Seungkwan, awkwardly asking, “Sorry about that Seungkwan. Is there anything I can help you with today? Do you need a new bouquet urgently?”

Face flushed and ears pink, both from being out of breath and from what he was about to do, Seungkwan shifted around a bit, wringing his bands, “Uh. Yea, there is something you can help me with… Would you… umm, happen to be free next Sunday? For a date, with… me?

Seungkwan was asking you on a date. Next Sunday. Just the two of you. You and him. Together. Alone. On a date. Romantic date. Date with Seungkwan. 

Letting Seungkwan’s question sink in, you squeaked, hiding your warm face behind the teddy flower bouquet you were still holding. Through the gaps in the flowers, you could see Seungkwan’s eyes sparkle with apprehension, and more importantly, hope. Your heart fluttered with the same adoring feeling you had whenever you saw flowers swaying gently in the wind. 

Seungkwan wanted to go on this date with you. 

Somehow, that realisation made your grip on the bouquet grow tighter, and you refused to meet his eyes. 

Standing opposite from you, Seungkwan’s hope was beginning to falter. With you hiding behind the bouquet, he was unable to read your reaction properly. Were you shy because of the question? Was he weird? Were you so turned off by the idea of having to go on a date with him you hid behind your flowers? Beads of sweat rolled down his face, he gulped, sucking in a deep breath, about to try to cut through the uneasy, uncomfortable tension by telling you it was okay if you didn’t want to you know? There was no pressure at all.

“NURSE BOO, YOU BROKE HER. BUT Y/N WOULD LOVE TO GO ON A DATE WITH YOU. GO ON Y/N SAY YES. GET YOUR MAN.” Your best friend, who was finally unable to take the silence anymore, screamed from the gift shop.

You quickly lowered the bouquet, giving Seungkwan a reassuring, albeit sheepish nod, “Yes yes. What she said. I would love to go on a date with you Seungkwan.”

Relieved, Seungkwan let out the breath he was holding in, “Oh thank the heavens. I’ll pick you up next Sunday. Say, 11am?”

You smiled, hugging the bouquet closer to your body, “11am sounds perfect.”

--⌃⌄-💎-⌃⌄–

If there was one word to describe how Seungkwan felt last week after he actually asked you out on a date and you said yes, it would be “perfect.” Everything was perfect. While he was apprehensive about the date, he was more excited than anything else. He spent the week agonising over every inch of his plans, the places to bring you, food to eat, conversation topics. Everything was going to be perfect. It had to be, for you. 

Alas, when perfection is what is highly sought after and anticipated, reality always falls short of it. Fast forward one week, and the one word to describe how the date was going now was “disaster.”

Seungkwan’s original plan was to pick you up at 11am, drive two hours away to a pretty flower field you mentioned in passing one time during your previous conversations. You would have a quiet lunch at the restaurant overlooking the flower field before roaming around and taking in the sights for a few hours. Should you feel parched or tired halfway, there was also a cafe on the edge of the flower field where you could have some tea. During the drive back into the city, you would stop by another restaurant serving your favourite dish. If all went well, he would have you home safely by 9 or 10pm. 

Unfortunately, Seungkwan’s plans were derailed one by one, and soon the perfection he was aiming for was nothing more than a fleeting dream replaced by this disaster of a date. 

Absolutely nothing went his way. In the morning, Seungkwan’s car wouldn’t start when he prepared to head over to your apartment to pick you up. By the time he managed to get a hold of a mechanic to jump start his car, he was over an hour late. Despite your reassurances that it was okay to reschedule the date, Seungkwan was stubborn. He wasn’t going to let this little setback ruin the perfect day he so meticulously planned. 

The drive to the flower field started out lovely. There was a lot of talking, and even more laughs. Everything was looking up for Seungkwan, but as the saying goes, “when it rains, it pours.” In this case, quite literally. What began as a sunny day turned into a dark, gloomy, overcast one as rain began pelting down harshly on the ground. Nevertheless, Seungkwan insisted on moving forward with his original plans. Sudden showers weren’t uncommon during this time of the year, and perhaps the rain would clear up by the time you arrived at your destination. 

When you finally arrived at the flower field, the rain stopped, but Seungkwan’s good spirits were dashed by further setbacks in his plans. The restaurant regretfully informed Seungkwan that you had missed your reservation, and because you arrived 2 hours late, the restaurant was now closing for the afternoon. To make matters worse, the flower field which housed the cafe, was also closed due to flash flooding from the rain. 

Seungkwan’s shoulders slumped as his last rays of hope were dashed. So much for the perfect date. This date could possibly have been the worst date you had ever been on. Throughout the day, you had been reassuring him that you could always reschedule the date, or spend the day at a cafe in the city. And when he insisted on going through with his plans, you never once objected to them or complained about his stubborn nature. He felt like the biggest fool of the century. In his mission to plan the perfect date for you to make you happy, he ended up ruining the entire date. Although you didn’t show any indication of it, he was sure you were having a horrible time and would never want to go out with him ever again. 

You observed Seungkwan silently from the passenger’s seat of his car. His dejected, dull, downcast eyes told you everything. He was full of regret and disappointment at how the day turned out. Worst of all, he was most disappointed with himself. He blamed himself for ruining the day and was chastising himself internally.

You nudged him gently, “Seungkwan, it’s kind of late now and we both haven’t eaten since this morning. How about we turn around and head back into the city? I saw a burger place on the way here. Maybe we can grab some? I know you like burgers…”

By requesting something from Seungkwan, you hoped you could pull him out of his fixation on the ruined day. Seungkwan was a giver, someone who was always ready to help others. You had a hunch that by giving him something else to focus on, he would shift his attention onto how he could best carry out your request to satisfy you. Your hunch proved to be correct. A deep frown was still evident on Seungkwan’s face, but he visibly relaxed at your request. 

The drive to the burger place was silent and slightly tense. Seungkwan’s mind was muddled up with countless thoughts. What should he say to you? Were you mad at him for this ruined date? He practically wasted your time when you could have been at home, warm and well fed. He would obviously have to apologise, but how? He continuously grabbed at the steering wheel as he glanced at you nervously from the corner of his eye. You didn’t look the least bit upset. In fact, you appeared to be quite content with gazing out the window at the passing scenery. That was a good sign right?

As the burger place came into sight, Seungkwan’s stomach growled, cutting through the silence in the car. You snickered at him, “Looks like someone is hungry. Let’s go and get some food for you.”

Knowing Seungkwan was trying to make himself feel better just as much as he was trying to make the day up to you, you didn’t bother arguing with Seungkwan when he insisted on paying. You could always treat him to a meal another time. 

A little while later, Seungkwan returned with your meals and you both dug in hungrily. There was nothing like a warm meal on a cold and wet day. 

“I’m sorry.”

At the sound of Seungkwan’s voice, you retracted your hand from your french fries. Ah, so the time had come. 

You asked him gently, “Whatever for?”

Poking at his burger, Seungkwan murmured, “For ruining the date. I’m sorry I ruined it. Everything was supposed to be perfect. I wanted this date to be perfect for you so you would be happy and instead I ruined it. It was a total disaster.”

You shook your head, “Seungkwan. In my opinion, this date was perfect. So what if our plans were derailed. I’m still enjoying this date with you immensely.”

Seungkwan’s eyes widened in shock. He sputtered, “You mean… you’re not disappointed or upset at me?”

“Is that what you think?”

“Yes.”

You softened, your heart breaking at his self-reprimanding tone, “Am I disappointed the flower field was closed due to flash floods? Yes. But am I disappointed and upset at you? Absolutely not. You couldn’t have predicted what would happen today. You planned a wonderful day for us and I am grateful to you for that. Besides, despite everything you still tried your best to ensure the date was perfect. It was perfect, and still is. Spending this precious time with you is more important to me than anything else. How else was I supposed to learn you were in a comedy group named BooSeokSoon in college along with Nurse Kwon and Dr. Lee?”

Seungkwan’s head lifted and his frown morphed into a proud smile, “Comedy slash singing group. We wanted to bring smiles to everyone around us. I guess you’re right. This time I spent with you is precious.”

You smirked, “Of course. I wouldn’t want to spend my Sundays in a random burger place with anyone else but you.”

Content with the way Seungkwan’s mood was lifted significantly, your heart swelled with pride as you gazed at him fondly. This was the man you came to adore over the past few months. The man who was selfless, who always sought to do his best for everyone else around him just so he could uplift their moods and bring them happiness. Even when he wasn’t doing much, his smile and presence alone could brighten up the whole room, a feat not many were able to achieve. You saw the warmth surrounding his heart, his patience, kindness, and gentle actions towards others, which were always carried out with such attention to detail and love. Boo Seungkwan was the epitome of a nurse and he set the standard for what kind of human you aspired to be. 

Musing over the wonderful being that was Seungkwan for a moment longer, you couldn’t help but blurt, “You’re such a kind person Seungkwan.”

Caught off guard by your compliment, Seungkwan stammered, “What… what brought this compliment about?”

You shrugged, “I was thinking about you. All the things you do to make others smile, bring them happiness. Your whole “Smile Flower Initiative” for instance, or the date you planned today. Oh and don’t think I don’t see you regularly buying coffee for the staff and volunteers who work at the ED, or the way you sometimes get those small tiger pins from the gift shop to give to Nurse Kwon. I’ve also heard stories about how you would work frequently overtime at the ED because some of the elderly regulars are most comfortable around you. One time, I heard from my best friend that you spent the whole night singing to one of the children who was going to undergo an orthopedic surgery. Hospital regulation stated his parents couldn’t be there, and so you stayed with him until he went in.”

Seungkwan grumbled, “Vernon has a big mouth for someone who talks so little sometimes.”

You snorted, “My point being. You’re always putting other people’s happiness first. But what about you? What are some times you like to do which brings you happiness?”

Stirring his drink, Seungkwan wrecked his brain for an answer, “I like talking to the people at the ED, and spending time with the elderly in the geriatric ward. To be able to speak to them outside of when I’m working is fulfilling for me. It humanises them in a way, helps me to see them as individuals, it reminds me how important my work is to helping them get back on their feet. Working in the ED can be tiring, but it is refreshing to finally feel fulfilled and passionate about my job again.”

Cheekily chucking a french fry at Seungkwan, you pressed him further, “As nice as all that is, I mean what are some things you like to do outside of work to decompress? What are some things you like to do for you?”

Pushing around the empty wrappers on the table, Seungkwan’s smile faltered. Yea, what has he done for himself lately? At his previous hospital, he didn’t have the luxury to even think about having time off for himself. When he went home, he would shower, eat, and go straight to bed. Now, he had more downtime, but what did he decide to do? Throw himself into doing more work because he was caught up in his renewed passion for his work. Today was probably the first day since he began working at Seventeen Med where he took a full day off work. Hell, he couldn’t remember the last time he spent a day doing absolutely nothing. 

“Hmm. What are some of your hobbies?”

Your voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Without hesitation, Seungkwan declared smugly, “I love badminton. I used to play in a team recreationally on weekends, and I was good.”

“Favourite food?”

“Jokbal, braised pigs trotters.”

“Favourite places to visit?”

“The beach just off the road from the Caratland theme park. Years ago, I used to spend my days off feeling the sea breeze in my hair and blowing on the dandelions.”

Clapping your hands together gleefully, your eyes sparkled in excitement, “Okay! That settles it. If you’re okay with it, for our next date, we can play badminton in the morning, have Jokbal for lunch, and then visit the beach, make wishes on dandelions, and have a simple picnic for dinner while watching the sunset!”

Seungkwan’s eyes widened, “Next date? You want to go on another date with me?”

Tilting your head questioningly at Seungkwan, you exclaimed, “Of course I would! Uhm, only if you want to?”

Overcome with emotion, Seungkwan shot out of his clair and walked over to sit next to you. He gazed into your eyes, brushing your cheek lightly with his hand, “Earlier, you asked me what are some things I like to do that bring me happiness. I think I have something new to add to my list.”

You shuddered under his soft, feathery touch, “And what would that be?”

Intertwining his hand with yours, Seungkwan whispered, “That would be going on many, many dates with you, my beautiful flower.”

--⌃⌄-💎-⌃⌄–

The following day in the break room, Soonyoung scuttered around Seungkwan, probing him for details on his date, “So, how was the date?”

“It was a total disaster. Nothing went according to plan.”

Patting Seungkwan on the back empathetically, Soonyoung comforted him, “I’m sorry to hear that…”

Recalling the events of the previous day, Seungkwan sighed blissfully, “Don’t be. It was the best date I’ve ever been on.”

Watching Seungkwan strut out of the break room, Soonyoung shrugged. He was confused but he would accept the answer. Who was he to question his friends’ weird love lives?

Because love was in bloom, and that was the most important point.

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The majority of patients who came into the ED were in serious condition. Any ED staff member would tell you their work was extremely fast paced and stressful. They saw the ugliest sides of mankind, and the worst that life has to offer. Their days (and nights) working in the ED could be characterised by thousands of life threatening injuries, allergic reactions, and serious illnesses. While many lives could be saved thanks to their valiant efforts and the wonders of modern medicine, just as many patients could not escape from the clutches of death. 

Not to mention, working in an ED was a thankless job. They weren’t only treating their patients, but their patients’ distraught or hysterical loved ones as well. The ED staff members were witnesses, participants, and often the so-called “perpetrators” in some of the worst, if not the worst days of people’s lives. Many times, when a patient’s loved one could not handle the stress of the situation they were suddenly thrown into, tensions and emotions would run high in the ED, which meant the staff were usually on the receiving end of many emotional outbursts. 

The ED staff members shouldered these burdens, silently enduring the physical, mental, and emotional stress that came with the job. It was a small price to pay to be on the front lines. If they could have a hand in saving lives, everything they endured was worth it. 

However, just because they silently endured it, doesn’t mean the stress never got to them. 

Having worked as an ED nurse for almost a decade, Seungkwan knew this all too well. He had, afterall, been one of the miserable, burnt out, overworked, underappreciated nurses who still gritted his teeth and went to work day after day. While he enjoyed being a nurse, it came to a point where the sterile white felt dull, and the blinding fluorescent lights in the ED ironically became an omen of darkness and suffering in his life. 

But, everything changed when Seungkwan moved over to Seventeen Med. When Jihoon offered him a new position, one where he could work with his university friends, he accepted immediately. He loved his friends, and he was in desperate need for a change of environment. Who knows, he thought, perhaps he could rekindle the spark he was looking for… perhaps he could come to genuinely find love and fulfillment in doing his job again. 

Seungkwan wanted a change of environment, and he certainly got it. As Soonyoung, Seungkwan’s old friend (and new boss) gave him a tour of the hospital’s premises, Seungkwan looked around, completely awestruck. Seventeen Med was unlike any other hospital Seungkwan ever saw before. Gone were the white walls of his past, replaced by walls painted in pretty shades of PANTONE 13-1520 and PANTONE 15-3919, or rose quartz and serenity respectively. The contrast of the warm pink and cooler blue colours helped to ground people by evoking a sense of tranquility in an otherwise chaotic place. The beautifully coloured walls, coupled with the floor to ceiling windows, dove grey tiles lining the floor, sunbleached wooden furniture, and decor made of crystal, marble or glass, allowed the entire place to feel bright, open, calm, and inviting. In Seungkwan’s opinion, the design of Seventeen Med was less like a hospital, and more of a luxury retreat. 

By the time Soonyoung brought Seungkwan to the Emergency Department where they would be working, Seungkwan felt more refreshed than he had felt in a long, long time. He was feeling excited to begin his new job, and he felt oddly inspired. It was amazing how a change in the colour scheme and decor of a place could impact his mood. He followed Soonyoung into the ED, chattering animatedly about all the ideas he had about sprucing up the place further. Caught up with Seungkwan’s newfound enthusiasm, Soonyoung began rambling along with him. 

“Maybe we can create a tiger themed ED,” Soonyoung said, grinning gleefully. 

“No. That’s so tacky.”

“Seungkwan pppllleeeaasssseeee. Come on, we can get those tiger print blankets.”

“No.”

“Small tiger figurines we can give away to the children.”

“No, you would hog them all.”

“Tiger snacks?”

Seungkwan gave Soonyoung a disgusted look, “Absolutely not.”

Soonyoung’s grin faded into a sad pout. He whined, “Not even tiger lilies?”

Seungkwan was about to immediately reject Soonyoung’s next stupid suggestion, but he held his tongue because decorating the ED with tiger lilies didn't sound stupid after all. Rubbing his chin, he deliberated over Soonyoung’s surprisingly good suggestion, “Tiger lilies huh? You might be onto something. How about we get flowers for the ED? Fake flowers of course, since real flowers pose a risk. We can buy a new bouquet every week to change up the atmosphere. Plus when we change the bouquet, we can give the old ones away to the children.”

Soonyoung nodded, “Yes. We can even set up a small arts and crafts station near the back of the waiting room mended by volunteers to teach people how to make bouquets, paintings, or origami flowers.”

Filled with pride at his own suggestion and Seungkwan’s idea, Soonyoung gave Seungkwan a thumbs up and a smirk, “Okay! I approve of this proposal. Your first task as my second in charge will be to go to the hospital’s flower shop and get some fake flowers for the ED, preferably tiger lilies… They should have it because the shop actually brings in a whole variety of fake flowers as an alternative for those with allergies. We’ll try this idea out for a month, and if it works, you can write a formal proposal to Jihoon to get funding to turn this into a full time project. I would do it, but you know, I’m your boss and you have to listen to me.”

Rolling his eyes and giving Soonyoung a mock salute, Seungkwan turned on his heel to seek out the hospital’s flower shop. 

--⌃⌄-💎-⌃⌄–

Absent-mindedly fiddling with his new staff ID, Seungkwan hummed as he approached the hospital’s flower shop. He would pick up the tiger lilies Soonyoung ordered him to get, albeit begrudgingly, before returning to his post. If he was quick, the whole transaction shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes. 

Seungkwan was sorely mistaken. Upon arriving at the front of the flower shop, he came to an abrupt halt when he spotted you, adorned in your apron and armed with your gardening shears. His breathing hitched, his grip on his staff ID loosening, causing it to fall to the floor with a soft “clank.” Despite there being a vast display of various types of flowers, they didn’t matter to Seungkwan, nor did he pay them any mind. He ignored the regal roses, charming carnations, heavenly hydrangeas, colourful chrysanthemums, ornate orchids, dainty dahlias, and the luscious lilies. Instead, his eyes were completely transfixed on you. 

To him, you were the most stunning flower of all. 

Hearing the sound of something dropping on the floor, you turned to look in that direction. Noticing your stare, Seungkwan blushed and averted his gaze. He bent down, fumbling to pick up his staff ID. Whether it was out of embarrassment, or the adrenaline pumping through his body because he saw just one of the most stunning women ever, he couldn’t get a good grip on his ID. 

You giggled, amused at how adorable Seungkwan’s clumsy movements were. Deciding to put him out of his misery, you crouched down beside him, picking up his staff ID for him.

Curious as to who this butterfingered stranger was, you read off his staff ID, “Boo Seungkwan. RN. Date of Issue? Oh, it’s today. Hey, welcome to Seventeen Med! I’m Y/n L/n, Med’s resident florist. As you can see, I run this flower shop.”

Seungkwan stared at you, wide eyed and very red faced. He stuttered, grimacing slightly at his mistake, “Uhm… Yes… Nice to meet you flower… no sorry. I mean Y/n.”

You flush, clearing your throat to cover up how flustered you really were over his tiny slip up. Hanging him his staff ID back, you ask him kindly, “How can I help you today Nurse Boo? What type of flowers are you interested in? Perhaps a bouquet for a special someone?”

Seungkwan waved his hands in front of his face frantically, “No, no, not for a special someone. I’m looking for a bouquet of fake tiger lilies. It’s for the ED.”

Pretending not to notice the way your heart leaped when he said he wasn’t going to give the flowers to a special someone, you focused on the fact he was looking for tiger lilies instead, “Soonyoung?”

Seungkwan let out an exasperated, exaggerated sigh, “You know about his tiger obsession too?”

You laughed, “Please, the whole hospital knows about it. On his first day of work, he came dressed head to toe in a tiger print jumpsuit. His excuse was that he was going to change into scrubs anyway, so why not dress in something comfortable? I think Mr Xu almost burst a blood vessel when he saw Soonyoung.”

Seungkwan muttered, “You don’t even know half of it. One time, he came to class dressed in a tigger onesie underneath his lab coat.”

You snickered, moving around Seungkwan to get to the flower display. You carefully picked out some fake tiger lilies from the corner, laying them out on the table to be wrapped up into a bouquet. Meanwhile, Seungkwan watched silently as you worked, trying to ignore how the sight of you arranging the flowers and wrapping the bouquet in a soft, delicate piece of paper sent the butterflies in his stomach fluttering wildly. 

After a short while, you handed over the bouquet to Seungkwan after giving the bow a final tug to ensure you tied it securely, “You can transfer the whole bouquet into a dry vase. If the material of the flower petals gets dusty, just use a slightly damp cloth to wipe it off.”

“How much do I owe you for it?”

Shaking your head, you gave him a smile, teasing him, “Don’t worry about it. Since it’s for the ED, this bouquet is on the house. Besides, I have a feeling I’ll be seeing you around more frequently, Nurse Boo.”

--⌃⌄-💎-⌃⌄–

And see Nurse Boo around more frequently, you did, because you became one of the main suppliers for the hospital’s newly implemented “Smile Flower Initiative.”

Built upon Seungkwan’s proposal to start decorating the ED with flowers, the “Smile Flower Initiative” turned out to be a major success. Regardless of how well designed the ED was, how well run the ED was, or how nice all the staff members were, at the end of the day, Seventeen Med’s ED was still an ED. Injuries, illnesses, and distraught and disgruntled people were still commonplace in the ED. Working there was no less fast paced or stressful as working in EDs elsewhere. 

Although a seemingly simple addition to the ED, the flowers worked wonders and there was a noticeable difference in the atmosphere. The presence of flowers helped to significantly improve the mood of staff, patients, and visitors alike. As his friend, psychiatrist Dr. Lee Dokyeom, would explain, flowers release a chemical called mycobacterium vaccae, which signals the brain to realse the “feel good” hormone, serotonin, thereby naturally improving people’s moods. To put it simply, the flowers, yes even the fake ones, brought happiness, serenity, and hope to people, especially in a place like the ED. 

Jihoon signed off on Seungkwan’s proposal to have the hospital fund the flowers for the ED even before the end of the one month trial. He saw how well received the flowers were, and admitted that while real flowers were used as decorations elsewhere in the hospital, he never thought to use fake flowers as a replacement in departments where real flowers were a safety hazard. Seungkwan mentally face palmed at Jihoon’s admission, but preened under his praise. 

Once the proposal was implemented, the ED was soon full of different types of fake flowers. Knitted or crochet flowers, flowers on blankets, pieces of art featuring flowers, etc. Most items were either donated, handmade by volunteers, or funded by the hospital. Seungkwan loved how each item was unique, usually personalised by the person who supplied it to them. He strongly believed the flowers brought more life and colour into the ED. 

Out of everything he saw though, Seungkwan’s favourite types of flower decorations were still the bouquets you would so lovingly arrange and prepare for him every week. Week after week, month after month, Seungkwan would meet you at your flower shop on Mondays at 10.30am sharp to collect the bouquet of the week. He always looked forward to seeing what new bouquet arrangements you prepared specially for him. The excited expressions from his co-workers, patients, and visitors to the ED when they saw the new bouquets were also highly anticipated. 

At least, those were the reasons Seungkwan told himself justify the excited, tingly, jittery feeling he had whenever it was time to pick up the flowers from your shop. As the time approached, he would be overcome with a rapidly beating heart, hot flushes, a wild blush on his face, clammy hands, and sweaty palms. He would feel slightly lightheaded, and yet he couldn’t manage to keep still, like he needed to bounce or jump about to release some pent up energy. 

Despite the many, many times Seungkwan told himself it was simply adrenaline from the excitement of being able to bring joy to the ED, he knew it wasn’t that. He knew the real reason behind his buzzing nerves - you, the flower shop’s (very cute) florist. While he could try to live in denial, it wasn’t lost on Seungkwan that he might have a huge tiny crush on you. 

Seungkwan’s feelings weren’t lost on Soonyoung either. Soonyoung would frequently observe Seungkwan from a distance as he floated off to pick up the bouquet with a spring in his step, and a lovestruck expression plastered across his face. There were so many times Seungkwan tripped over a cart or almost bumped into someone because he was thinking so intensely about you. Seungkwan liked to believe no one saw him fumble about, but Soonyoung was more observant than most people thought. If Soonyoung was being honest with himself, he was tired and fed up that most of his friends were so hopeless when it came to love. For how much crap Seungkwan liked to give Dokyeom for being a trainwreck before the latter began dating his girlfriend, Seungkwan was no better. 

The process of Seungkwan actually accepting that he did in fact have a crush on you was rather long and arduous, much to Soonyoung’s chargrain. But, Seungkwan was eventually able to accept his feelings for you, and not a moment too soon because Soonyoung was about to start screaming his head off from exasperation. 

Fortunately for Soonyoung, before he worked himself up into having a terrible sore throat, Seungkwan sought him out one day asking for a pleasantly surprising favour.

“YOU WHAT???” 

Seungkwan’s hands flew up to protect his ears. He gave Soonyoung a death glare, “You don’t need to screech in my ears, you hamster face. Did you not hear me? All I asked was if you could do me a favour and cover my shift next Sunday so I can take Y/n out on a date.”

Soonyoung brought his hand to his face, pretending to wipe away his fake tears, “Yea I heard you the first time. I’m just so proud of you. My little shriveled up tangerine tree, you bore no flowers, leaves, or fruit, for your dead roots never found a pool full of love to drink from. Now, you’ve found it, you’re finally growing up, heart open, leaves sprouting. You’re ready to love so go forth, and let your flowers, drinking hungrily from the pools of love, bloom. BLOOM I SAY. BLOOOMMMMMMMPPPHJHHHHHHHHHH.”

Soonyoung’s enthusiastic monologue was cut off by Seungkwan clamping his hand over Soonyoung’s mouth tightly, “I take it that’s a yes?”

“MMMHSMMM.”

“You’re going to cover my shift? So I can go on my date?”

“MMMHSMMM. MMMHHHMMM.”

Seungkwan, satisfied by Soonyoung’s answers, released his grip on the elder. Soonyoung grumbled, “You ask me for a favour, I grant you what you want, and this is how you treat me. Woe is me.”

Seungkwan shrugged, “You were the one being overdramatic.”

Rubbing his sore chin, Soonyoung retorted, “You can’t blame me. You were pathetically pining over her for months now, and now out of the blue you ask me to cover your shift because you’ve finally asked her out and she agreed to go on a date with you. Can’t a guy be happy for his friend?”

Seungkwan paled, the words “you’ve finally asked her out and she agreed to go on a date with you” echoing through his head repeatedly. 

Noticing Seungkwan’s unusual silence and lack of a snarky comment, Soonyoung looked at him questioningly, “Uhm… you have asked her out right? That’s why you’re asking me for the favour? Because you asked her on a date and she said yes?”

Alarmed, Seungkwan shrieked, his hands flailing all over the place as he dashed out of the ED, “Wait. Wait… WAIT. YOU’RE RIGHT. I NEVER ASKED HER OUT TO BEGIN WITH!”

Soonyoung reached out to grab Seungkwan’s shirt, wanting to stop him from rushing off halfway during a shift, but he missed it by an inch. Completely bewildered, Soonyoung stood motionless in the corner of the ED. He opened his mouth to try to say something, only to close it again. After what seemed like an eternity, Soonyoung finally processed what he saw and leaned against the nearby wall for support. He exhaled shakily, “Whooo boy, and I thought Dokyeommie was helpless. Seungkwan, he’s on a whole other planet.”

--⌃⌄-💎-⌃⌄–

Meanwhile, you were assisting your best friend at the hospital’s gift shop. 

“My angel, do you think these orange petunias would go with the new shipment of teddy bears?”

Your best friend lightly pinched your cheek, “Munchkin. Orange flowers with those purple teddy bears? I don’t see why not. Go for it.”

You squealed, immediately grabbing a teddy to try and put together a cute teddy flower bouquet. As you picked out new flowers for the bouquet, your best friend worked on a new gift basket arrangement. You worked in comfortable silence for a while, but your best friend soon grew bored.

With an evil glint in her eye, she abandoned the gift basket, propping herself up on her seat. Leaning in towards you, she asked, “Sooooooo. How’s your Boo?”

You rolled your eyes, “I should be asking you how’s your dating life now you’re with Dr Chwe.”

Unimpressed, she retorted, “At least I have a dating life babie. Nurse Boo and you should be dating by now. Go and ask him out on a date.”

“I don’t have the guts to ask someone out and you know it. Besides, what if he says no? He’s Nurse Boo. I’m sure he’s surrounded by pretty nurses and doctors all the time. Why settle for me?”

Your best friend reeled back, placing a hand over her heart, “EXCUSE ME? Settle for you? Babie. Munchkin. My love. My heart will die if you say that. Anyone who cannot see how amazing you are needs to get their brain checked. You’re more than enough so don’t doubt yourself like that.”

Fiddling with the finished teddy flower bouquet, you nodded shakily. 

Your best friend patted your head, swiveling your seat around to face the shop’s entrance, “Good. Now. Once again, you’re more than enough. I can see that, and Nurse Boo definitely can see it too.”

From your position, you could see Seungkwan frantically looking around your flower shop calling out your name. You stared in shock as you felt your best friend gently nudge you forward and out of her shop, guiding you towards him. 

Your best friend cheekily called out, “Delivery for Nurse Boo!!”

Snapping out of your daze, you glared at her as she retreated back into the gift shop howling with laughter. 

You muttered an apology to Seungkwan, awkwardly asking, “Sorry about that Seungkwan. Is there anything I can help you with today? Do you need a new bouquet urgently?”

Face flushed and ears pink, both from being out of breath and from what he was about to do, Seungkwan shifted around a bit, wringing his bands, “Uh. Yea, there is something you can help me with… Would you… umm, happen to be free next Sunday? For a date, with… me?

Seungkwan was asking you on a date. Next Sunday. Just the two of you. You and him. Together. Alone. On a date. Romantic date. Date with Seungkwan. 

Letting Seungkwan’s question sink in, you squeaked, hiding your warm face behind the teddy flower bouquet you were still holding. Through the gaps in the flowers, you could see Seungkwan’s eyes sparkle with apprehension, and more importantly, hope. Your heart fluttered with the same adoring feeling you had whenever you saw flowers swaying gently in the wind. 

Seungkwan wanted to go on this date with you. 

Somehow, that realisation made your grip on the bouquet grow tighter, and you refused to meet his eyes. 

Standing opposite from you, Seungkwan’s hope was beginning to falter. With you hiding behind the bouquet, he was unable to read your reaction properly. Were you shy because of the question? Was he weird? Were you so turned off by the idea of having to go on a date with him you hid behind your flowers? Beads of sweat rolled down his face, he gulped, sucking in a deep breath, about to try to cut through the uneasy, uncomfortable tension by telling you it was okay if you didn’t want to you know? There was no pressure at all.

“NURSE BOO, YOU BROKE HER. BUT Y/N WOULD LOVE TO GO ON A DATE WITH YOU. GO ON Y/N SAY YES. GET YOUR MAN.” Your best friend, who was finally unable to take the silence anymore, screamed from the gift shop.

You quickly lowered the bouquet, giving Seungkwan a reassuring, albeit sheepish nod, “Yes yes. What she said. I would love to go on a date with you Seungkwan.”

Relieved, Seungkwan let out the breath he was holding in, “Oh thank the heavens. I’ll pick you up next Sunday. Say, 11am?”

You smiled, hugging the bouquet closer to your body, “11am sounds perfect.”

--⌃⌄-💎-⌃⌄–

If there was one word to describe how Seungkwan felt last week after he actually asked you out on a date and you said yes, it would be “perfect.” Everything was perfect. While he was apprehensive about the date, he was more excited than anything else. He spent the week agonising over every inch of his plans, the places to bring you, food to eat, conversation topics. Everything was going to be perfect. It had to be, for you. 

Alas, when perfection is what is highly sought after and anticipated, reality always falls short of it. Fast forward one week, and the one word to describe how the date was going now was “disaster.”

Seungkwan’s original plan was to pick you up at 11am, drive two hours away to a pretty flower field you mentioned in passing one time during your previous conversations. You would have a quiet lunch at the restaurant overlooking the flower field before roaming around and taking in the sights for a few hours. Should you feel parched or tired halfway, there was also a cafe on the edge of the flower field where you could have some tea. During the drive back into the city, you would stop by another restaurant serving your favourite dish. If all went well, he would have you home safely by 9 or 10pm. 

Unfortunately, Seungkwan’s plans were derailed one by one, and soon the perfection he was aiming for was nothing more than a fleeting dream replaced by this disaster of a date. 

Absolutely nothing went his way. In the morning, Seungkwan’s car wouldn’t start when he prepared to head over to your apartment to pick you up. By the time he managed to get a hold of a mechanic to jump start his car, he was over an hour late. Despite your reassurances that it was okay to reschedule the date, Seungkwan was stubborn. He wasn’t going to let this little setback ruin the perfect day he so meticulously planned. 

The drive to the flower field started out lovely. There was a lot of talking, and even more laughs. Everything was looking up for Seungkwan, but as the saying goes, “when it rains, it pours.” In this case, quite literally. What began as a sunny day turned into a dark, gloomy, overcast one as rain began pelting down harshly on the ground. Nevertheless, Seungkwan insisted on moving forward with his original plans. Sudden showers weren’t uncommon during this time of the year, and perhaps the rain would clear up by the time you arrived at your destination. 

When you finally arrived at the flower field, the rain stopped, but Seungkwan’s good spirits were dashed by further setbacks in his plans. The restaurant regretfully informed Seungkwan that you had missed your reservation, and because you arrived 2 hours late, the restaurant was now closing for the afternoon. To make matters worse, the flower field which housed the cafe, was also closed due to flash flooding from the rain. 

Seungkwan’s shoulders slumped as his last rays of hope were dashed. So much for the perfect date. This date could possibly have been the worst date you had ever been on. Throughout the day, you had been reassuring him that you could always reschedule the date, or spend the day at a cafe in the city. And when he insisted on going through with his plans, you never once objected to them or complained about his stubborn nature. He felt like the biggest fool of the century. In his mission to plan the perfect date for you to make you happy, he ended up ruining the entire date. Although you didn’t show any indication of it, he was sure you were having a horrible time and would never want to go out with him ever again. 

You observed Seungkwan silently from the passenger’s seat of his car. His dejected, dull, downcast eyes told you everything. He was full of regret and disappointment at how the day turned out. Worst of all, he was most disappointed with himself. He blamed himself for ruining the day and was chastising himself internally.

You nudged him gently, “Seungkwan, it’s kind of late now and we both haven’t eaten since this morning. How about we turn around and head back into the city? I saw a burger place on the way here. Maybe we can grab some? I know you like burgers…”

By requesting something from Seungkwan, you hoped you could pull him out of his fixation on the ruined day. Seungkwan was a giver, someone who was always ready to help others. You had a hunch that by giving him something else to focus on, he would shift his attention onto how he could best carry out your request to satisfy you. Your hunch proved to be correct. A deep frown was still evident on Seungkwan’s face, but he visibly relaxed at your request. 

The drive to the burger place was silent and slightly tense. Seungkwan’s mind was muddled up with countless thoughts. What should he say to you? Were you mad at him for this ruined date? He practically wasted your time when you could have been at home, warm and well fed. He would obviously have to apologise, but how? He continuously grabbed at the steering wheel as he glanced at you nervously from the corner of his eye. You didn’t look the least bit upset. In fact, you appeared to be quite content with gazing out the window at the passing scenery. That was a good sign right?

As the burger place came into sight, Seungkwan’s stomach growled, cutting through the silence in the car. You snickered at him, “Looks like someone is hungry. Let’s go and get some food for you.”

Knowing Seungkwan was trying to make himself feel better just as much as he was trying to make the day up to you, you didn’t bother arguing with Seungkwan when he insisted on paying. You could always treat him to a meal another time. 

A little while later, Seungkwan returned with your meals and you both dug in hungrily. There was nothing like a warm meal on a cold and wet day. 

“I’m sorry.”

At the sound of Seungkwan’s voice, you retracted your hand from your french fries. Ah, so the time had come. 

You asked him gently, “Whatever for?”

Poking at his burger, Seungkwan murmured, “For ruining the date. I’m sorry I ruined it. Everything was supposed to be perfect. I wanted this date to be perfect for you so you would be happy and instead I ruined it. It was a total disaster.”

You shook your head, “Seungkwan. In my opinion, this date was perfect. So what if our plans were derailed. I’m still enjoying this date with you immensely.”

Seungkwan’s eyes widened in shock. He sputtered, “You mean… you’re not disappointed or upset at me?”

“Is that what you think?”

“Yes.”

You softened, your heart breaking at his self-reprimanding tone, “Am I disappointed the flower field was closed due to flash floods? Yes. But am I disappointed and upset at you? Absolutely not. You couldn’t have predicted what would happen today. You planned a wonderful day for us and I am grateful to you for that. Besides, despite everything you still tried your best to ensure the date was perfect. It was perfect, and still is. Spending this precious time with you is more important to me than anything else. How else was I supposed to learn you were in a comedy group named BooSeokSoon in college along with Nurse Kwon and Dr. Lee?”

Seungkwan’s head lifted and his frown morphed into a proud smile, “Comedy slash singing group. We wanted to bring smiles to everyone around us. I guess you’re right. This time I spent with you is precious.”

You smirked, “Of course. I wouldn’t want to spend my Sundays in a random burger place with anyone else but you.”

Content with the way Seungkwan’s mood was lifted significantly, your heart swelled with pride as you gazed at him fondly. This was the man you came to adore over the past few months. The man who was selfless, who always sought to do his best for everyone else around him just so he could uplift their moods and bring them happiness. Even when he wasn’t doing much, his smile and presence alone could brighten up the whole room, a feat not many were able to achieve. You saw the warmth surrounding his heart, his patience, kindness, and gentle actions towards others, which were always carried out with such attention to detail and love. Boo Seungkwan was the epitome of a nurse and he set the standard for what kind of human you aspired to be. 

Musing over the wonderful being that was Seungkwan for a moment longer, you couldn’t help but blurt, “You’re such a kind person Seungkwan.”

Caught off guard by your compliment, Seungkwan stammered, “What… what brought this compliment about?”

You shrugged, “I was thinking about you. All the things you do to make others smile, bring them happiness. Your whole “Smile Flower Initiative” for instance, or the date you planned today. Oh and don’t think I don’t see you regularly buying coffee for the staff and volunteers who work at the ED, or the way you sometimes get those small tiger pins from the gift shop to give to Nurse Kwon. I’ve also heard stories about how you would work frequently overtime at the ED because some of the elderly regulars are most comfortable around you. One time, I heard from my best friend that you spent the whole night singing to one of the children who was going to undergo an orthopedic surgery. Hospital regulation stated his parents couldn’t be there, and so you stayed with him until he went in.”

Seungkwan grumbled, “Vernon has a big mouth for someone who talks so little sometimes.”

You snorted, “My point being. You’re always putting other people’s happiness first. But what about you? What are some times you like to do which brings you happiness?”

Stirring his drink, Seungkwan wrecked his brain for an answer, “I like talking to the people at the ED, and spending time with the elderly in the geriatric ward. To be able to speak to them outside of when I’m working is fulfilling for me. It humanises them in a way, helps me to see them as individuals, it reminds me how important my work is to helping them get back on their feet. Working in the ED can be tiring, but it is refreshing to finally feel fulfilled and passionate about my job again.”

Cheekily chucking a french fry at Seungkwan, you pressed him further, “As nice as all that is, I mean what are some things you like to do outside of work to decompress? What are some things you like to do for you?”

Pushing around the empty wrappers on the table, Seungkwan’s smile faltered. Yea, what has he done for himself lately? At his previous hospital, he didn’t have the luxury to even think about having time off for himself. When he went home, he would shower, eat, and go straight to bed. Now, he had more downtime, but what did he decide to do? Throw himself into doing more work because he was caught up in his renewed passion for his work. Today was probably the first day since he began working at Seventeen Med where he took a full day off work. Hell, he couldn’t remember the last time he spent a day doing absolutely nothing. 

“Hmm. What are some of your hobbies?”

Your voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Without hesitation, Seungkwan declared smugly, “I love badminton. I used to play in a team recreationally on weekends, and I was good.”

“Favourite food?”

“Jokbal, braised pigs trotters.”

“Favourite places to visit?”

“The beach just off the road from the Caratland theme park. Years ago, I used to spend my days off feeling the sea breeze in my hair and blowing on the dandelions.”

Clapping your hands together gleefully, your eyes sparkled in excitement, “Okay! That settles it. If you’re okay with it, for our next date, we can play badminton in the morning, have Jokbal for lunch, and then visit the beach, make wishes on dandelions, and have a simple picnic for dinner while watching the sunset!”

Seungkwan’s eyes widened, “Next date? You want to go on another date with me?”

Tilting your head questioningly at Seungkwan, you exclaimed, “Of course I would! Uhm, only if you want to?”

Overcome with emotion, Seungkwan shot out of his clair and walked over to sit next to you. He gazed into your eyes, brushing your cheek lightly with his hand, “Earlier, you asked me what are some things I like to do that bring me happiness. I think I have something new to add to my list.”

You shuddered under his soft, feathery touch, “And what would that be?”

Intertwining his hand with yours, Seungkwan whispered, “That would be going on many, many dates with you, my beautiful flower.”

--⌃⌄-💎-⌃⌄–

The following day in the break room, Soonyoung scuttered around Seungkwan, probing him for details on his date, “So, how was the date?”

“It was a total disaster. Nothing went according to plan.”

Patting Seungkwan on the back empathetically, Soonyoung comforted him, “I’m sorry to hear that…”

Recalling the events of the previous day, Seungkwan sighed blissfully, “Don’t be. It was the best date I’ve ever been on.”

Watching Seungkwan strut out of the break room, Soonyoung shrugged. He was confused but he would accept the answer. Who was he to question his friends’ weird love lives?

Because love was in bloom, and that was the most important point.

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A servant enters, announcing with a slight bow, “Lord Yoon, for Miss Xu.”

Jeonghan steps in, exuding a refined elegance, his appearance crisp and perfectly polished. In his hands, he carries two bouquets—an artfully arranged bouquet of roses for your mother and a softer bundle of daisies for you.

“Oh, Lord Yoon!” Your mother’s face lights up with delighted surprise as he presents her with the roses. “Such beautiful flowers! You spoil us, my lord,” she coos, taking them with clear admiration.

Jeonghan turns to you next, extending the daisies with a warm, almost conspiratorial smile. “These, Miss Xu, are for you.” His gaze lingers just a moment longer than it should, his eyes holding a silent promise.

You accept them, feeling your pulse quicken despite your best efforts at composure. “Thank you, my lord. They’re lovely,” you reply, your voice steady yet soft.

The light streams through the drawing room, catching on delicate patterns in the wallpaper, illuminating the intricate tapestry of flowers on your mother’s dress. She sits forward, her face lit with excitement, as if this visit from Jeonghan is a personal victory.

Jeonghan’s bouquet fills the room with a faint scent of wildflowers, light and pleasant, yet somehow starkly out of place in this space where every gesture feels rehearsed. The daisies he offered you lie lightly in your lap, their cheerful brightness a contrast to the steady, almost unfeeling exchange that has just unfolded. His eyes meet yours for a brief, knowing second, and there’s a flicker of mutual understanding beneath the surface, an unspoken acknowledgment of what this marriage truly is—a carefully crafted arrangement, one that neither of you expects to fill with romance.

As Jeonghan addresses Minghao, his voice is calm, almost clinical. “Lord Xu Minghao, I come to you today with the hope of asking for your sister’s hand in marriage.” There is no impassioned plea, no pretense of romantic affection—only a polite tone as he lays out his intentions, as though presenting a proposition in a business deal.

Minghao’s gaze sharpens as he turns to you, his eyebrows raised slightly in silent question. He knows you better than anyone; he knows why Jeonghan’s proposal isn’t shocking, why you don’t hesitate. The room is quiet, and your mother leans forward in her seat, her excitement radiating out in delicate bursts like the sweet scent of her tea, oblivious to the subtleties of the exchange.

Clearing his throat, Minghao shifts in his seat and addresses Jeonghan with his usual calm. “Lord Yoon, I know better than to answer for my sister.”

All eyes turn to you, and the room feels suspended, like the world itself has paused to witness your response. “Yes, my lord,” you say, the words escaping your lips in a careful, measured tone. “I shall.” And there it is—final, as much a confirmation of acceptance as a concession.

Jeonghan’s faint smile returns, polite but distant, as if his mind is already on other matters. He is not the lover you dreamed of, and you are not the woman he once allowed himself to yearn for; you both know this, and perhaps that is why it works so well. The arrangement is neat, efficient, each of you choosing the practical over the sentimental, the future over desire.

Your mother, however, cannot contain her delight. “Oh, this is wonderful! A fine match indeed!” she exclaims, her fan fluttering excitedly in her hand. She glows with pride as if this alliance were a personal triumph, her dreams for you fulfilled without understanding the true weight of the moment.

The silence that follows feels heavy, like an agreement quietly sealed, and as you look down at the daisies in your lap, the cheerful white petals suddenly seem out of place in the drawing room, a reminder of a life that might have been. Jeonghan, still standing beside you, inclines his head just slightly. His glance is fleeting, but there’s something in it—a flicker of empathy, perhaps. Just as quickly, it’s gone, replaced by the calm, composed mask that both of you have agreed to wear.

Jeonghan turns to you as he prepares to leave, his gaze softening ever so slightly. For a moment, the polite distance in his eyes fades, replaced by a warmth you hadn’t anticipated. He takes your hand, his fingers cool but steady as he lifts it gently to his lips.

“Until next we meet,” he says, his voice low but warm, carrying a sincerity that feels entirely unfeigned. He brushes his lips softly against your knuckles, the gesture tender enough to feel both comforting and bittersweet. As he looks up, a gentle smile graces his face, one that holds neither expectation nor demand—only a quiet understanding, a rare kindness beneath the formalities.

The touch lingers even after he releases your hand, and in the hush that follows, you’re struck by the thought that perhaps, despite the arrangement you’ve agreed upon, Jeonghan will bring a certain gentleness to the role he has taken on.

As he steps back and bids your family farewell, your mother practically glows, her happiness radiating through the room like sunlight through lace. Jeonghan’s parting glance catches yours, a hint of reassurance in his gaze, as if to say he’ll uphold his part of the pact with grace, that this arrangement—though devoid of romance—will be one rooted in quiet respect.

Minghao finds you beneath the old swing, nestled among the twisting garden vines and the soft crunch of autumn leaves. You hardly hear him approach, lost in thought as you watch smoke curl from the cigarette you’d pilfered from his room yet again. Each puff you take burns slightly in your lungs, though the familiar sting feels oddly soothing tonight.

“Nicked another one, have you?” he teases as he sits down at your feet, stretching his legs out lazily on the grass. Without waiting, he holds his hand out, gesturing for you to pass the cigarette. “If this becomes a habit, I’ll have to report you to Mother. Thievery wasn’t exactly on your lesson plan.”

“Oh, hush,” you mutter, flicking a stray leaf toward him in mock annoyance. But the tension in your body gives you away, your shoulders stiff beneath his watchful gaze.

He watches you closely, his gaze quiet and discerning as he brings the cigarette to his lips. The glow of the ember casts a brief, warm light across his face, highlighting the concern in his expression. Minghao inhales, then exhales a plume of smoke that drifts around the both of you in wisps, curling lazily into the air. The scent mingles with the earthy richness of the garden, settling between you like an unspoken question.

For a moment, there’s only the soft creak of the swing and the distant hum of cicadas, the two of you wrapped in a fragile peace.

“You know,” he says at last, breaking the silence. “It isn’t too late to change your mind. Mother may be overjoyed, but I know you. You would only say yes if…” He trails off, letting the implication hang in the still air.

You scoff, but it’s softer than usual. “What are you implying?”

Minghao studies you, his gaze level and piercing, then asks plainly, “Do you love him?”

You pause, watching the glow of the cigarette dim between your fingers. “I… respect him. And he respects me.”

Minghao’s eyes narrow slightly, as if he’s turning your answer over, searching for the truth beneath it. “But you don’t love him,” he says softly. “Not like you love Seokmin.”

Your breath catches, and you quickly look away, the sting of his words more potent than the cigarette’s burn. The thought of Seokmin’s name hanging in the air between you is almost unbearable. “How long have you known?” you ask, voice barely above a whisper.

“I am your brother, Y/N. I’m not blind, no matter how oblivious some of the company I keep may be.”

The corner of his mouth quirks in a wry smile, but his gaze is tender. You find a slight comfort in it, and for a moment, you feel the urge to tell him everything—to let yourself be held by the simple warmth of his understanding. But you hold back, your jaw set in a familiar, resolute line.

“Does he know?” you ask finally.

“No,” Minghao replies after a moment. “At least, I don’t think so.”

The words settle heavily between you, and the silence stretches, thick and suffocating, broken only by the faint crackle of the cigarette as Minghao takes another slow drag. He hands it back to you, his fingers brushing yours in the exchange, grounding you. The faint tremor in your hands feels all too telling, but you steady yourself, forcing composure.

“You truly want to marry Yoon Jeonghan?” he asks quietly, almost like a plea. “Even though you’ll never love him?”

“Love isn’t in the cards for me,” you reply, each word measured and calm. “Besides, brother, what else would you have me do?”

His brow knits together, and he leans forward, clasping his hands between his knees. “Stay,” he says, voice thick with urgency. “Stay here, with me and Mother.”

You let out a breath, a bitter smile tugging at your lips. “Please, brother. You know that would send our dear mama to an early grave. A loveless marriage is better than none at all.” You draw in a deep breath, the smoky tendrils filling your lungs. “What happens when you can no longer provide for me?”

He bristles, his voice fierce. “I’ll always provide for you.”

“I know. That’s not what I meant,” you say, your voice softening as you look at him. His expression shifts, and he nods, understanding passing between you in the quiet.

A heavy silence falls, interrupted only by the soft crackling of the cigarette as you pass it back and forth, each drag punctuating the night air with a faint, bitter tang. The smoke lingers around you, a hazy veil that cloaks the unsaid words, the hidden fears, the ache of dreams surrendered.

Finally, he breaks the silence, his voice a mere whisper, carrying the weight of resignation. “So you are to be married.”

You nod, your fingers grazing the cigarette one last time before you extinguish it in the grass, grinding the last ember beneath your thumb. “So I am,” you say, a finality settling over the words as you both gaze into the dark, each lost in the flickering embers of what could have been.

The church’s thick stone walls seem to press in, trapping every sound, every movement, as though the weight of centuries hangs in the air. The fragrance of lilies and incense mingles into something heady, almost suffocating, filling your lungs with every breath. From the stained-glass windows, slanted bands of sunlight cut through the space, spilling ruby, sapphire, and amber hues across the dark wood of the pews. You keep your gaze fixed ahead, forcing yourself to breathe slowly, to project nothing but composure.

Then the cardinal’s voice cuts through the silence.

“I publish the banns of marriage between Lord Yoon Jeonghan, and Miss Xu Y/N. They are to be married in three weeks. If any of you know cause or just impediment why these persons should not be joined together in Holy Matrimony, ye are to declare it. ”

The words land heavy, echoing through the cathedral and settling over you like a thick veil. For a moment, it feels as though the world has been carved in two, time splintering around that proclamation.

Across the aisle, there’s a sharp intake of breath. Seokmin’s entire frame goes rigid, his back snapping straight as if he’s been struck. He turns to look at you, his movement quick and desperate, and his eyes find yours, wide with shock and something far deeper, something close to despair. His mouth opens, but no words come. You feel his gaze drilling into you, intense and searching, as though he’s willing you to look away—to give him anything but the confirmation of what’s just been read aloud.

Your pulse pounds in your ears, and your throat tightens with the urge to cry out, to take it all back. But you force the tremor down, and at that moment, you feel Minghao’s hand slide over yours, his steady, grounding warmth the only thing keeping you from breaking. His grip is strong, his fingers curling over yours in silent reassurance, and you clutch onto him as though he’s a lifeline.

Across the aisle, Jeonghan meets your gaze, a calm confidence emanating from his gaze, like the unwavering stone of the church itself. He offers a small, almost imperceptible nod, a silent affirmation of the pact between you—a pact that is anything but romantic, but unbreakable all the same.

When the service ends, and the congregation rises, their whispers a growing swell of murmurs, Jeonghan strides toward you with that same unruffled grace, his every step measured and unhurried. But before he can reach you, Seokmin is there, his hand outstretched, his face a mask of disbelief.

Jeonghan glances at him, his eyes flicking to you, reading your expression before he steps back, giving the two of you a semblance of privacy.

“Are you marrying Yoon Jeonghan?” Seokmin’s voice is low, tight, his face a mix of anger and pleading. The words come out hoarse, as if he’s forcing them past a stone lodged in his throat.

“Yes, Seokmin,” you reply quietly, your voice controlled but aching. “The cardinal just read the banns.”

He stares, and you see him search your face, looking for any trace of the girl he once knew, perhaps hoping for a flash of hesitation that would betray you. Instead, you lift your chin, steeling yourself against the helplessness etched into his features.

“But he’s a scoundrel!” he insists, his voice thick with desperation.

A bitter laugh escapes your lips, though it feels hollow. “You have much audacity to speak of scoundrels before me, my lord.” You pause, letting the words settle. “Lord Yoon is kind to me, and he has always respected me. His attention has never been out of pity, nor at the behest of another.”

A flicker of pain crosses Seokmin’s face, and he drops his gaze, your words striking a chord that silences him. His fingers flex, grasping at air as though there’s something he wishes he could say, something he wishes he could fix, but the moment has already passed. You turn, letting the silence grow between you, feeling the weight of his unspoken words fall away.

As you make your way to the back of the church, Jeonghan stands waiting, his posture relaxed, as though he has been waiting patiently his entire life. He offers you his arm, the small smile on his lips almost kind, and you accept, feeling his warmth against you as you step together into the sunlight outside.

The murmurs rise from the crowd that’s gathered, their gazes a mixture of awe and curiosity as they watch the newest couple of the season descend the church steps. The sun casts a golden glow over the stone path, illuminating the two of you as you walk together, each step echoing in the stillness. Just as you reach the final stair, Jeonghan glances over at you, his eyes softening as he reaches into his pocket.

Without a word, he holds out a handkerchief, his fingers brushing lightly against yours as he passes it to you.

“You’re crying,” he says softly, his voice gentle, his eyes searching yours with something that might almost be tenderness.

The dampness at the corners of your eyes betrays you. You take the handkerchief, feeling the cool linen against your fingertips as you bring it to your face, dabbing away the tears that have slipped past your defenses. A small, appreciative nod is all you manage, and Jeonghan’s hand remains extended, waiting patiently for you to accept the support he offers in silence.

You take his arm once more, and together you walk toward the waiting carriages, leaving behind the whispers, the stares, and the man you love, your steps a steady beat against the uncertainties that lie ahead.

The air is electric with anticipation, and you can feel the weight of every gaze in the room before you even step into the lavish ballroom. The future Viscountess of Hastings, they will say, the supposedly hopeless spinster who somehow captured the heart of one of Mayfair’s most eligible bachelors. Perhaps that's why your mother is a whirlwind of excitement, her chatter endless as she flits around the room, adjusting the last few details of your appearance while your lady's maid fusses with your hair and gown.

Your dress tonight is a ravishing turquoise, its fabric flowing like water around you, hugging your figure before cascading into a graceful skirt that swirls with every step. The neckline is artfully crafted, a delicate off-the-shoulder design that highlights your collarbones and frames your face, drawing attention to the soft curve of your neck. The fabric shimmers in the candlelight, the color reflecting hues of the deep sea, rich and vibrant, evoking the image of sunlit waves. A hint of silver thread weaves through the gown, catching the light as you move, creating an illusion of movement, as though the ocean itself were swirling around you. Your mother’s excited chatter fills the air, but you find yourself lost in your own thoughts, momentarily detached from the flurry of activity.

You catch a glimpse of the ring Jeonghan slid onto your finger during the carriage ride home, its beauty undeniable as it glistens under the soft glow of the lamps in your room. The polished rose gold band curves gently, embracing a single, lustrous pearl at its center. The pearl shines with a soft luminescence, hints of ivory and blush swirling within, exuding a quiet elegance as if it held whispers of its own secrets. It’s exquisite and understated, a piece that commands attention without being ostentatious. Jeonghan had presented it to you with little flourish, his fingers pushing the ring onto your finger as you stared out the window, deep in thought.

“Jeonghan,” you gasped, the words slipping from your lips as the reality of its beauty settled in. “It’s beautiful.”

His lips quirked at that, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth before something deeper flickered in his eyes. “Thank you,” he murmured, fingers pulling at his too-tight cravat, a hint of discomfort crossing his features. “I had it made some years ago.”

“For—”

“Yes,” he cut you off gently, his tone firm yet soft. “For Lady Choi.”

The weight of those words hung between you, thick and heavy, silencing the room as he gazed out the window, his expression closing off. You chose not to pry, twisting the ring around your finger, feeling the coolness of the pearl against your skin as your thoughts drifted to the man you had left behind in the chapel.

“Oh, darling,” your mother’s voice pierces through the haze of your reverie, snapping you back to the present. “You look beautiful. A true viscountess.”

You hummed in agreement, your eyes drawn to your reflection in the mirror. Your ladies' maids had truly outdone themselves. The intricate braids of your hair were artfully woven together, sparkling gems and pearls interspersed throughout, echoing the beauty of your ring. The delicate tendrils framing your face were styled to perfection, soft curls cascading down your shoulders like a waterfall of silk. In the soft glow of the lamp light, your complexion looked radiant, enhanced by the glow of the pearls nestled in your hair. You twist the pearl again, adjusting it until it feels right, then straighten your back, donning the façade of a viscountess—a true leader of society. 

Jeonghan is a good man, you remind yourself, forcing a smile as you repeat the mantra. He shall be a good friend.

As the carriage rolls to a halt at the FitzWilliam estate, the sounds of the ball waft through the air, laughter and music melding into a sweet symphony that invites you into its depths. You step out, and Jeonghan is already waiting, his demeanor calm and collected as he extends an arm for you to grasp.

The main hall is alive with opulence, chandeliers casting golden light that dances off polished marble floors. The scent of rich perfumes and expensive colognes mingle in the air, thick with the promise of high society and whispered secrets. Impeccably dressed couples twirl across the dance floor, their laughter echoing like a soft refrain, while clusters of guests gather, engaged in hushed conversations punctuated by occasional bursts of laughter.

You take a deep breath, feeling a pang in your chest as you remember the last time you stood in this very room, the night Seokmin broke your heart. The echo of his laughter, the way he moved so effortlessly through the crowd—memories flood back, bittersweet and sharp, threatening to steal your composure.

Sensing your unease, Jeonghan nudges you gently, his presence a steadying force. “Look,” he murmurs, gesturing to his cravat, which matches the deep turquoise of your dress perfectly. “We match.”

That’s enough to elicit a light laugh from you, a sound that feels foreign and welcome at once. Jeonghan’s grin broadens, and the warmth of his gaze brings you a measure of comfort as you allow yourself to relax in his arms.

Your hopes for an uneventful night are dashed almost immediately when Seokmin catches your eye. The moment his gaze lands on you, something flickers across his face—an emotion you can’t quite place, his brows furrowing slightly before he glances down at your arm linked with Jeonghan's. His eyes trail from the vibrant turquoise of your dress, down to your arm in Jeonghan’s, and finally to the gleaming pearl ring on your finger. Then, without warning, he turns away, his shoulders tightening and a slight movement that lodges itself in your throat like a stone, heavy and uncomfortable.

Your mother, oblivious to the tension, all but shoves you and Jeonghan toward the dance floor as the next waltz begins, her voice bright with excitement as she declares, “The next bride and groom of the ton must have their moment to shine!” Jeonghan chuckles at her enthusiasm, a warm, carefree sound that dances in the air, as he gently tugs you into the throng of swirling gowns and polished shoes. The orchestra strikes up a lively quadrille, and you quickly lose yourself in the rhythm, the world narrowing down to the two of you, grinning up at Jeonghan every time you find yourselves partnered again.

In your breathless excitement, you barely notice the whispers of the ton, a familiar backdrop to your existence as they observe your every misstep with keen interest. But Seokmin’s gaze remains like a hot brand against your skin, intense and unyielding, making it hard to breathe. You feel the weight of his eyes like an anchor, and it draws your attention back to him against your will.

“Do not look at him,” Jeonghan murmurs, his voice low and steady as he twirls you beneath his arm, his grip firm yet gentle. His eyes search yours for a moment, grounding you, before he adds, “Look only at me, Y/N.”

You nod, your heart racing, and it's easy to follow his command, to lose yourself in the warmth of his smile and the way his eyes light up with every turn. Jeonghan moves gracefully, the two of you swirling together, his laughter mingling with the music. But just as quickly, his cool facade slips—he trips slightly on your flowing dress, and for a brief moment, his expression falters. His eyes dart toward the edge of the dance floor, tension radiating from his frame. When you follow his line of sight, your heart sinks.

The ever-enigmatic Lady Choi has graced the ball with her presence, and her gaze is locked on your fiancé, unwavering and knowing. When she catches Jeonghan staring, a slow, deliberate smile spreads across her lips, and she subtly nods her head toward the door. Jeonghan falters again, his brow creasing with worry as he shifts his weight, uncertain.

“You should go,” you urge gently, your voice barely above a whisper, and you lean in closer to him, the warmth of his body reassuring yet electric. He looks down at you, surprise etched across his features, his grip on your hand tightening involuntarily.

“No, I… I shouldn’t—I shan’t—” he stutters, attempting to regain his composure as he starts the next sequence of steps with an uncharacteristic bravado, but the confidence doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Jeonghan,” you murmur, your grip on his hand tightening as you lean in closer, your heart aching for him. “Go.”

“In the middle of a dance? What will the ton say about the viscount who leaves his new fiancée? What will become of you?” His concern is genuine, but it only adds to the pressure building within you, and you can see his throat bob as he swallows hard.

“It is nothing I have not handled before, my lord,” you tease lightly, a playful smile curving your lips as you step back and curtsy with a playful flourish. Jeonghan bows in return, though you can see the conflict in his eyes, and in that moment, you watch him leave you alone on the dance floor, the air heavy with the weight of unspoken words.

Your mother gasps from the edge of the dance floor, her shock palpable, and you can feel the heat rise to your cheeks at the attention. Minghao quickly attempts to soothe her, sharing a knowing glance with you that promises support as you excuse yourself for a refreshment.

Seokmin finds you at the drink table, his expression taut and focused, as though he’s been waiting for you. “He left you,” he states, his voice low but firm, eyebrows drawing together in disapproval.

“Good evening to you as well, Lord Lee. Quite hot, isn’t it?” You reply, your tone light as you feign nonchalance, but your heart races beneath his scrutinizing gaze.

“Y/N, he left you. His fiancée,” he presses, the weight of his words heavy in the air, and he leans closer, the intensity of his focus making it hard to hold his gaze.

“Yes, Seokmin, I do have fully functioning sight. I saw him leave.” You can’t help the bite in your tone as you straighten, the defiance rising within you.

“And what was so important that he had to abandon you in your first night out as a couple?” His voice sharpens, laced with an urgency that makes your heart clench.

“I do not need you to defend my honor, my lord. Nor do I need to explain my fiancé to you.” Your eyes flash, and you can feel the heat of your anger boiling beneath the surface.

With a huff, he turns away, frustration evident in the tight set of his jaw, leaving you alone at the table. You sip your lemonade, trying to ignore the murmurs that swirl around you, the familiar buzz of speculation and gossip that seems to cling to your skin like a second layer. Just then, Minghao finds you, his expression serious yet concerned.

“Walk with me,” he commands, his tone leaving no room for argument, and you can see the protective glint in his eye.

As you begin to move through the crowd, he squeezes your hand reassuringly, his thumb brushing over your knuckles. “Are you alright?” he asks, concern lacing his voice as he studies your face.

“Quite, brother,” you assure him, though your heart feels heavy.

“Seokmin is quite upset. I would have been as well, had I not known what is happening between you and Lord Yoon.” His gaze softens slightly, but it’s clear he’s trying to gauge your emotions.

“Thank you for your understanding,” you reply, your heart swelling with gratitude.

“Was she here? The woman he loves?” Minghao’s question is gentle but probing, his concern evident as he meets your eyes.

“Yes,” you whisper softly, the admission tasting bitter on your tongue, and you can feel a weight settling in your chest.

“I see.” He nods slowly, processing the gravity of your words. “Are you truly alright with this?” His voice is steady, but there’s a hint of uncertainty beneath it.

“Yes,” you affirm, though your voice shakes slightly, a part of you longing for reassurance.

“Then I shan’t bother you about it any longer. I must tend to Mother—if you need me, we shall be at the edges of the dance floor.”

“Brother?” You call after him as he turns away, the crowd shifting around you. “Thank you.”

His only response is a gentle smile before the crowd swallows him whole. The ballroom thrums with the sound of laughter and music, a whirl of colors and movements that feel distant and dreamlike. Your heart is heavy, and each beat echoes louder than the chatter around you. As you stand alone, the weight of unspoken words presses down on your shoulders like a cloak, and your thoughts swirl like the skirts of the dancers gliding across the floor.

Suddenly, Seokmin strides toward you, his figure slicing through the crowd with a sense of urgency. The moment his eyes lock onto yours, a spark ignites—a mix of anger and something deeper. You can see the tension in his jaw, the way his brow furrows as he approaches, and you brace yourself for confrontation.

“Come with me,” he demands, his voice low but unmistakably firm, carrying an intensity that sends a shiver down your spine. You can feel the heat radiating from him, a force you can’t ignore.

“Seokmin, please, I truly cannot fight with you any longer on this subject—” you start, your voice trembling slightly, but he interrupts, his frustration spilling over like a tide.

“I said come with me!” He grabs your wrist, his grip tight and insistent, forcing you to follow him through the thrumming crowd. The sound of your footsteps reverberates off the marble floors, each echo punctuating the space between you and the safety of the ballroom. The laughter and music fade, replaced by the heavy thrum of your heart and the frantic rustle of your gown.

“Seokmin, you’re hurting me!” you protest, panic creeping into your voice. You feel the pressure of his fingers, warmth mingling with the discomfort. As he glances back at you, anger flickers in his eyes before it softens, just for a moment, revealing a vulnerability that pulls at your heart.

He loosens his grip, but the air between you crackles with tension, a silent battle of wills that feels palpable. “Where are we going?” you ask, concern bleeding into your tone. “My mama will worry, and Minghao, and Jeonghan—”

“Damn Jeonghan!” he snaps, his voice rising, shattering the fragile silence around you. The heat of his words lingers in the air, mixing with the coolness of the corridor.

“Seokmin!” Your cheeks flush with indignation, a mixture of anger and hurt blooming in your chest.

“I told you,” he hisses, urgency fueling his movements as he pulls you further into the shadows of the hallway. The flickering candlelight casts ghostly shadows that dance along the walls, an eerie backdrop to your escalating emotions. “I told you he’s a scoundrel. And you wouldn’t listen—”

“Enough! I will not have you sully his good name. What in God’s name are you trying to accomplish?” you fire back, desperation tinging your words. The air feels thick, heavy with unresolved feelings that twist like vines around your heart.

“Will you listen?” He halts abruptly, spinning to face you, his expression a tempest of frustration. The tension radiates between you, and you can see the muscles in his jaw clench as he gestures toward a small window that overlooks the private gardens. “This is the man you wish to marry?”

He pushes the window open, and moonlight spills into the dim room, illuminating his features with a ghostly glow. Outside, you see Jeonghan, silhouetted against the soft glow of the moon, entangled in a passionate embrace with Lady Choi. A sickening twist of emotion churns in your stomach, a cocktail of heartbreak and unexpected relief; at least one of you gets a taste of the one they love.

“He is a SCOUNDREL,” Seokmin roars, his voice rising with indignation, the words dripping with disdain as he steps closer, his presence a whirlwind of intensity. “I shall duel him for your honor. I must tell Minghao of the grave error you have made—”

“Seokmin—” you start, your voice rising with urgency, but he interrupts again, the fervor in his tone igniting a fire within you.

“We must duel tonight, before the sun rises—”

“SEOKMIN! I knew.” The words escape you, a rush of truth that bursts forth like a dam breaking, raw and unfiltered.

“You—you knew?” His eyes widen, disbelief crashing over him like a wave, and for a moment, everything else fades away. The silence that follows is suffocating, filled only with the quickened rhythm of your breaths and the pounding of your heart. The weight of your confession hangs heavy in the air, thick as smoke.

“Yes.”

His expression contorts, shifting from shock to outrage, and you can feel the air crackling with tension. “You knew he was sinning with a married lady, no less, and you still agreed to marry him? My God, Y/N, I knew you wished to marry, but I didn’t know you would abandon all sense for that!” His hands are balled into fists at his sides, frustration radiating from him like heat from a flame.

Your chest constricts, the familiar ache of longing and sorrow spiraling within you. “Oh, you dolt, it was an arrangement! I knew he loved another, just as he knew I loved another!” You can feel the tears prickling at the corners of your eyes, the weight of your heartache spilling over into your voice, echoing off the cold walls.

A heavy silence envelops you both, every breath echoing with unspoken truths. The air feels charged, electric, as the reality of your situation sinks in.

“You love…someone?” he asks, the vulnerability in his voice slicing through the tension like a knife.

“I must go, my mama—” You attempt to break free, but he grasps your wrist again, his fingers warm yet insistent, the touch igniting a spark of something more profound within you. You can't meet his gaze, the shame of your feelings swirling with fear and longing.

“Y/N.” His voice is a soft plea, low and raw, wrapping around you like a familiar embrace. The way he says your name sends a shiver through you, and for a moment, you feel as though you are on the brink of something monumental.

“Please, Seokmin.” Your voice trembles, a mixture of desperation and desire, the air thick with unspoken confessions.

“Who? I shall make him pay for everything he has done to you, my dear friend—how dare he—”

“Oh for God’s sake, it’s you!” The words tumble out before you can stop them, the truth bursting forth like a firework exploding in the night sky.

You attempt to retreat, to escape the intensity of the moment, but his grip is unyielding, a tether binding you to him. With a swift motion, he yanks you back, and before you can even process what’s happening, his lips crash onto yours, fierce and unrelenting. You can taste the warmth of his breath, the desperation in his touch, and it wraps around you like a cocoon. For that brief, intoxicating moment, everything else fades away—the hurt, the confusion, the chaotic world outside—leaving only the two of you.

You melt into him, the kiss a torrent of everything unspoken: the longing, the frustration, the fear of what lies ahead. It’s passionate and fierce, as if the very fabric of your souls is interwoven in that moment, a confession without words. His hands cup your face, grounding you as the world blurs around you, leaving just the warmth of his body and the desperate connection that binds you both.

He groans, muttering a curse under his breath, and it ignites something deep in the pit of your stomach. You know this is a terrible position – if anyone were to see you, your reputation, your future, your engagement would be ruined – but when his lips find your pulse point in your throat, all you can do is arch your back with a low keen. 

His teeth graze your skin, sending shivers down your spine. You clutch at his shoulders, fingers digging into the fabric of his jacket, desperate for purchase in this whirlwind of sensation. The rational part of your mind screams at you to stop, to push him away, but your body betrays you, leaning into his touch with a hunger you've never known before.

"Seokmin," you gasp, his name a prayer on your lips. He responds with a low growl, pressing you against the wall, his body flush against yours. The heat between you is palpable, electric, threatening to consume you both.

His hands roam your body, leaving trails of fire in their wake. You're dizzy with desire, drunk on his touch, on the intoxicating scent of his cologne mingling with the musk of his skin. You know you should stop this, end it before it ruins you.

But you can't bring yourself to end it. Not when his touch feels like salvation, like coming home after years of wandering lost.

"We shouldn't," you manage to whisper between kisses, your words contradicting the wayyour fingers tangle in his hair, pulling him closer.

Seokmin pauses, his breath hot against your neck. "Do you want me to stop?" he asks, his voice husky and strained. 

Before you can even fathom an answer, the sound of footsteps down the corridor sends your mind into a panic. You shove him off, urgently trying to right your dress. 

Seokmin stumbles back, his eyes wild and still clouded with the raw emotion of your kiss. His gaze locks onto yours, both of you caught between passion and the creeping dread of what you’ve just done. The footsteps draw nearer, each one a reminder of how close you are to ruin.

The door swings open, and Minghao strides in, his eyes narrowing the instant he takes in the sight of you both—flushed cheeks, disheveled attire, the undeniable aura of something forbidden and unspoken hanging heavy in the air.

“What is the meaning of this?” Minghao’s voice is a blade, slicing through the room with cold fury.

Seokmin straightens, trying to regain his composure, but the guilt is written all over his face. You feel your heart slam against your ribcage, panic curling like smoke in your chest. But Minghao’s gaze stays sharp, unforgiving as he looks between the two of you.

“Seokmin,” he starts, his voice low and dangerous. “You’ve dishonored my sister—this is unforgivable. You must either make amends or answer me on the dueling ground at dawn.”

You cast a desperate look toward Seokmin, but his face is tense, unreadable, his own turmoil barely held at bay. He takes a deep breath, then steps forward, addressing Minghao with a steady resolve you didn’t know he possessed.

“Minghao,” Seokmin says, his voice low, respectful. “Please understand. I would never wish harm or shame upon your sister. I care for her deeply—more than I can put into words.”

The air in the room thickens, dense and electric, as if even the walls are holding their breath, waiting for the decision that will shape your fate. Minghao’s stance is rigid, his eyes flashing with anger and something else—concern, maybe fear. It sends a cold wave through you, underscoring the gravity of what he’s demanding. The faint scent of candle wax mingles with the night air creeping through the open window, casting a ghostly glow across the floor.

Your heart races, each beat echoing like a drum in the silence. Your skin still hums with the memory of Seokmin’s touch, the heat of his kiss lingering on your lips like a forbidden brand. You swallow hard, the taste of that moment bittersweet, and glance toward Seokmin. His face is caught between shock and something else—determination, maybe defiance. He’s breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling, and his gaze flits between you and Minghao as if assessing the weight of his next words.

“Then prove it,” Minghao says, voice low and slicing through the haze that surrounds you, “or I’ll demand satisfaction for my sister’s honor.”

The word honor hangs heavy in the air, and a slow burn of anger coils in your chest. Your fingers curl into your palms, nails pressing into the skin, grounding you against the urge to scream. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. You never wanted to be caught like this, not in a moment of vulnerability twisted by the presence of an audience. Minghao’s protective stare feels like a chain around your neck, while Seokmin’s gaze—a mixture of apology and restraint—only intensifies the confusion swirling inside you.

“Brother,” you say, forcing your voice steady, though your heart feels as if it’s beating in your throat, “this is unnecessary. I am engaged to another. You know this. To demand a marriage over one moment is—”

Minghao cuts you off, shaking his head. “We both know that arrangement is nothing more than an exchange of power, not a bond of love. But this?” His eyes narrow as he looks at Seokmin, his expression hardening. “This is no mere arrangement. I won’t allow this… this recklessness to tarnish your future. Not if I can prevent it.”

His words twist around your heart, anger simmering as he speaks as though you’re not even here, as if you’re some fragile creature incapable of understanding the consequences of your own actions. You tighten your hands into fists, the fire in your chest blazing hotter, burning through your lingering shame and leaving only fury in its wake.

“Brother, this is my choice,” you say, your voice sharper than you intended. You refuse to let him dictate your fate, no matter how well-intentioned he may be. “I won’t be forced into anything, not by you, and not by—”

“Fine,” Seokmin interrupts, his voice low, but the intensity behind it makes your breath hitch. His gaze shifts to Minghao, defiant yet respectful, a calm resolve settling over him that you’ve never seen before. “I’ll marry her.”

The words strike like a thunderclap, sudden and irrevocable, and the room feels smaller, suffocating in the aftermath. You gape at him, heart pounding, pulse roaring in your ears as the weight of what he’s said crashes over you.

“You’ll… what?” Your voice is little more than a whisper, confusion and anger tangling together, leaving you breathless. It’s as if the ground beneath you has tilted, your life, your future, shifting without your consent, controlled by the decisions of two men who seem to think they know what’s best for you.

Seokmin meets your gaze, and for a moment, the vulnerability in his eyes betrays the mask of resolve he wears. But then his expression steels, his jaw set as if he’s made peace with something.

“Fine,” he repeats, his tone unwavering. “I’ll do what’s necessary.”

The finality of his words ignites a fury in you, fierce and hot. How dare they decide your fate like this, without so much as a thought for your own desires, your own choices? Your fists clench, knuckles white as you stare between them, your breaths coming short, uneven.

Minghao nods approvingly, his gaze flicking back to you, as if expecting gratitude, as if this was what you wanted all along. But you feel trapped, as though walls are closing in, boxing you into a life decided for you, a future crafted by others’ expectations.

“Is that it, then?” you ask, the bitterness in your voice surprising even you. “You two decide, and that’s that? No thought for what I might want?”

Seokmin’s gaze wavers, a flicker of guilt crossing his face. But he doesn’t answer, and neither does Minghao. The silence stretches, heavy and charged, and you realize with a sharp pang that neither of them truly understands—that perhaps they never will.

The weight of their silence drives you to turn on your heel, striding down the corridor in a rush to escape. You don’t care about decorum anymore. All you want is space, a moment to process the shock, the hurt, the sheer indignity of having your future decided without so much as a word from you.

But the sound of hurried footsteps behind you keeps pace. You don’t need to look back to know who’s following.

“Wait!” Seokmin’s voice is laced with desperation, and you feel the words tug at you despite yourself. “Please, Y/N—just… please, stay. Let’s talk this out.”

You quicken your steps, but his voice drags you back, its gentle earnestness slicing through your anger like a double-edged blade. You stop, shoulders tensing as you draw in a shaky breath, trying to steel yourself against him. But when you turn around, his expression—pleading, open, raw—almost undoes you.

“Talk about what, Seokmin?” you say, voice barely concealing the tremble. “There’s nothing left to discuss. Decisions have already been made, haven’t they?”

“Not like this,” he says, his voice soft, an ache threading through his words. His hand reaches out toward you, hesitating in the space between you both. “Not without you. I’m sorry. I should have… I should have thought—”

“No,” Minghao interrupts, stepping up beside Seokmin, his jaw set and his gaze unyielding. His hand wraps firmly around your elbow, his voice edged with protective steel. “It’s done for tonight. She’s had enough. We’re going home.”

Minghao’s grip is gentle yet firm, and before you can protest, he begins to lead you down the dimly lit corridor, each step echoing louder than the last. You glance back, catching the hurt etched into Seokmin’s face, his hand outstretched as though still reaching for you. But he doesn’t follow; he stays rooted in place, watching you disappear.

The carriage ride back is filled with silence so thick you could cut it. Minghao says nothing, and you’re grateful. You can barely keep your thoughts in line, let alone handle a conversation. You close your eyes, leaning back, but the image of Seokmin’s pleading face and the desperate, furious embrace you shared lingers like an imprint on your skin.

When you arrive home, you stumble up the stairs, trying to erase the chaos of the evening, but it follows you like a ghost. You catch your reflection in the hallway mirror, and the sight stops you cold. Your hair is in complete disarray, a few strands falling loose from your intricately pinned style, and your face is flushed, cheeks streaked with faint traces of dried tears. Your chest rises and falls, still heaving from the intensity of everything that has happened.

You barely recognize yourself. The wildness in your eyes, the raw emotion painted on your face—it’s as if the person staring back at you is a stranger, a part of you that you’d never thought you’d see.

Hours pass, but sleep evades you, each tick of the clock an insistent reminder of the turmoil simmering inside. Every time you close your eyes, you’re back in that dim room, tasting the fire of his kiss, feeling the weight of Minghao’s words, and wondering if you’ll ever be free from the choices that were made for you tonight.

Tagging: @kibs-and-bits @moondustmemories @shinwonderful @ivehypnosis @gwend0lyne @thestoryofana13 @mellowamour @blissedjoon @begentlewithme-please @xabsolutelynothingx @reiofsuns2001 @mngyulvrs @mooniewrld

@archivistworld @lexyraeworld @ateez-atiny380 @walkinganxiety01 @lovecleastrange

@uriguyeok @nenojaems @carefully325 @meowmeowminnie @ts19009 @flickhurstyles

@spookyeomgoose @princelingperfect @tinkerbell460 @xueisaaa17

“Let’s take another.”

Jeonghan raises a brow from across you and Joshua posing for yet another selfie. Joshua smiles softly, leaning his head against yours while you look at the camera. Shaking his head, Jeonghan scoops another spoon of his sundae while yours melt from how distracted you are with taking the perfect ‘dating’ photo. 

When Joshua had invited him to join you both for desserts at your favorite diner joint, he had a giddy feeling his friend will finally tell him that he’s finally asked you out. He definitely did not expect you to reveal this elaborate backstory of you telling your parents that you are in fact ‘bringing home someone’ this year. 

It was stupid, but Jeonghan had always known you had some degree of stupidity if you didn’t notice how badly whipped your best friend, Joshua, is for you all these years. But maybe you were indeed stupid, because of all the people you had to bring home for your fake dating agenda, it had to be Joshua.

Jeonghan wouldn’t mind offering in his stead because for one, he was a natural trickster and charmer. Secondly, he wouldn’t ever see your family or hometown again in the foreseeable future like Joshua would. And finally, you won’t have to deal with the awkwardness of explaining a break up with someone your family knows very well. 

Jeonghan truly wouldn’t mind in fact, he was the smarter choice, but he does mind his friend’s feelings.

He digs into your cup without you looking at which you snap away from the phone with a whine. 

Jeonghan merely snickers as you drag your cup closer to yourself, “Why don’t you use your older photos instead?”

“No, they’re very much best friend coded. We’re going for dating-coded,” you simply tell him, and Jeonghan would object but he says nothing while you analyze your recent sets of selfies. “I blinked on that one.”

Joshua leans over your shoulder, “Maybe we should just let Jeonghan take our photo.”

The older man extends his palm for your phone, “But if you’ve only told your parents so they’d get off your back on your dating life, why do you need photos for instagram?”

He does not miss the subtle way you swallow even as you simply answer, “Because we’re going to my highschool reunion too.”

“And?”

“They’re going to suspect if we show up together as a couple without any prior hints.”

“When we first met and I saw your instagram, I thought Joshua was your boyfriend.”

“So? More than half of my followers there are from college. They know Josh and I are best friends.”

Jeonghan’s expression flattens and a brief glance at Joshua tells him he agrees. Though Jeonghan is pretty sure some hard launches were unnecessary given that you both hangout and argue like an old married couple. You both barely blink any more when a new person assumes you’re dating before clearing it up.

He snaps a few photos of you both as you try to lean into Joshua. He can tell you’re a little flustered with your rigid back and tight smile even though Joshua didn’t seem too fazed at all. It’s a mystery to Jeonghan really, that his friend could go along with this in spite of his obvious feelings for you. Or that you haven’t caught feelings at all…at least that’s what he thinks.

“Y’know, it's much more convincing you’re dating when you weren’t actually trying,” Jeonghan mutters while he shows you the shots he took. You ignore him, nitpicking the tiniest details in the photo. Jeonghan knows you’re not usually the type to be overly conscious of your photos so this time must be different but  he can’t really pinpoint why. 

“Hey,” Joshua nudges you gently, “It looks fine, okay? You’re beautiful.”

The effect it had on you is immediate but you cover it up with a snort and slap to his shoulder, “You’re getting way too good at this fake dating, Hong.”

Joshua laughs, rubbing his arm, “But that wasn’t a lie though.”

“Oh, shut up,” you huff, cheeks glowing as you busy yourself with checking the photos. Joshua leans over your shoulder, scanning the shots with you. 

Jeonghan takes this opportunity to take a candid snapshot with his own phone. He zooms into the photo, capturing Joshua gazing at you fondly when you weren’t paying attention .Shaking his head with a quiet, disbelieving sigh, he pockets his phone, watching you both in mild frustration and satisfaction. 

When all of this is over and you both come to your senses, he’s telling his girlfriend. Then he’ll be a hundred dollars richer and you’ll be none the wiser.

“Oh, Joshua, am I glad you finally convinced this one to come home for the holidays!” your mother beams as she pulls you both into an embrace and into your childhood home, “And to think you’d finally be coming home together. Not that you guys didn’t do that already but now you’re actually…together.”

She throws you a wink to which you return with a roll of your eyes and shrug. Joshua merely chuckles, a little pink at your family’s reaction to the news that you’re dating him. It was like they expected it–sighs of relief, cheers, and a unison of “finally!” from your parents. He supposes that should have been expected because you’ve both been close friends since your primary school days. 

He carries your bags inside, and without a second thought, he’s helping you out of your coat and scarf. Your parents watch the exchange with a soft smile, and it makes him feel self conscious though this habit is second nature to him. 

Your father reaches for the bags with him, gesturing to you both to follow him upstairs to your rooms. Joshua lingers by your bedroom doorway, feeling nostalgic at the sight of it. He hasn’t been in here since middle school, but he spent a good chunk of his childhood here with you. 

“Come on in, this is your home, too,” your father grins, waving at him to get inside and grabbing the bag in his hand.

“Wait, you mean–” Joshua’s eyes widened a little.

“The guest room’s storage now and Seungcheol and his family will be coming over tomorrow, so they’ll be in his old room,” your father explains. He raises his brow in amusement, “C’mon, it's not like you haven’t stayed over before.”

He’s right, Joshua had stayed over a couple of times before but not in your room with only one bed. He can’t tell what you feel about that as you busy yourself with immediately unpacking, but your shoulders are tense and you’re not reacting to your dad’s statement. 

Joshua nods, masking his hesitation with a crooked smile, “Yeah, I guess so.”

Your father claps his shoulder, “Well, I’ll let you two settle and we can have dinner.”

Joshua nods and thanks him until he feels a squeeze and is faced with a playful warning in your dad’s eyes, “Just not under my roof, got it?”

“Dad!”

Joshua instantly turns red, sputtering and fumbling with what to say. Your dad leaves with a chuckle and shuts the door behind him. 

You heave out a sigh, “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

“I didn’t think they’d actually make us stay here. But then I should have remembered what happened to the guest room. But if I reacted awhile ago, he’d be suspicious then I-”

“Hey,” Joshua places a comforting hand on your shoulder, “It’s fine, we crashed at each other’s place before.”

You stare at him for a beat, fingers twisting at your side as you both don’t address the fact that you have to share the bed. It’ll be too cruel to have one of you sleep on the floor, especially with the winter weather. 

“Are you sure? I can look for an extra mattress-”

Joshua huffs, shoving your shoulder, “You’re acting like we have to sleep with each other just so we can share the bed.”

He smirks at your flustered squeak and narrowly avoids the pillow tossed over his head.

For as long as you remember, you cannot remember when Joshua was not in your life. 

He was that boy you see on Sunday mornings, and the boy who shyly smiles behind his grandmother’s skirt when your mother greets her. He was that boy who attended that international primary school at the richer end of town. But you see him in the park during weekdays, entertained with simply blowing bubbles or hobbling up and down the slide repeatedly. He was the kid that just became your friend simply because he let you take your turn on the swing first and offered to push you. Though he ended up on his back with his front tooth knocked out from the impact of the swing, he still came back the next weekend to try again with you. Joshua’s much kinder than your older brother, so you often ditch your Seungcheol and his friends in favor of that lone kid content with his routines. He then became your favorite playdate at the park, extending to even visiting each other's homes. He’d bring you some coloring books of Sesame Street and you’d share your pack of 12 crayons, frowning when he asks you why yours doesn’t have glitter. 

You’ve been inseparable since then. 

Seungcheol takes a liking to him, often dragging him outside from your play house so they could dig up rolly pollies then plot to shove them down your shirt. The times he does opt to stay inside with you, your brother calls him a sucker to which he only responds with a pout and turn of his head. He’s the friend you look forward to seeing after the weekdays that even your mother uses him as mode for discipline, telling you that you can’t have a playdate till you eat your vegetables or finish your homework.

Joshua was someone you made a typical, silly childhood promise to get married to when you grow up as you link your pinkies together, sticky from the twin popsicle you both split. 

You don’t remember what life is like without him. Except for that one blur in your timeline when Joshua had moved into the big city with his mother and he’d been gone during your middle to highschool years, only coming to visit during the summers. 

He’d still show up, he’d come to meet you or his grandmother would call you over for dinner. But in your adolescent years, you’ve grown shy and a little intimidated with how you’ve begun to see him differently. 

He loses his bright shirts for an affinity of checkered shirts. He loses the baseball caps for a side swept bang and piercings.

Joshua grew taller, his voice started to shift into a lower octave, and the baby fat started to give way to a softer jaw. His gentleness never changed, he’s a little more mischievous and unpredictable and you find that endearing. His habit of petting your head doesn’t help your growing crush on him.

But when he moves back to your town, in favor of the state college much closer to yours than the city—it only gets worse from there. 

Joshua loses the checkered shirts for soft neutral sweaters. He loses the 2010 hair for a neater, brushed back loose style. And his arms and chest fill out modestly.

You follow into the same college a year later, in a different major but you think it's enough distance from him. He doesn’t let that happen though. He walks you to class, shares your lunch and breaks with you, and even invites you to study groups. You’d only like to think he’s just been there for most of your life that it's only natural he stays there. 

Yet the moment you let your heart embrace its longing for more—he ruins it.

Because when you get mistakenly referred to as his girlfriend by one of his friends, he simply laughs and says, “Nah, she’s like a sister to me.”

It stings you more than you’d like to admit but you tank it all for the sake of keeping Joshua in your life. It was stupid really. Maybe you didn’t actually like him, maybe he was just familiar, your only close male friend, and you don’t truly see anyone else filling in his role in your life.

Which then works out after a few months when you meet your first love and first boyfriend. 

You were so enamored by him the first time you met, which in hindsight, was embarrassing. 

One morning you’re late to class, you skip through the soccer field as a shortcut to your building. You’d think you’d be fast enough after all those years of playing tag with Joshua but you weren’t. The soccer ball flies straight to your head, sending you toppling into the grass with your bag and coffee. It left you dizzy and disoriented and you vaguely remember being carried.

Once your vision has focused, you find yourself in the school clinic, an ice pack pressed to your head and a pair of eyes gazing at you with concern. He introduces himself as Zach, and it didn’t take a lot to recall his name being cheered and screamed during games as the captain of the soccer team. You try to play it cool, even as you stare at him up close and begin to understand why he’s so popular. He’s ruggedly handsome, taller than Joshua, and the deep timbre of his voice is enough to make you swoon.

He offers to walk you to class and manages to sweet talk your terror of a  professor into letting you take a makeup class. When you turn to thank him, he pauses, before stuttering shyly that he’d see you around.

His blush leaves you giddy and smiley in spite of the horrid lump on your head. 

And you do see him more around often that you were sure he purposely took the long way to his classes or packed up slower than the rest of his team so he could catch you leaving your building and to the cafeteria. Sometimes he offers to bring you to this little cafe he likes or offers to do some study sessions in the library. He sneaks snacks into your bag, and he never lets you pay for your drinks. He’s easy going, charming, and as if that wasn’t enough, he was smart too–it was so easy to like him that you’d later joke and tell him that the ball must’ve hit your head too hard.

The first few times he sees you with Joshua, he gets a little wary and quiet in spite of Joshua’s friendly attempts at conversation. The minute you notice how Zach distances himself from you was coincidentally when you were with Joshua. You then realize maybe this is why Joshua stayed single in spite of his list of admirers. Maybe this is why he had to reassure others you were just a ‘little sister’ to him because you were warding off any romantic connection he could potentially make. 

So after a week of radio silence from Zach and missing him terribly, you catch him after practice, a whole speech memorized in your head. Yet when he comes to you, freshly showered with a tired smile, all you manage to say is: 

“Josh is just my best friend. He’s like a brother to me.”

He raises a brow, something akin to relief washing over his face but he says nothing but asks you out to the movies.

The rest is history after that.

Joshua receives this news with a small smile and an “Oh?”

You’re too elated, too stupid in love to ever notice how your best friend becomes less present in your life. He never left and he doesn’t change any of your routines except he no longer walks you to class or actively asks you to hangout. You figured it's probably his way of respecting Zach’s standing in your life.

Still, you keep everything mostly the same between you and Joshua. After all, his absence feels wrong like your furniture has been uncomfortably shifted an inch further from what you’re used to. He’s always been there and you’re determined to keep it that way. 

Zach then becomes that one that walks you to class, the one who takes you on cute walks to the park, and the one he runs to haul into his arms and spin after each win. 

You adored him, you truly did. Even if Seungcheol barely acknowledges him when he drops you off at your house. Or that your father points out that Zach doesn’t seem to show any interest coming over to properly introduce himself. You don’t mind that he doesn’t share the same interests as you, or that he cannot relate to any of your excited ramblings on your favorite things. Those are just preferences, Zach doesn’t have to like the same thing you do so long as he loves you, right?

It doesn’t matter that he doesn’t enjoy any hands-on activities for couples or that he prefers movies, parks, watching games, and dining out over staying in, doing late night runs, or attending a ceramics class. 

It was fine because you had your bestfriend for that. Joshua loved to listen to your fixation that week or any thought you might have taken from your classes that day. The days you’d be alone because of Zach’s soccer practice or ditched for some other things, Joshua would be around. He even didn’t mind attending a ceramics class or even a flower arranging class with you. They were honestly things you could do alone but Joshua would only smile and say they’re most fun when shared. 

Your little life was fine this way for three years until Joshua’s just about to graduate and he has full intention of moving into the city where his mom is. This led you to think about where you’d want to go when you graduate the following year. You definitely wanted to see what life outside your town had to offer. 

Then that’s where things started going downhill between you and Zach. The difference between you both became more obvious with each discussion turned into an argument. 

While you sought growth and a challenge outside your roots, Zach liked the comfort and stability he’s privileged with. While you know neither of you are in the wrong, you simply wanted to know why he felt extremely pressed about it and what could be done to make your relationship work. 

The strain in your relationship becomes palpable, and most nights, you can only cry, finding yourself dismissed simply because your boyfriend was “not in the mood for this right now.” 

Your friends have pointed out the loss of lustre in your hair, your tired eyes, and smaller smile. But you don’t talk about it, even if Joshua starts to notice this too. But you don’t tell him. What is there to talk about when it’s you who isn’t doing enough? You’ve only had a few months left with him and you enjoy your time with him as much as you could.

Then that becomes a problem for Zach. He’s always been a little on the colder side when it comes to Joshua, even if you’ve made it perfectly clear that he was your best friend and that he doesn’t see you like that. And Zach would try to sweet talk you into seeing Joshua less, ask you to stop bringing him  to group hangouts and stop letting him come over your place. His defense always circles backs to when he distanced himself from you before you had started dating because he initially thought you were with Joshua. He tells you that Joshua should owe him that same courtesy. 

You bristle at the blame thrown towards your best friend. And it hurt you but you understood where he was coming from and his boundaries. Still, you defend your friendship, adamant on not completely cutting Joshua off after all those precious years of childhood to adulthood. You settle on a compromise: clearing the “joshie~” nickname on your contacts and asking him to hang out with you less and less. 

Joshua takes the hint, he doesn’t push and before you know it, all you could offer was five minutes of goodbyes at his door before he takes the long drive to his new life in the city. Your boyfriend doesn’t even show up, but your older brother does, even after a long shift at the bar he’s worked at.

You think you could get used to life without Joshua, kind of like a child letting go of her baby blanket.

You find your relationship with Zach easing up, you fight less, and he’s no longer hovering over where you’re hanging out and with whom. All seems to be going alright. 

At the same time, it isn’t. Everything just felt so…wrong. 

Because it isn’t Zach you send photos of pretty smattering of daisies in the park. It isn’t Zach you think about when you think of splitting a twin popsicle. It isn’t Zach you remember when your mother prepares a feast too big for four. 

You numb yourself to the odd sensation, telling yourself it's all because Joshua had always been there that no one else seemed to fit spaces in your life. 

Joshua is chronically offline, but he picks up the phone on every third ring even if it's about some silly question about your homework or to help you for a mock exam. You don’t text often but there are days, you receive photos of the most random things he knows you’d appreciate: the sunset that day, a nest of birds resting over the traffic light, his mom cooking, or his office desk. Whatever you would be going through that day, it never failed to make you smile and feel a little closer to him.

 “How’s Josh?” your mother would ask, “Is he doing alright? Did he manage to pass his interview?” 

Strange. Your mother never asked about Zach’s latest match or if he had any plans for after graduation. 

“He did! We called about two days ago and he landed the job,” you smile, recalling his sweet giggles as he reads the email to you. 

“Oh, that’s nice,” your mother comments, “I hope he gets to visit during the holidays.” 

You’re at the cusp of your graduation, when you notice the drastic change between you and your boyfriend that you’ve been denying for months. He texts you late, the dates are less frequent and are limited to studying and eating together, and he hovers over you less. You think it's because you’re both graduating soon and he’s simply stressed with the deadlines. You try keeping it bearable for him, bringing him an extra cup of coffee, letting him power nap beside you in the library, and even preparing flashcards for him. 

Some weekends you suggest hanging out without studying so you could both feel refreshed. You book tickets to the movie he likes, and plan on heading to his favorite fast food joint after. He agrees, his hand intertwined with yours all throughout the movie until you notice his other hand is occupied with his phone. It doesn’t really matter but he stays occupied for a good fifteen minutes, missing crucial parts of the movie. The same goes for when you go to eat, and when you call his attention he places his phone face down, a habit you’ve grown used to. 

It was only a week before graduation when it happened. 

Your older brother comes home earlier before his shift ends with a loud call of your name and sharp knocks to your door, which was diabolical considering that it was two in the morning. He’s annoying but you know he’d never wake you up for no reason. You grumble, disoriented when you shuffle out of the covers and open your bedroom door. 

The roughened sight of him immediately sobers you because his cheek blooms with a purple bruise and his knuckles are swollen, skin broken and raw. Your parents start to wake up, equally disoriented and concerned but Seungcheol won’t let anyone touch him. He’s vibrating with anger, jaw tense as he bites out words that send your world spiralling.

“Your boyfriend is cheating on you.”

The news didn’t seem to shock you as much as it did but it did hurt. Seungcheol spares you the details, only telling you he’s seen your boyfriend getting all handsy with another woman in the bar he worked in. He doesn’t tell you about his bruises and scrapes because knowing his temper, you know why (especially when you see Zach with a nasty black eye and a broken nose later).  

You ignore Zach’s calls, block his number and remove him from all forms of contact. It's all a blur after that and you thought that your world would be over, that you’d spend the rest of your foreseeable future absolutely devastated and crying. You think you’d want to have this dramatic confrontation, maybe even go hunting down for the other woman. 

But you don’t because something in your brain snaps into place and you can’t afford to lose your focus and preparation for graduation for a boy’s stupidity.

You got through that week sleepless, avoiding the topic, and locked into the date on the calendar marked red. Your family and friends worry over you, and you simply assure them you’re fine with a lackluster nod and request to not bring it up until at least graduation is over. You don’t check your phone, you actively avoid your ex’s attempts to come to you even if it meant aggressively shoving him to the side and threatening to call your older brother to break his legs next. 

The concern and pity from onlookers aggravated you, but you ignored it all for the sake of just graduating and finishing strong that weekend.

And you did, you stayed strong, apathetic, and your makeup was flawless for your graduation day. Your voice doesn’t waver as you give your speech, it does a little when you look at your notes and see where you’ve crossed out mentioning Zach. But you swallow and keep your voice steady, a watery smile unconsciously tugging at your lips when you thank your family, then going off script to mention your best friend and his support. You stay leveled and unwavering, finishing your speech with a bow. 

You finish strong, without a tear shed and your chin high.

Until you walk over to your parents and find Joshua standing with your brother, a bouquet of handpicked daisies and gerberas, arranged in a way you’ve learned in one of the flower arranging classes your ex ditched you in. 

“Surprise! Look who drove all the way here last night!” your father grinned.

You paused in your steps—it felt like cotton was stuffed in your ears, all sounds muted except for that cheerful “congratulations!” from Joshua. It's only been a year, but his selfies don’t do justice to how much he’s grown. It’s his soft smile and crinkle in his eyes that finally knocks at the fragile glass keeping the terrifying waves of pain from crashing. 

The bouquets and gifts fall from your arms as you rush head first into his chest. He grunts at the impact but he laughs, arms finding home around you as you sways you from side to side. 

Then you start sobbing, breaths coming in short painful hiccups.

You don’t have many graduation photos that day because your father quietly suggests that you all head home and celebrate later.

It’s the first time you’ve seen Joshua angry after you tell him about what your ex had done. His stare has gone cold and his eyes have grown a tad bigger. He’s attentive but his skin pales and his muscles are visibly tense yet his touch is tender as he rubs your shoulder. 

“You must have been hurting so much.” 

You have and you kept hurting. But it was all okay, because he was there as you picked the pieces. 

You don’t hear from Zach but you have heard that he’s practically moved on and actively looking for a job. It angers you so you double down on your job search until you find one that's out of town and in a new city. It's much bigger than what your ex could do and much further than he could go, so you beg Seungcheol to drive you the next weekend so you could sign the contract. 

He grumbles the whole time he helps you pack your things, but you know he’s going to miss you. He lets you grieve and recover your own way, maybe you just needed to leave, to do more than what your ex ever could do or could offer. 

It takes you a year to move on, to meet new people, and to rebuild yourself into a stronger woman before you decide to relocate into Joshua’s city the next year. 

Your best friend once told you he never really understood your need of having a dump account of all your social media handles. Information shared there was privy to only he and a few of your trusted girlfriends. He did not understand what was the point of having the acceptance button to a follow request when you constantly had to filter out your posts to a selected few. 

You responded to that with a shrug and he just sighs and tells you that you had both strange and infuriating habits.

Infuriating was right because later that year, you just happened to have seen an Instagram story with your ex tightly wound against another woman through a shared acquaintance. And with your terrifying investigative skills and use of your anonymous dump account, you’ve gone as far as discovering when they started dating, the new girlfriend’s star sign, her position at her current workplace, and what her dog’s name is. You then learned your ex even got a nicer car and got into the company he’s always wanted to go to.

Really, it shouldn’t bother you, but you were both going back home for the holidays and this wouldn’t sit well with you at all.

Joshua could never really say no to you. 

Even with his gentle nature, one would think he should be the best at denying you since you’ve known each other as kids. But he hasn’t and his soft spot for you has only grown through the years.

It's his fatal flaw and your greatest weapon as others put it.

So when the holidays drew near and you had asked him to return home with you as your “boyfriend” so your parents would get off your back on your dating life, he finally told you ‘no.’ 

Still, it did not take a lot of convincing before he had later told you “yes.” 

Nevermind that it was a bad idea or that you both came from the same small town and need to somehow explain why you “broke up” when this is all over. Nevermind the guilt resting at the pit of his stomach as this was the closest he’ll ever get to dating you. Nevermind that it's just so easy and that it stings a little more each time you say my love. 

And when you ask him if he’s alright with showing up to your highschool reunion together, he smiles, squeezes your hand and says yes. 

Dinner was the usual affair, it was the part that made you both nervous the most but it goes by without a hitch. You answer their questions with the same answers you had rehearsed a week before. 

“So, when did you guys finally decide to get together?” 

“Well, since we’re always together, we decided to give it a shot.”

“But how? Who asked who?”

“Joshua did, during one of those nights he was walking me home from work.”

“And how long since then?”

“Four months.” 

“What gave you the push, Joshua?”

Your fork slips out of your grasp and clunks loudly against your plate. That was not something you had both talked about and you start to panic. You begin racking your brain for anything that could shift the conversation elsewhere. 

“Mom.”

 “That night I was walking her home,” Joshua smoothly intercepts, “I looked at her and thought that this is where I want to be.” 

You feel a rush of heat up your neck as you stare at him, dumbfounded. Then your best friend moves his gaze towards you with a softness you cannot name before he quickly shifts his focus on his meal. 

“And what made you say yes?” 

“Dad,” you groan, “Can we stop with the embarrassing questions?”

He merely shrugs, “Josh didn’t have an issue answering them.”

“But I do,” you grumble, ears burning in a mix of embarrassment and wonder with Joshua’s answer. 

“Oh, why not?” your mother presses, “We’ve been hoping that one day you find someone, it would be someone like Joshua. Imagine how elated we were when you told us it is Joshua.”

“It’s just,” you swallow, avoiding glancing at your ‘boyfriend.’ You imagine what it would be like if Joshua did ask you to be his girlfriend, if you were actually together, and what it would feel like. You fight against that familiar warmth that fills you but then the words begin pouring out without a second thought.

“When he asked, I was…happy. There were none of those butterflies and nerves that I thought I’d feel. It felt like slipping on your favorite sweater. It felt like coming home.”

You’re shocked at your own answer and you pointedly ignore everyone’s gaze on you. Your parents share a knowing look before carrying on with a smile.

After dinner, you both don’t bring up the discussion. Once the door to your room is shut, you turn to him with a hand raised in a high-five and shared victorious giggles. You then fall into a natural rhythm as you get ready for bed. 

You settle in bed without a fuss, there is no need to make it a bigger deal than it really is. You crawl into your side first, turned away from Joshua’s side in an effort to hide how much it truly is affecting you. You’ve had sleepovers before and you think you could be at least normal with sleeping beside him. But after what you both said during dinner, that sounded too natural, too easy and too sincere, you could be anything but normal. 

You try not to squirm when you feel the weight of your best friend settling beside you. His arm brushes against yours, it was a queen size bed after all, and Joshua’s become broader throughout the years. You once again try to ignore how that makes you feel but once again, he decides to be a menace and whispers with a playful cadence in his tone.

“Well then, good night, baby.”

You scoff, kicking his leg with a grumbled good night.

Joshua couldn’t sleep, not with the warmth of your body behind him, or the cramp in his arm when he tries to keep still. But especially not when he thinks about dinner tonight and how your parents had looked at you both. It made guilt settle in his stomach that it keeps him up, and judging by the pattern of your breathing, you’re probably awake too.

“Hey,” he whispers quietly, “Are you up?”

You respond with a gravelly, “Yeah?”

Joshua’s heartbeat starts to pick up and the words lay uncomfortably twisted in his throat. He swallows hard before quietly asking, “When we head back after this…what are we going to tell your parents?...and Seungcheol?”

He says we not you. He’s fully responsible for this too and the repercussions he didn’t think through after. Your breathing falters, and he’s a little sorry he’s keeping you awake like this. He opens his mouth to take it back but you respond with a snort.

“Are you that excited to break up with me?”

Joshua chuckles dryly, relieved you can still find humor in it but also he knows it is one of your defenses. 

“No, of course not.”

“Let me worry about that,” you tell him and he feels you twist your body so you're facing his back. Joshua flips on his back, staring at your popcorn ceiling with a thoughtful gaze, “I agreed to this too.” 

Your hand reaches up to pat his chest, and his eyes flicker over to you to see your eyes half closed in slumber, “We’ll cross the bridge when we get there.”

Update frequency: whenever we can. Don’t worry though! Each fic can be read as a standalone!! 

Disclaimer 1: Please note we are both not in the medical field, we don’t claim to know anything about medicine. Our fics will contain incorrect medical information and are supposed to be taken as works of fiction.

Disclaimer 2: Please note Shu’s account is sfw, and Kari does write nsfw content. Since we are each writing different fics for different members, we will post the fics separately on our respective accounts. For minors, everything on Shu’s account will not contain any nsfw, but MDNI with the fics linked here that contain nsfw content. We will be careful in putting warnings in this masterlist and on fics with nsfw content. We understand this is confusing so please send us an ask or dm if you wish to clarify anything!

Authors’ Note: this series is inspired by our conversations and Shu’s obsession with Doctor Conner Rhodes from Chicago Med. We will be opening a taglist for this series, if you’re not on our permanent taglists and wish to be tagged, please send either one of us an ask if you would like to be added!! Note that minors will only be tagged for sfw fics!!

✧ Without further ado… cueing the opening song! 

✧ Introducing our characters!

⚕️Dr. Choi Seungcheol, Trauma Surgeon ⚕️Dr. Yoon Jeonghan, Neurosurgeon ⚕️Dr. Joshua Hong, Pediatric Surgeon ⚕️Dr. Wen Junhui, Radiologist ⚕️Kwon Soonyoung, RN, Emergency Department Nurse in Charge ⚕️Dr. Jeon Wonwoo, Pathology ⚕️Dr. Lee Jihoon, Director of Seventeen Medical Center (Current position), Cardiologist (Previously) ⚕️Dr. Lee Dokyeom, Psychiatrist ⚕️Dr. Kim Mingyu (PhD), Physiotherapist  ⚕️Xu Minghao, Head of Patient Services ⚕️Boo Seungkwan, RN, Emergency Department Nurse ⚕️Dr. Vernon Chwe, Orthopedic Surgeon ⚕️Lee Jung Chan (Dino), 4th Year Med Student

✧ Masterlist:

⚕️Prologue (sfw, written by Shu)  ✧ Synopsis: After a long business trip, the director of Seventeen Medical Center, Lee Jihoon, finally returns to his home.

⚕️Psychiatrists? Smart as hell, dumb as well | Lee Dokyeom (sfw, written by Shu) ✧ Synopsis: Despite being an incredibly perceptive psychiatrist, Dr. Lee Dokyeom was oblivious to one thing - Love. (Un)fortunately, he wasn’t the only one. 

⚕️Competitions & confessions (sfw) | nsfw mdni | Dino (2 separate versions, written by kari) ✧ Synopsis: It seemed that student doctor Lee Chan could never win anything when you were in the running. Until he did.

⚕️He's a lover not a fighter… most of the time | Kwon Soonyoung (sfw, written by Shu) ✧ Synopsis: Seungkwan doesn’t recall ever seeing Soonyoung angry or riled up, that is until you, his significant other, is injured by a patient’s relative. Because when it comes to you and your safety, all bets are off, and Soonyoung unleashes his inner tiger.

⚕️A little bit of confidence and a bunch of carnations (sfw) | nsfw mdni | Vernon Chwe (2 separate versions, written by Kari) ✧ Synopsis: Something akin to a high school romance finally blooms into more with a little bit of confidence and a bunch of carnations.

⚕️Déjà Vu | Xu Minghao (sfw, written by Shu) ✧ Synopsis: For some strange reason, Minghao found you strikingly familiar to him. But despite his best efforts, he couldn’t seem to figure out why… until one day he finally did.

⚕️The Follow Up (sfw) | nsfw mdni | Kim Mingyu (2 separate versions, written by Kari) ✧ Synopsis: Physical therapist Kim Mingyu keeps scheduling follow-ups for a patient who’s already recovered—just to see her again.

⚕️White butterflies | Joshua Hong (sfw, written by Shu) ✧ Synopsis: As rewarding as being a pediatric surgeon can be, there are some days which just suck. On days like these, when Dr. Joshua Hong finds himself stuck in his head, agonising over all his decisions and what he could have done differently, you’re there to pull him out of his thoughts.

⚕️Matters of the Heart (sfw) | nsfw mdni | Lee Jihoon (2 separate versions, written by Kari) ✧ Synopsis: Medical Director Lee Jihoon finds himself battling with what he was trained to do. Which is to understand the heart.

⚕️You can love him, you can hate him, but you can't ignore him | Yoon Jeonghan (sfw, written by Shu) ✧ Synopsis: You’ve been butting heads with Dr. Yoon Jeonghan since he first joined Svt Med’s neurosurgery department. But does the tension between you and Dr. Yoon simply stem from your fierce workplace rivalry, or is it something else?

⚕️Love under a microscope (sfw) | nsfw mdni | Jeon Wonwoo (2 separate versions, written by Kari) ✧ Synopsis: Dr. Jeon Wonwoo, a brilliant but oblivious pathologist, has always been focused on his work—until he begins to notice his colleague’s quiet presence and realizes he's developed feelings for her. As he navigates the unfamiliar territory of love, he must learn to balance his logical mind with the unpredictable emotions of the heart.

⚕️Love in Bloom | Boo Seungkwan (sfw, written by Shu) ✧ Synopsis: Seungkwan always makes it a point to bring fresh flowers to brighten up the Emergency Department every week… or at least that’s the reason he tells himself whenever he visits the hospital’s (very cute) florist. 

⚕️Code Blue (sfw) | nsfw mdni | Choi Seungcheol (2 separate versions, written by Kari) ✧ Synopsis: A trauma surgeon and a paramedic navigate a no-strings arrangement that unravels when buried feelings surface. Between passion and fear, they learn that love can be the most complicated emergency of all.

⚕️Beyond The Pain (sfw) | nsfw mdni | Wen Junhui (2 separate versions, written by Kari) ✧ Synopsis: After a misunderstanding tests their relationship, Junhui and his partner find comfort in each other’s presence, learning that healing takes time—but love endures, even through the hardest moments.

--⌃⌄-💎-⌃⌄– ‘Cause I’m your home, home, home, home, a place you can come to, a place you can come to --⌃⌄-💎-⌃⌄–

shu's taglist:

@weird-bookworm @wonijinjin @babyleostuff @wishing-fieshes @kwanienies

@mayashu @megseungmin @porridgesblog @haecien @mirxzii

@scoupsofcherries @eightlightstar @brownsugarbaybee @zaggprincess2 @nonononranghaee

@hrts4hanniehae @treehouse-mouse @vcutparis @heavenfilm @bananabubble

@hyneyedfiz @abibliolife @isabellah29 @starshuas @cheolsposts

@carlesscat-thinklogic23

kari's taglist: @phattyboo90 @welcometomyoasis svt med taglist (open)sfw fics: @arrblgs @heyitz00

all fics: @eightlightstar @iamawkwardandshy @foxinnie8 @shuabby1994 @black-swan-blog27

@xuimhao @junniesoleilkth @justsomekpopstuff @jenowithjaem @armycarat2612 @yuuyeonie @myjaeyunn @yeonjinnie

@tangerine-seungkuan @hoshisgalaxy @miidorei @hamji-hae @suraandsugar @carlesscat-thinklogic23 @yoongznme

@missychief1404 @napipope-ta @haechanshoes @777bae @lightprincess-world

@odetoshua @hayleyfields33 @nkl1a @tnafzi @nonie1ov3r @blissedjoon @kokoiinuts @hyeissante @ra1n7b33 @intoanothermind

The majority of patients who came into the ED were in serious condition. Any ED staff member would tell you their work was extremely fast paced and stressful. They saw the ugliest sides of mankind, and the worst that life has to offer. Their days (and nights) working in the ED could be characterised by thousands of life threatening injuries, allergic reactions, and serious illnesses. While many lives could be saved thanks to their valiant efforts and the wonders of modern medicine, just as many patients could not escape from the clutches of death. 

Not to mention, working in an ED was a thankless job. They weren’t only treating their patients, but their patients’ distraught or hysterical loved ones as well. The ED staff members were witnesses, participants, and often the so-called “perpetrators” in some of the worst, if not the worst days of people’s lives. Many times, when a patient’s loved one could not handle the stress of the situation they were suddenly thrown into, tensions and emotions would run high in the ED, which meant the staff were usually on the receiving end of many emotional outbursts. 

The ED staff members shouldered these burdens, silently enduring the physical, mental, and emotional stress that came with the job. It was a small price to pay to be on the front lines. If they could have a hand in saving lives, everything they endured was worth it. 

However, just because they silently endured it, doesn’t mean the stress never got to them. 

Having worked as an ED nurse for almost a decade, Seungkwan knew this all too well. He had, afterall, been one of the miserable, burnt out, overworked, underappreciated nurses who still gritted his teeth and went to work day after day. While he enjoyed being a nurse, it came to a point where the sterile white felt dull, and the blinding fluorescent lights in the ED ironically became an omen of darkness and suffering in his life. 

But, everything changed when Seungkwan moved over to Seventeen Med. When Jihoon offered him a new position, one where he could work with his university friends, he accepted immediately. He loved his friends, and he was in desperate need for a change of environment. Who knows, he thought, perhaps he could rekindle the spark he was looking for… perhaps he could come to genuinely find love and fulfillment in doing his job again. 

Seungkwan wanted a change of environment, and he certainly got it. As Soonyoung, Seungkwan’s old friend (and new boss) gave him a tour of the hospital’s premises, Seungkwan looked around, completely awestruck. Seventeen Med was unlike any other hospital Seungkwan ever saw before. Gone were the white walls of his past, replaced by walls painted in pretty shades of PANTONE 13-1520 and PANTONE 15-3919, or rose quartz and serenity respectively. The contrast of the warm pink and cooler blue colours helped to ground people by evoking a sense of tranquility in an otherwise chaotic place. The beautifully coloured walls, coupled with the floor to ceiling windows, dove grey tiles lining the floor, sunbleached wooden furniture, and decor made of crystal, marble or glass, allowed the entire place to feel bright, open, calm, and inviting. In Seungkwan’s opinion, the design of Seventeen Med was less like a hospital, and more of a luxury retreat. 

By the time Soonyoung brought Seungkwan to the Emergency Department where they would be working, Seungkwan felt more refreshed than he had felt in a long, long time. He was feeling excited to begin his new job, and he felt oddly inspired. It was amazing how a change in the colour scheme and decor of a place could impact his mood. He followed Soonyoung into the ED, chattering animatedly about all the ideas he had about sprucing up the place further. Caught up with Seungkwan’s newfound enthusiasm, Soonyoung began rambling along with him. 

“Maybe we can create a tiger themed ED,” Soonyoung said, grinning gleefully. 

“No. That’s so tacky.”

“Seungkwan pppllleeeaasssseeee. Come on, we can get those tiger print blankets.”

“No.”

“Small tiger figurines we can give away to the children.”

“No, you would hog them all.”

“Tiger snacks?”

Seungkwan gave Soonyoung a disgusted look, “Absolutely not.”

Soonyoung’s grin faded into a sad pout. He whined, “Not even tiger lilies?”

Seungkwan was about to immediately reject Soonyoung’s next stupid suggestion, but he held his tongue because decorating the ED with tiger lilies didn't sound stupid after all. Rubbing his chin, he deliberated over Soonyoung’s surprisingly good suggestion, “Tiger lilies huh? You might be onto something. How about we get flowers for the ED? Fake flowers of course, since real flowers pose a risk. We can buy a new bouquet every week to change up the atmosphere. Plus when we change the bouquet, we can give the old ones away to the children.”

Soonyoung nodded, “Yes. We can even set up a small arts and crafts station near the back of the waiting room mended by volunteers to teach people how to make bouquets, paintings, or origami flowers.”

Filled with pride at his own suggestion and Seungkwan’s idea, Soonyoung gave Seungkwan a thumbs up and a smirk, “Okay! I approve of this proposal. Your first task as my second in charge will be to go to the hospital’s flower shop and get some fake flowers for the ED, preferably tiger lilies… They should have it because the shop actually brings in a whole variety of fake flowers as an alternative for those with allergies. We’ll try this idea out for a month, and if it works, you can write a formal proposal to Jihoon to get funding to turn this into a full time project. I would do it, but you know, I’m your boss and you have to listen to me.”

Rolling his eyes and giving Soonyoung a mock salute, Seungkwan turned on his heel to seek out the hospital’s flower shop. 

--⌃⌄-💎-⌃⌄–

Absent-mindedly fiddling with his new staff ID, Seungkwan hummed as he approached the hospital’s flower shop. He would pick up the tiger lilies Soonyoung ordered him to get, albeit begrudgingly, before returning to his post. If he was quick, the whole transaction shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes. 

Seungkwan was sorely mistaken. Upon arriving at the front of the flower shop, he came to an abrupt halt when he spotted you, adorned in your apron and armed with your gardening shears. His breathing hitched, his grip on his staff ID loosening, causing it to fall to the floor with a soft “clank.” Despite there being a vast display of various types of flowers, they didn’t matter to Seungkwan, nor did he pay them any mind. He ignored the regal roses, charming carnations, heavenly hydrangeas, colourful chrysanthemums, ornate orchids, dainty dahlias, and the luscious lilies. Instead, his eyes were completely transfixed on you. 

To him, you were the most stunning flower of all. 

Hearing the sound of something dropping on the floor, you turned to look in that direction. Noticing your stare, Seungkwan blushed and averted his gaze. He bent down, fumbling to pick up his staff ID. Whether it was out of embarrassment, or the adrenaline pumping through his body because he saw just one of the most stunning women ever, he couldn’t get a good grip on his ID. 

You giggled, amused at how adorable Seungkwan’s clumsy movements were. Deciding to put him out of his misery, you crouched down beside him, picking up his staff ID for him.

Curious as to who this butterfingered stranger was, you read off his staff ID, “Boo Seungkwan. RN. Date of Issue? Oh, it’s today. Hey, welcome to Seventeen Med! I’m Y/n L/n, Med’s resident florist. As you can see, I run this flower shop.”

Seungkwan stared at you, wide eyed and very red faced. He stuttered, grimacing slightly at his mistake, “Uhm… Yes… Nice to meet you flower… no sorry. I mean Y/n.”

You flush, clearing your throat to cover up how flustered you really were over his tiny slip up. Hanging him his staff ID back, you ask him kindly, “How can I help you today Nurse Boo? What type of flowers are you interested in? Perhaps a bouquet for a special someone?”

Seungkwan waved his hands in front of his face frantically, “No, no, not for a special someone. I’m looking for a bouquet of fake tiger lilies. It’s for the ED.”

Pretending not to notice the way your heart leaped when he said he wasn’t going to give the flowers to a special someone, you focused on the fact he was looking for tiger lilies instead, “Soonyoung?”

Seungkwan let out an exasperated, exaggerated sigh, “You know about his tiger obsession too?”

You laughed, “Please, the whole hospital knows about it. On his first day of work, he came dressed head to toe in a tiger print jumpsuit. His excuse was that he was going to change into scrubs anyway, so why not dress in something comfortable? I think Mr Xu almost burst a blood vessel when he saw Soonyoung.”

Seungkwan muttered, “You don’t even know half of it. One time, he came to class dressed in a tigger onesie underneath his lab coat.”

You snickered, moving around Seungkwan to get to the flower display. You carefully picked out some fake tiger lilies from the corner, laying them out on the table to be wrapped up into a bouquet. Meanwhile, Seungkwan watched silently as you worked, trying to ignore how the sight of you arranging the flowers and wrapping the bouquet in a soft, delicate piece of paper sent the butterflies in his stomach fluttering wildly. 

After a short while, you handed over the bouquet to Seungkwan after giving the bow a final tug to ensure you tied it securely, “You can transfer the whole bouquet into a dry vase. If the material of the flower petals gets dusty, just use a slightly damp cloth to wipe it off.”

“How much do I owe you for it?”

Shaking your head, you gave him a smile, teasing him, “Don’t worry about it. Since it’s for the ED, this bouquet is on the house. Besides, I have a feeling I’ll be seeing you around more frequently, Nurse Boo.”

--⌃⌄-💎-⌃⌄–

And see Nurse Boo around more frequently, you did, because you became one of the main suppliers for the hospital’s newly implemented “Smile Flower Initiative.”

Built upon Seungkwan’s proposal to start decorating the ED with flowers, the “Smile Flower Initiative” turned out to be a major success. Regardless of how well designed the ED was, how well run the ED was, or how nice all the staff members were, at the end of the day, Seventeen Med’s ED was still an ED. Injuries, illnesses, and distraught and disgruntled people were still commonplace in the ED. Working there was no less fast paced or stressful as working in EDs elsewhere. 

Although a seemingly simple addition to the ED, the flowers worked wonders and there was a noticeable difference in the atmosphere. The presence of flowers helped to significantly improve the mood of staff, patients, and visitors alike. As his friend, psychiatrist Dr. Lee Dokyeom, would explain, flowers release a chemical called mycobacterium vaccae, which signals the brain to realse the “feel good” hormone, serotonin, thereby naturally improving people’s moods. To put it simply, the flowers, yes even the fake ones, brought happiness, serenity, and hope to people, especially in a place like the ED. 

Jihoon signed off on Seungkwan’s proposal to have the hospital fund the flowers for the ED even before the end of the one month trial. He saw how well received the flowers were, and admitted that while real flowers were used as decorations elsewhere in the hospital, he never thought to use fake flowers as a replacement in departments where real flowers were a safety hazard. Seungkwan mentally face palmed at Jihoon’s admission, but preened under his praise. 

Once the proposal was implemented, the ED was soon full of different types of fake flowers. Knitted or crochet flowers, flowers on blankets, pieces of art featuring flowers, etc. Most items were either donated, handmade by volunteers, or funded by the hospital. Seungkwan loved how each item was unique, usually personalised by the person who supplied it to them. He strongly believed the flowers brought more life and colour into the ED. 

Out of everything he saw though, Seungkwan’s favourite types of flower decorations were still the bouquets you would so lovingly arrange and prepare for him every week. Week after week, month after month, Seungkwan would meet you at your flower shop on Mondays at 10.30am sharp to collect the bouquet of the week. He always looked forward to seeing what new bouquet arrangements you prepared specially for him. The excited expressions from his co-workers, patients, and visitors to the ED when they saw the new bouquets were also highly anticipated. 

At least, those were the reasons Seungkwan told himself justify the excited, tingly, jittery feeling he had whenever it was time to pick up the flowers from your shop. As the time approached, he would be overcome with a rapidly beating heart, hot flushes, a wild blush on his face, clammy hands, and sweaty palms. He would feel slightly lightheaded, and yet he couldn’t manage to keep still, like he needed to bounce or jump about to release some pent up energy. 

Despite the many, many times Seungkwan told himself it was simply adrenaline from the excitement of being able to bring joy to the ED, he knew it wasn’t that. He knew the real reason behind his buzzing nerves - you, the flower shop’s (very cute) florist. While he could try to live in denial, it wasn’t lost on Seungkwan that he might have a huge tiny crush on you. 

Seungkwan’s feelings weren’t lost on Soonyoung either. Soonyoung would frequently observe Seungkwan from a distance as he floated off to pick up the bouquet with a spring in his step, and a lovestruck expression plastered across his face. There were so many times Seungkwan tripped over a cart or almost bumped into someone because he was thinking so intensely about you. Seungkwan liked to believe no one saw him fumble about, but Soonyoung was more observant than most people thought. If Soonyoung was being honest with himself, he was tired and fed up that most of his friends were so hopeless when it came to love. For how much crap Seungkwan liked to give Dokyeom for being a trainwreck before the latter began dating his girlfriend, Seungkwan was no better. 

The process of Seungkwan actually accepting that he did in fact have a crush on you was rather long and arduous, much to Soonyoung’s chargrain. But, Seungkwan was eventually able to accept his feelings for you, and not a moment too soon because Soonyoung was about to start screaming his head off from exasperation. 

Fortunately for Soonyoung, before he worked himself up into having a terrible sore throat, Seungkwan sought him out one day asking for a pleasantly surprising favour.

“YOU WHAT???” 

Seungkwan’s hands flew up to protect his ears. He gave Soonyoung a death glare, “You don’t need to screech in my ears, you hamster face. Did you not hear me? All I asked was if you could do me a favour and cover my shift next Sunday so I can take Y/n out on a date.”

Soonyoung brought his hand to his face, pretending to wipe away his fake tears, “Yea I heard you the first time. I’m just so proud of you. My little shriveled up tangerine tree, you bore no flowers, leaves, or fruit, for your dead roots never found a pool full of love to drink from. Now, you’ve found it, you’re finally growing up, heart open, leaves sprouting. You’re ready to love so go forth, and let your flowers, drinking hungrily from the pools of love, bloom. BLOOM I SAY. BLOOOMMMMMMMPPPHJHHHHHHHHHH.”

Soonyoung’s enthusiastic monologue was cut off by Seungkwan clamping his hand over Soonyoung’s mouth tightly, “I take it that’s a yes?”

“MMMHSMMM.”

“You’re going to cover my shift? So I can go on my date?”

“MMMHSMMM. MMMHHHMMM.”

Seungkwan, satisfied by Soonyoung’s answers, released his grip on the elder. Soonyoung grumbled, “You ask me for a favour, I grant you what you want, and this is how you treat me. Woe is me.”

Seungkwan shrugged, “You were the one being overdramatic.”

Rubbing his sore chin, Soonyoung retorted, “You can’t blame me. You were pathetically pining over her for months now, and now out of the blue you ask me to cover your shift because you’ve finally asked her out and she agreed to go on a date with you. Can’t a guy be happy for his friend?”

Seungkwan paled, the words “you’ve finally asked her out and she agreed to go on a date with you” echoing through his head repeatedly. 

Noticing Seungkwan’s unusual silence and lack of a snarky comment, Soonyoung looked at him questioningly, “Uhm… you have asked her out right? That’s why you’re asking me for the favour? Because you asked her on a date and she said yes?”

Alarmed, Seungkwan shrieked, his hands flailing all over the place as he dashed out of the ED, “Wait. Wait… WAIT. YOU’RE RIGHT. I NEVER ASKED HER OUT TO BEGIN WITH!”

Soonyoung reached out to grab Seungkwan’s shirt, wanting to stop him from rushing off halfway during a shift, but he missed it by an inch. Completely bewildered, Soonyoung stood motionless in the corner of the ED. He opened his mouth to try to say something, only to close it again. After what seemed like an eternity, Soonyoung finally processed what he saw and leaned against the nearby wall for support. He exhaled shakily, “Whooo boy, and I thought Dokyeommie was helpless. Seungkwan, he’s on a whole other planet.”

--⌃⌄-💎-⌃⌄–

Meanwhile, you were assisting your best friend at the hospital’s gift shop. 

“My angel, do you think these orange petunias would go with the new shipment of teddy bears?”

Your best friend lightly pinched your cheek, “Munchkin. Orange flowers with those purple teddy bears? I don’t see why not. Go for it.”

You squealed, immediately grabbing a teddy to try and put together a cute teddy flower bouquet. As you picked out new flowers for the bouquet, your best friend worked on a new gift basket arrangement. You worked in comfortable silence for a while, but your best friend soon grew bored.

With an evil glint in her eye, she abandoned the gift basket, propping herself up on her seat. Leaning in towards you, she asked, “Sooooooo. How’s your Boo?”

You rolled your eyes, “I should be asking you how’s your dating life now you’re with Dr Chwe.”

Unimpressed, she retorted, “At least I have a dating life babie. Nurse Boo and you should be dating by now. Go and ask him out on a date.”

“I don’t have the guts to ask someone out and you know it. Besides, what if he says no? He’s Nurse Boo. I’m sure he’s surrounded by pretty nurses and doctors all the time. Why settle for me?”

Your best friend reeled back, placing a hand over her heart, “EXCUSE ME? Settle for you? Babie. Munchkin. My love. My heart will die if you say that. Anyone who cannot see how amazing you are needs to get their brain checked. You’re more than enough so don’t doubt yourself like that.”

Fiddling with the finished teddy flower bouquet, you nodded shakily. 

Your best friend patted your head, swiveling your seat around to face the shop’s entrance, “Good. Now. Once again, you’re more than enough. I can see that, and Nurse Boo definitely can see it too.”

From your position, you could see Seungkwan frantically looking around your flower shop calling out your name. You stared in shock as you felt your best friend gently nudge you forward and out of her shop, guiding you towards him. 

Your best friend cheekily called out, “Delivery for Nurse Boo!!”

Snapping out of your daze, you glared at her as she retreated back into the gift shop howling with laughter. 

You muttered an apology to Seungkwan, awkwardly asking, “Sorry about that Seungkwan. Is there anything I can help you with today? Do you need a new bouquet urgently?”

Face flushed and ears pink, both from being out of breath and from what he was about to do, Seungkwan shifted around a bit, wringing his bands, “Uh. Yea, there is something you can help me with… Would you… umm, happen to be free next Sunday? For a date, with… me?

Seungkwan was asking you on a date. Next Sunday. Just the two of you. You and him. Together. Alone. On a date. Romantic date. Date with Seungkwan. 

Letting Seungkwan’s question sink in, you squeaked, hiding your warm face behind the teddy flower bouquet you were still holding. Through the gaps in the flowers, you could see Seungkwan’s eyes sparkle with apprehension, and more importantly, hope. Your heart fluttered with the same adoring feeling you had whenever you saw flowers swaying gently in the wind. 

Seungkwan wanted to go on this date with you. 

Somehow, that realisation made your grip on the bouquet grow tighter, and you refused to meet his eyes. 

Standing opposite from you, Seungkwan’s hope was beginning to falter. With you hiding behind the bouquet, he was unable to read your reaction properly. Were you shy because of the question? Was he weird? Were you so turned off by the idea of having to go on a date with him you hid behind your flowers? Beads of sweat rolled down his face, he gulped, sucking in a deep breath, about to try to cut through the uneasy, uncomfortable tension by telling you it was okay if you didn’t want to you know? There was no pressure at all.

“NURSE BOO, YOU BROKE HER. BUT Y/N WOULD LOVE TO GO ON A DATE WITH YOU. GO ON Y/N SAY YES. GET YOUR MAN.” Your best friend, who was finally unable to take the silence anymore, screamed from the gift shop.

You quickly lowered the bouquet, giving Seungkwan a reassuring, albeit sheepish nod, “Yes yes. What she said. I would love to go on a date with you Seungkwan.”

Relieved, Seungkwan let out the breath he was holding in, “Oh thank the heavens. I’ll pick you up next Sunday. Say, 11am?”

You smiled, hugging the bouquet closer to your body, “11am sounds perfect.”

--⌃⌄-💎-⌃⌄–

If there was one word to describe how Seungkwan felt last week after he actually asked you out on a date and you said yes, it would be “perfect.” Everything was perfect. While he was apprehensive about the date, he was more excited than anything else. He spent the week agonising over every inch of his plans, the places to bring you, food to eat, conversation topics. Everything was going to be perfect. It had to be, for you. 

Alas, when perfection is what is highly sought after and anticipated, reality always falls short of it. Fast forward one week, and the one word to describe how the date was going now was “disaster.”

Seungkwan’s original plan was to pick you up at 11am, drive two hours away to a pretty flower field you mentioned in passing one time during your previous conversations. You would have a quiet lunch at the restaurant overlooking the flower field before roaming around and taking in the sights for a few hours. Should you feel parched or tired halfway, there was also a cafe on the edge of the flower field where you could have some tea. During the drive back into the city, you would stop by another restaurant serving your favourite dish. If all went well, he would have you home safely by 9 or 10pm. 

Unfortunately, Seungkwan’s plans were derailed one by one, and soon the perfection he was aiming for was nothing more than a fleeting dream replaced by this disaster of a date. 

Absolutely nothing went his way. In the morning, Seungkwan’s car wouldn’t start when he prepared to head over to your apartment to pick you up. By the time he managed to get a hold of a mechanic to jump start his car, he was over an hour late. Despite your reassurances that it was okay to reschedule the date, Seungkwan was stubborn. He wasn’t going to let this little setback ruin the perfect day he so meticulously planned. 

The drive to the flower field started out lovely. There was a lot of talking, and even more laughs. Everything was looking up for Seungkwan, but as the saying goes, “when it rains, it pours.” In this case, quite literally. What began as a sunny day turned into a dark, gloomy, overcast one as rain began pelting down harshly on the ground. Nevertheless, Seungkwan insisted on moving forward with his original plans. Sudden showers weren’t uncommon during this time of the year, and perhaps the rain would clear up by the time you arrived at your destination. 

When you finally arrived at the flower field, the rain stopped, but Seungkwan’s good spirits were dashed by further setbacks in his plans. The restaurant regretfully informed Seungkwan that you had missed your reservation, and because you arrived 2 hours late, the restaurant was now closing for the afternoon. To make matters worse, the flower field which housed the cafe, was also closed due to flash flooding from the rain. 

Seungkwan’s shoulders slumped as his last rays of hope were dashed. So much for the perfect date. This date could possibly have been the worst date you had ever been on. Throughout the day, you had been reassuring him that you could always reschedule the date, or spend the day at a cafe in the city. And when he insisted on going through with his plans, you never once objected to them or complained about his stubborn nature. He felt like the biggest fool of the century. In his mission to plan the perfect date for you to make you happy, he ended up ruining the entire date. Although you didn’t show any indication of it, he was sure you were having a horrible time and would never want to go out with him ever again. 

You observed Seungkwan silently from the passenger’s seat of his car. His dejected, dull, downcast eyes told you everything. He was full of regret and disappointment at how the day turned out. Worst of all, he was most disappointed with himself. He blamed himself for ruining the day and was chastising himself internally.

You nudged him gently, “Seungkwan, it’s kind of late now and we both haven’t eaten since this morning. How about we turn around and head back into the city? I saw a burger place on the way here. Maybe we can grab some? I know you like burgers…”

By requesting something from Seungkwan, you hoped you could pull him out of his fixation on the ruined day. Seungkwan was a giver, someone who was always ready to help others. You had a hunch that by giving him something else to focus on, he would shift his attention onto how he could best carry out your request to satisfy you. Your hunch proved to be correct. A deep frown was still evident on Seungkwan’s face, but he visibly relaxed at your request. 

The drive to the burger place was silent and slightly tense. Seungkwan’s mind was muddled up with countless thoughts. What should he say to you? Were you mad at him for this ruined date? He practically wasted your time when you could have been at home, warm and well fed. He would obviously have to apologise, but how? He continuously grabbed at the steering wheel as he glanced at you nervously from the corner of his eye. You didn’t look the least bit upset. In fact, you appeared to be quite content with gazing out the window at the passing scenery. That was a good sign right?

As the burger place came into sight, Seungkwan’s stomach growled, cutting through the silence in the car. You snickered at him, “Looks like someone is hungry. Let’s go and get some food for you.”

Knowing Seungkwan was trying to make himself feel better just as much as he was trying to make the day up to you, you didn’t bother arguing with Seungkwan when he insisted on paying. You could always treat him to a meal another time. 

A little while later, Seungkwan returned with your meals and you both dug in hungrily. There was nothing like a warm meal on a cold and wet day. 

“I’m sorry.”

At the sound of Seungkwan’s voice, you retracted your hand from your french fries. Ah, so the time had come. 

You asked him gently, “Whatever for?”

Poking at his burger, Seungkwan murmured, “For ruining the date. I’m sorry I ruined it. Everything was supposed to be perfect. I wanted this date to be perfect for you so you would be happy and instead I ruined it. It was a total disaster.”

You shook your head, “Seungkwan. In my opinion, this date was perfect. So what if our plans were derailed. I’m still enjoying this date with you immensely.”

Seungkwan’s eyes widened in shock. He sputtered, “You mean… you’re not disappointed or upset at me?”

“Is that what you think?”

“Yes.”

You softened, your heart breaking at his self-reprimanding tone, “Am I disappointed the flower field was closed due to flash floods? Yes. But am I disappointed and upset at you? Absolutely not. You couldn’t have predicted what would happen today. You planned a wonderful day for us and I am grateful to you for that. Besides, despite everything you still tried your best to ensure the date was perfect. It was perfect, and still is. Spending this precious time with you is more important to me than anything else. How else was I supposed to learn you were in a comedy group named BooSeokSoon in college along with Nurse Kwon and Dr. Lee?”

Seungkwan’s head lifted and his frown morphed into a proud smile, “Comedy slash singing group. We wanted to bring smiles to everyone around us. I guess you’re right. This time I spent with you is precious.”

You smirked, “Of course. I wouldn’t want to spend my Sundays in a random burger place with anyone else but you.”

Content with the way Seungkwan’s mood was lifted significantly, your heart swelled with pride as you gazed at him fondly. This was the man you came to adore over the past few months. The man who was selfless, who always sought to do his best for everyone else around him just so he could uplift their moods and bring them happiness. Even when he wasn’t doing much, his smile and presence alone could brighten up the whole room, a feat not many were able to achieve. You saw the warmth surrounding his heart, his patience, kindness, and gentle actions towards others, which were always carried out with such attention to detail and love. Boo Seungkwan was the epitome of a nurse and he set the standard for what kind of human you aspired to be. 

Musing over the wonderful being that was Seungkwan for a moment longer, you couldn’t help but blurt, “You’re such a kind person Seungkwan.”

Caught off guard by your compliment, Seungkwan stammered, “What… what brought this compliment about?”

You shrugged, “I was thinking about you. All the things you do to make others smile, bring them happiness. Your whole “Smile Flower Initiative” for instance, or the date you planned today. Oh and don’t think I don’t see you regularly buying coffee for the staff and volunteers who work at the ED, or the way you sometimes get those small tiger pins from the gift shop to give to Nurse Kwon. I’ve also heard stories about how you would work frequently overtime at the ED because some of the elderly regulars are most comfortable around you. One time, I heard from my best friend that you spent the whole night singing to one of the children who was going to undergo an orthopedic surgery. Hospital regulation stated his parents couldn’t be there, and so you stayed with him until he went in.”

Seungkwan grumbled, “Vernon has a big mouth for someone who talks so little sometimes.”

You snorted, “My point being. You’re always putting other people’s happiness first. But what about you? What are some times you like to do which brings you happiness?”

Stirring his drink, Seungkwan wrecked his brain for an answer, “I like talking to the people at the ED, and spending time with the elderly in the geriatric ward. To be able to speak to them outside of when I’m working is fulfilling for me. It humanises them in a way, helps me to see them as individuals, it reminds me how important my work is to helping them get back on their feet. Working in the ED can be tiring, but it is refreshing to finally feel fulfilled and passionate about my job again.”

Cheekily chucking a french fry at Seungkwan, you pressed him further, “As nice as all that is, I mean what are some things you like to do outside of work to decompress? What are some things you like to do for you?”

Pushing around the empty wrappers on the table, Seungkwan’s smile faltered. Yea, what has he done for himself lately? At his previous hospital, he didn’t have the luxury to even think about having time off for himself. When he went home, he would shower, eat, and go straight to bed. Now, he had more downtime, but what did he decide to do? Throw himself into doing more work because he was caught up in his renewed passion for his work. Today was probably the first day since he began working at Seventeen Med where he took a full day off work. Hell, he couldn’t remember the last time he spent a day doing absolutely nothing. 

“Hmm. What are some of your hobbies?”

Your voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Without hesitation, Seungkwan declared smugly, “I love badminton. I used to play in a team recreationally on weekends, and I was good.”

“Favourite food?”

“Jokbal, braised pigs trotters.”

“Favourite places to visit?”

“The beach just off the road from the Caratland theme park. Years ago, I used to spend my days off feeling the sea breeze in my hair and blowing on the dandelions.”

Clapping your hands together gleefully, your eyes sparkled in excitement, “Okay! That settles it. If you’re okay with it, for our next date, we can play badminton in the morning, have Jokbal for lunch, and then visit the beach, make wishes on dandelions, and have a simple picnic for dinner while watching the sunset!”

Seungkwan’s eyes widened, “Next date? You want to go on another date with me?”

Tilting your head questioningly at Seungkwan, you exclaimed, “Of course I would! Uhm, only if you want to?”

Overcome with emotion, Seungkwan shot out of his clair and walked over to sit next to you. He gazed into your eyes, brushing your cheek lightly with his hand, “Earlier, you asked me what are some things I like to do that bring me happiness. I think I have something new to add to my list.”

You shuddered under his soft, feathery touch, “And what would that be?”

Intertwining his hand with yours, Seungkwan whispered, “That would be going on many, many dates with you, my beautiful flower.”

--⌃⌄-💎-⌃⌄–

The following day in the break room, Soonyoung scuttered around Seungkwan, probing him for details on his date, “So, how was the date?”

“It was a total disaster. Nothing went according to plan.”

Patting Seungkwan on the back empathetically, Soonyoung comforted him, “I’m sorry to hear that…”

Recalling the events of the previous day, Seungkwan sighed blissfully, “Don’t be. It was the best date I’ve ever been on.”

Watching Seungkwan strut out of the break room, Soonyoung shrugged. He was confused but he would accept the answer. Who was he to question his friends’ weird love lives?

Because love was in bloom, and that was the most important point.

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The majority of patients who came into the ED were in serious condition. Any ED staff member would tell you their work was extremely fast paced and stressful. They saw the ugliest sides of mankind, and the worst that life has to offer. Their days (and nights) working in the ED could be characterised by thousands of life threatening injuries, allergic reactions, and serious illnesses. While many lives could be saved thanks to their valiant efforts and the wonders of modern medicine, just as many patients could not escape from the clutches of death. 

Not to mention, working in an ED was a thankless job. They weren’t only treating their patients, but their patients’ distraught or hysterical loved ones as well. The ED staff members were witnesses, participants, and often the so-called “perpetrators” in some of the worst, if not the worst days of people’s lives. Many times, when a patient’s loved one could not handle the stress of the situation they were suddenly thrown into, tensions and emotions would run high in the ED, which meant the staff were usually on the receiving end of many emotional outbursts. 

The ED staff members shouldered these burdens, silently enduring the physical, mental, and emotional stress that came with the job. It was a small price to pay to be on the front lines. If they could have a hand in saving lives, everything they endured was worth it. 

However, just because they silently endured it, doesn’t mean the stress never got to them. 

Having worked as an ED nurse for almost a decade, Seungkwan knew this all too well. He had, afterall, been one of the miserable, burnt out, overworked, underappreciated nurses who still gritted his teeth and went to work day after day. While he enjoyed being a nurse, it came to a point where the sterile white felt dull, and the blinding fluorescent lights in the ED ironically became an omen of darkness and suffering in his life. 

But, everything changed when Seungkwan moved over to Seventeen Med. When Jihoon offered him a new position, one where he could work with his university friends, he accepted immediately. He loved his friends, and he was in desperate need for a change of environment. Who knows, he thought, perhaps he could rekindle the spark he was looking for… perhaps he could come to genuinely find love and fulfillment in doing his job again. 

Seungkwan wanted a change of environment, and he certainly got it. As Soonyoung, Seungkwan’s old friend (and new boss) gave him a tour of the hospital’s premises, Seungkwan looked around, completely awestruck. Seventeen Med was unlike any other hospital Seungkwan ever saw before. Gone were the white walls of his past, replaced by walls painted in pretty shades of PANTONE 13-1520 and PANTONE 15-3919, or rose quartz and serenity respectively. The contrast of the warm pink and cooler blue colours helped to ground people by evoking a sense of tranquility in an otherwise chaotic place. The beautifully coloured walls, coupled with the floor to ceiling windows, dove grey tiles lining the floor, sunbleached wooden furniture, and decor made of crystal, marble or glass, allowed the entire place to feel bright, open, calm, and inviting. In Seungkwan’s opinion, the design of Seventeen Med was less like a hospital, and more of a luxury retreat. 

By the time Soonyoung brought Seungkwan to the Emergency Department where they would be working, Seungkwan felt more refreshed than he had felt in a long, long time. He was feeling excited to begin his new job, and he felt oddly inspired. It was amazing how a change in the colour scheme and decor of a place could impact his mood. He followed Soonyoung into the ED, chattering animatedly about all the ideas he had about sprucing up the place further. Caught up with Seungkwan’s newfound enthusiasm, Soonyoung began rambling along with him. 

“Maybe we can create a tiger themed ED,” Soonyoung said, grinning gleefully. 

“No. That’s so tacky.”

“Seungkwan pppllleeeaasssseeee. Come on, we can get those tiger print blankets.”

“No.”

“Small tiger figurines we can give away to the children.”

“No, you would hog them all.”

“Tiger snacks?”

Seungkwan gave Soonyoung a disgusted look, “Absolutely not.”

Soonyoung’s grin faded into a sad pout. He whined, “Not even tiger lilies?”

Seungkwan was about to immediately reject Soonyoung’s next stupid suggestion, but he held his tongue because decorating the ED with tiger lilies didn't sound stupid after all. Rubbing his chin, he deliberated over Soonyoung’s surprisingly good suggestion, “Tiger lilies huh? You might be onto something. How about we get flowers for the ED? Fake flowers of course, since real flowers pose a risk. We can buy a new bouquet every week to change up the atmosphere. Plus when we change the bouquet, we can give the old ones away to the children.”

Soonyoung nodded, “Yes. We can even set up a small arts and crafts station near the back of the waiting room mended by volunteers to teach people how to make bouquets, paintings, or origami flowers.”

Filled with pride at his own suggestion and Seungkwan’s idea, Soonyoung gave Seungkwan a thumbs up and a smirk, “Okay! I approve of this proposal. Your first task as my second in charge will be to go to the hospital’s flower shop and get some fake flowers for the ED, preferably tiger lilies… They should have it because the shop actually brings in a whole variety of fake flowers as an alternative for those with allergies. We’ll try this idea out for a month, and if it works, you can write a formal proposal to Jihoon to get funding to turn this into a full time project. I would do it, but you know, I’m your boss and you have to listen to me.”

Rolling his eyes and giving Soonyoung a mock salute, Seungkwan turned on his heel to seek out the hospital’s flower shop. 

--⌃⌄-💎-⌃⌄–

Absent-mindedly fiddling with his new staff ID, Seungkwan hummed as he approached the hospital’s flower shop. He would pick up the tiger lilies Soonyoung ordered him to get, albeit begrudgingly, before returning to his post. If he was quick, the whole transaction shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes. 

Seungkwan was sorely mistaken. Upon arriving at the front of the flower shop, he came to an abrupt halt when he spotted you, adorned in your apron and armed with your gardening shears. His breathing hitched, his grip on his staff ID loosening, causing it to fall to the floor with a soft “clank.” Despite there being a vast display of various types of flowers, they didn’t matter to Seungkwan, nor did he pay them any mind. He ignored the regal roses, charming carnations, heavenly hydrangeas, colourful chrysanthemums, ornate orchids, dainty dahlias, and the luscious lilies. Instead, his eyes were completely transfixed on you. 

To him, you were the most stunning flower of all. 

Hearing the sound of something dropping on the floor, you turned to look in that direction. Noticing your stare, Seungkwan blushed and averted his gaze. He bent down, fumbling to pick up his staff ID. Whether it was out of embarrassment, or the adrenaline pumping through his body because he saw just one of the most stunning women ever, he couldn’t get a good grip on his ID. 

You giggled, amused at how adorable Seungkwan’s clumsy movements were. Deciding to put him out of his misery, you crouched down beside him, picking up his staff ID for him.

Curious as to who this butterfingered stranger was, you read off his staff ID, “Boo Seungkwan. RN. Date of Issue? Oh, it’s today. Hey, welcome to Seventeen Med! I’m Y/n L/n, Med’s resident florist. As you can see, I run this flower shop.”

Seungkwan stared at you, wide eyed and very red faced. He stuttered, grimacing slightly at his mistake, “Uhm… Yes… Nice to meet you flower… no sorry. I mean Y/n.”

You flush, clearing your throat to cover up how flustered you really were over his tiny slip up. Hanging him his staff ID back, you ask him kindly, “How can I help you today Nurse Boo? What type of flowers are you interested in? Perhaps a bouquet for a special someone?”

Seungkwan waved his hands in front of his face frantically, “No, no, not for a special someone. I’m looking for a bouquet of fake tiger lilies. It’s for the ED.”

Pretending not to notice the way your heart leaped when he said he wasn’t going to give the flowers to a special someone, you focused on the fact he was looking for tiger lilies instead, “Soonyoung?”

Seungkwan let out an exasperated, exaggerated sigh, “You know about his tiger obsession too?”

You laughed, “Please, the whole hospital knows about it. On his first day of work, he came dressed head to toe in a tiger print jumpsuit. His excuse was that he was going to change into scrubs anyway, so why not dress in something comfortable? I think Mr Xu almost burst a blood vessel when he saw Soonyoung.”

Seungkwan muttered, “You don’t even know half of it. One time, he came to class dressed in a tigger onesie underneath his lab coat.”

You snickered, moving around Seungkwan to get to the flower display. You carefully picked out some fake tiger lilies from the corner, laying them out on the table to be wrapped up into a bouquet. Meanwhile, Seungkwan watched silently as you worked, trying to ignore how the sight of you arranging the flowers and wrapping the bouquet in a soft, delicate piece of paper sent the butterflies in his stomach fluttering wildly. 

After a short while, you handed over the bouquet to Seungkwan after giving the bow a final tug to ensure you tied it securely, “You can transfer the whole bouquet into a dry vase. If the material of the flower petals gets dusty, just use a slightly damp cloth to wipe it off.”

“How much do I owe you for it?”

Shaking your head, you gave him a smile, teasing him, “Don’t worry about it. Since it’s for the ED, this bouquet is on the house. Besides, I have a feeling I’ll be seeing you around more frequently, Nurse Boo.”

--⌃⌄-💎-⌃⌄–

And see Nurse Boo around more frequently, you did, because you became one of the main suppliers for the hospital’s newly implemented “Smile Flower Initiative.”

Built upon Seungkwan’s proposal to start decorating the ED with flowers, the “Smile Flower Initiative” turned out to be a major success. Regardless of how well designed the ED was, how well run the ED was, or how nice all the staff members were, at the end of the day, Seventeen Med’s ED was still an ED. Injuries, illnesses, and distraught and disgruntled people were still commonplace in the ED. Working there was no less fast paced or stressful as working in EDs elsewhere. 

Although a seemingly simple addition to the ED, the flowers worked wonders and there was a noticeable difference in the atmosphere. The presence of flowers helped to significantly improve the mood of staff, patients, and visitors alike. As his friend, psychiatrist Dr. Lee Dokyeom, would explain, flowers release a chemical called mycobacterium vaccae, which signals the brain to realse the “feel good” hormone, serotonin, thereby naturally improving people’s moods. To put it simply, the flowers, yes even the fake ones, brought happiness, serenity, and hope to people, especially in a place like the ED. 

Jihoon signed off on Seungkwan’s proposal to have the hospital fund the flowers for the ED even before the end of the one month trial. He saw how well received the flowers were, and admitted that while real flowers were used as decorations elsewhere in the hospital, he never thought to use fake flowers as a replacement in departments where real flowers were a safety hazard. Seungkwan mentally face palmed at Jihoon’s admission, but preened under his praise. 

Once the proposal was implemented, the ED was soon full of different types of fake flowers. Knitted or crochet flowers, flowers on blankets, pieces of art featuring flowers, etc. Most items were either donated, handmade by volunteers, or funded by the hospital. Seungkwan loved how each item was unique, usually personalised by the person who supplied it to them. He strongly believed the flowers brought more life and colour into the ED. 

Out of everything he saw though, Seungkwan’s favourite types of flower decorations were still the bouquets you would so lovingly arrange and prepare for him every week. Week after week, month after month, Seungkwan would meet you at your flower shop on Mondays at 10.30am sharp to collect the bouquet of the week. He always looked forward to seeing what new bouquet arrangements you prepared specially for him. The excited expressions from his co-workers, patients, and visitors to the ED when they saw the new bouquets were also highly anticipated. 

At least, those were the reasons Seungkwan told himself justify the excited, tingly, jittery feeling he had whenever it was time to pick up the flowers from your shop. As the time approached, he would be overcome with a rapidly beating heart, hot flushes, a wild blush on his face, clammy hands, and sweaty palms. He would feel slightly lightheaded, and yet he couldn’t manage to keep still, like he needed to bounce or jump about to release some pent up energy. 

Despite the many, many times Seungkwan told himself it was simply adrenaline from the excitement of being able to bring joy to the ED, he knew it wasn’t that. He knew the real reason behind his buzzing nerves - you, the flower shop’s (very cute) florist. While he could try to live in denial, it wasn’t lost on Seungkwan that he might have a huge tiny crush on you. 

Seungkwan’s feelings weren’t lost on Soonyoung either. Soonyoung would frequently observe Seungkwan from a distance as he floated off to pick up the bouquet with a spring in his step, and a lovestruck expression plastered across his face. There were so many times Seungkwan tripped over a cart or almost bumped into someone because he was thinking so intensely about you. Seungkwan liked to believe no one saw him fumble about, but Soonyoung was more observant than most people thought. If Soonyoung was being honest with himself, he was tired and fed up that most of his friends were so hopeless when it came to love. For how much crap Seungkwan liked to give Dokyeom for being a trainwreck before the latter began dating his girlfriend, Seungkwan was no better. 

The process of Seungkwan actually accepting that he did in fact have a crush on you was rather long and arduous, much to Soonyoung’s chargrain. But, Seungkwan was eventually able to accept his feelings for you, and not a moment too soon because Soonyoung was about to start screaming his head off from exasperation. 

Fortunately for Soonyoung, before he worked himself up into having a terrible sore throat, Seungkwan sought him out one day asking for a pleasantly surprising favour.

“YOU WHAT???” 

Seungkwan’s hands flew up to protect his ears. He gave Soonyoung a death glare, “You don’t need to screech in my ears, you hamster face. Did you not hear me? All I asked was if you could do me a favour and cover my shift next Sunday so I can take Y/n out on a date.”

Soonyoung brought his hand to his face, pretending to wipe away his fake tears, “Yea I heard you the first time. I’m just so proud of you. My little shriveled up tangerine tree, you bore no flowers, leaves, or fruit, for your dead roots never found a pool full of love to drink from. Now, you’ve found it, you’re finally growing up, heart open, leaves sprouting. You’re ready to love so go forth, and let your flowers, drinking hungrily from the pools of love, bloom. BLOOM I SAY. BLOOOMMMMMMMPPPHJHHHHHHHHHH.”

Soonyoung’s enthusiastic monologue was cut off by Seungkwan clamping his hand over Soonyoung’s mouth tightly, “I take it that’s a yes?”

“MMMHSMMM.”

“You’re going to cover my shift? So I can go on my date?”

“MMMHSMMM. MMMHHHMMM.”

Seungkwan, satisfied by Soonyoung’s answers, released his grip on the elder. Soonyoung grumbled, “You ask me for a favour, I grant you what you want, and this is how you treat me. Woe is me.”

Seungkwan shrugged, “You were the one being overdramatic.”

Rubbing his sore chin, Soonyoung retorted, “You can’t blame me. You were pathetically pining over her for months now, and now out of the blue you ask me to cover your shift because you’ve finally asked her out and she agreed to go on a date with you. Can’t a guy be happy for his friend?”

Seungkwan paled, the words “you’ve finally asked her out and she agreed to go on a date with you” echoing through his head repeatedly. 

Noticing Seungkwan’s unusual silence and lack of a snarky comment, Soonyoung looked at him questioningly, “Uhm… you have asked her out right? That’s why you’re asking me for the favour? Because you asked her on a date and she said yes?”

Alarmed, Seungkwan shrieked, his hands flailing all over the place as he dashed out of the ED, “Wait. Wait… WAIT. YOU’RE RIGHT. I NEVER ASKED HER OUT TO BEGIN WITH!”

Soonyoung reached out to grab Seungkwan’s shirt, wanting to stop him from rushing off halfway during a shift, but he missed it by an inch. Completely bewildered, Soonyoung stood motionless in the corner of the ED. He opened his mouth to try to say something, only to close it again. After what seemed like an eternity, Soonyoung finally processed what he saw and leaned against the nearby wall for support. He exhaled shakily, “Whooo boy, and I thought Dokyeommie was helpless. Seungkwan, he’s on a whole other planet.”

--⌃⌄-💎-⌃⌄–

Meanwhile, you were assisting your best friend at the hospital’s gift shop. 

“My angel, do you think these orange petunias would go with the new shipment of teddy bears?”

Your best friend lightly pinched your cheek, “Munchkin. Orange flowers with those purple teddy bears? I don’t see why not. Go for it.”

You squealed, immediately grabbing a teddy to try and put together a cute teddy flower bouquet. As you picked out new flowers for the bouquet, your best friend worked on a new gift basket arrangement. You worked in comfortable silence for a while, but your best friend soon grew bored.

With an evil glint in her eye, she abandoned the gift basket, propping herself up on her seat. Leaning in towards you, she asked, “Sooooooo. How’s your Boo?”

You rolled your eyes, “I should be asking you how’s your dating life now you’re with Dr Chwe.”

Unimpressed, she retorted, “At least I have a dating life babie. Nurse Boo and you should be dating by now. Go and ask him out on a date.”

“I don’t have the guts to ask someone out and you know it. Besides, what if he says no? He’s Nurse Boo. I’m sure he’s surrounded by pretty nurses and doctors all the time. Why settle for me?”

Your best friend reeled back, placing a hand over her heart, “EXCUSE ME? Settle for you? Babie. Munchkin. My love. My heart will die if you say that. Anyone who cannot see how amazing you are needs to get their brain checked. You’re more than enough so don’t doubt yourself like that.”

Fiddling with the finished teddy flower bouquet, you nodded shakily. 

Your best friend patted your head, swiveling your seat around to face the shop’s entrance, “Good. Now. Once again, you’re more than enough. I can see that, and Nurse Boo definitely can see it too.”

From your position, you could see Seungkwan frantically looking around your flower shop calling out your name. You stared in shock as you felt your best friend gently nudge you forward and out of her shop, guiding you towards him. 

Your best friend cheekily called out, “Delivery for Nurse Boo!!”

Snapping out of your daze, you glared at her as she retreated back into the gift shop howling with laughter. 

You muttered an apology to Seungkwan, awkwardly asking, “Sorry about that Seungkwan. Is there anything I can help you with today? Do you need a new bouquet urgently?”

Face flushed and ears pink, both from being out of breath and from what he was about to do, Seungkwan shifted around a bit, wringing his bands, “Uh. Yea, there is something you can help me with… Would you… umm, happen to be free next Sunday? For a date, with… me?

Seungkwan was asking you on a date. Next Sunday. Just the two of you. You and him. Together. Alone. On a date. Romantic date. Date with Seungkwan. 

Letting Seungkwan’s question sink in, you squeaked, hiding your warm face behind the teddy flower bouquet you were still holding. Through the gaps in the flowers, you could see Seungkwan’s eyes sparkle with apprehension, and more importantly, hope. Your heart fluttered with the same adoring feeling you had whenever you saw flowers swaying gently in the wind. 

Seungkwan wanted to go on this date with you. 

Somehow, that realisation made your grip on the bouquet grow tighter, and you refused to meet his eyes. 

Standing opposite from you, Seungkwan’s hope was beginning to falter. With you hiding behind the bouquet, he was unable to read your reaction properly. Were you shy because of the question? Was he weird? Were you so turned off by the idea of having to go on a date with him you hid behind your flowers? Beads of sweat rolled down his face, he gulped, sucking in a deep breath, about to try to cut through the uneasy, uncomfortable tension by telling you it was okay if you didn’t want to you know? There was no pressure at all.

“NURSE BOO, YOU BROKE HER. BUT Y/N WOULD LOVE TO GO ON A DATE WITH YOU. GO ON Y/N SAY YES. GET YOUR MAN.” Your best friend, who was finally unable to take the silence anymore, screamed from the gift shop.

You quickly lowered the bouquet, giving Seungkwan a reassuring, albeit sheepish nod, “Yes yes. What she said. I would love to go on a date with you Seungkwan.”

Relieved, Seungkwan let out the breath he was holding in, “Oh thank the heavens. I’ll pick you up next Sunday. Say, 11am?”

You smiled, hugging the bouquet closer to your body, “11am sounds perfect.”

--⌃⌄-💎-⌃⌄–

If there was one word to describe how Seungkwan felt last week after he actually asked you out on a date and you said yes, it would be “perfect.” Everything was perfect. While he was apprehensive about the date, he was more excited than anything else. He spent the week agonising over every inch of his plans, the places to bring you, food to eat, conversation topics. Everything was going to be perfect. It had to be, for you. 

Alas, when perfection is what is highly sought after and anticipated, reality always falls short of it. Fast forward one week, and the one word to describe how the date was going now was “disaster.”

Seungkwan’s original plan was to pick you up at 11am, drive two hours away to a pretty flower field you mentioned in passing one time during your previous conversations. You would have a quiet lunch at the restaurant overlooking the flower field before roaming around and taking in the sights for a few hours. Should you feel parched or tired halfway, there was also a cafe on the edge of the flower field where you could have some tea. During the drive back into the city, you would stop by another restaurant serving your favourite dish. If all went well, he would have you home safely by 9 or 10pm. 

Unfortunately, Seungkwan’s plans were derailed one by one, and soon the perfection he was aiming for was nothing more than a fleeting dream replaced by this disaster of a date. 

Absolutely nothing went his way. In the morning, Seungkwan’s car wouldn’t start when he prepared to head over to your apartment to pick you up. By the time he managed to get a hold of a mechanic to jump start his car, he was over an hour late. Despite your reassurances that it was okay to reschedule the date, Seungkwan was stubborn. He wasn’t going to let this little setback ruin the perfect day he so meticulously planned. 

The drive to the flower field started out lovely. There was a lot of talking, and even more laughs. Everything was looking up for Seungkwan, but as the saying goes, “when it rains, it pours.” In this case, quite literally. What began as a sunny day turned into a dark, gloomy, overcast one as rain began pelting down harshly on the ground. Nevertheless, Seungkwan insisted on moving forward with his original plans. Sudden showers weren’t uncommon during this time of the year, and perhaps the rain would clear up by the time you arrived at your destination. 

When you finally arrived at the flower field, the rain stopped, but Seungkwan’s good spirits were dashed by further setbacks in his plans. The restaurant regretfully informed Seungkwan that you had missed your reservation, and because you arrived 2 hours late, the restaurant was now closing for the afternoon. To make matters worse, the flower field which housed the cafe, was also closed due to flash flooding from the rain. 

Seungkwan’s shoulders slumped as his last rays of hope were dashed. So much for the perfect date. This date could possibly have been the worst date you had ever been on. Throughout the day, you had been reassuring him that you could always reschedule the date, or spend the day at a cafe in the city. And when he insisted on going through with his plans, you never once objected to them or complained about his stubborn nature. He felt like the biggest fool of the century. In his mission to plan the perfect date for you to make you happy, he ended up ruining the entire date. Although you didn’t show any indication of it, he was sure you were having a horrible time and would never want to go out with him ever again. 

You observed Seungkwan silently from the passenger’s seat of his car. His dejected, dull, downcast eyes told you everything. He was full of regret and disappointment at how the day turned out. Worst of all, he was most disappointed with himself. He blamed himself for ruining the day and was chastising himself internally.

You nudged him gently, “Seungkwan, it’s kind of late now and we both haven’t eaten since this morning. How about we turn around and head back into the city? I saw a burger place on the way here. Maybe we can grab some? I know you like burgers…”

By requesting something from Seungkwan, you hoped you could pull him out of his fixation on the ruined day. Seungkwan was a giver, someone who was always ready to help others. You had a hunch that by giving him something else to focus on, he would shift his attention onto how he could best carry out your request to satisfy you. Your hunch proved to be correct. A deep frown was still evident on Seungkwan’s face, but he visibly relaxed at your request. 

The drive to the burger place was silent and slightly tense. Seungkwan’s mind was muddled up with countless thoughts. What should he say to you? Were you mad at him for this ruined date? He practically wasted your time when you could have been at home, warm and well fed. He would obviously have to apologise, but how? He continuously grabbed at the steering wheel as he glanced at you nervously from the corner of his eye. You didn’t look the least bit upset. In fact, you appeared to be quite content with gazing out the window at the passing scenery. That was a good sign right?

As the burger place came into sight, Seungkwan’s stomach growled, cutting through the silence in the car. You snickered at him, “Looks like someone is hungry. Let’s go and get some food for you.”

Knowing Seungkwan was trying to make himself feel better just as much as he was trying to make the day up to you, you didn’t bother arguing with Seungkwan when he insisted on paying. You could always treat him to a meal another time. 

A little while later, Seungkwan returned with your meals and you both dug in hungrily. There was nothing like a warm meal on a cold and wet day. 

“I’m sorry.”

At the sound of Seungkwan’s voice, you retracted your hand from your french fries. Ah, so the time had come. 

You asked him gently, “Whatever for?”

Poking at his burger, Seungkwan murmured, “For ruining the date. I’m sorry I ruined it. Everything was supposed to be perfect. I wanted this date to be perfect for you so you would be happy and instead I ruined it. It was a total disaster.”

You shook your head, “Seungkwan. In my opinion, this date was perfect. So what if our plans were derailed. I’m still enjoying this date with you immensely.”

Seungkwan’s eyes widened in shock. He sputtered, “You mean… you’re not disappointed or upset at me?”

“Is that what you think?”

“Yes.”

You softened, your heart breaking at his self-reprimanding tone, “Am I disappointed the flower field was closed due to flash floods? Yes. But am I disappointed and upset at you? Absolutely not. You couldn’t have predicted what would happen today. You planned a wonderful day for us and I am grateful to you for that. Besides, despite everything you still tried your best to ensure the date was perfect. It was perfect, and still is. Spending this precious time with you is more important to me than anything else. How else was I supposed to learn you were in a comedy group named BooSeokSoon in college along with Nurse Kwon and Dr. Lee?”

Seungkwan’s head lifted and his frown morphed into a proud smile, “Comedy slash singing group. We wanted to bring smiles to everyone around us. I guess you’re right. This time I spent with you is precious.”

You smirked, “Of course. I wouldn’t want to spend my Sundays in a random burger place with anyone else but you.”

Content with the way Seungkwan’s mood was lifted significantly, your heart swelled with pride as you gazed at him fondly. This was the man you came to adore over the past few months. The man who was selfless, who always sought to do his best for everyone else around him just so he could uplift their moods and bring them happiness. Even when he wasn’t doing much, his smile and presence alone could brighten up the whole room, a feat not many were able to achieve. You saw the warmth surrounding his heart, his patience, kindness, and gentle actions towards others, which were always carried out with such attention to detail and love. Boo Seungkwan was the epitome of a nurse and he set the standard for what kind of human you aspired to be. 

Musing over the wonderful being that was Seungkwan for a moment longer, you couldn’t help but blurt, “You’re such a kind person Seungkwan.”

Caught off guard by your compliment, Seungkwan stammered, “What… what brought this compliment about?”

You shrugged, “I was thinking about you. All the things you do to make others smile, bring them happiness. Your whole “Smile Flower Initiative” for instance, or the date you planned today. Oh and don’t think I don’t see you regularly buying coffee for the staff and volunteers who work at the ED, or the way you sometimes get those small tiger pins from the gift shop to give to Nurse Kwon. I’ve also heard stories about how you would work frequently overtime at the ED because some of the elderly regulars are most comfortable around you. One time, I heard from my best friend that you spent the whole night singing to one of the children who was going to undergo an orthopedic surgery. Hospital regulation stated his parents couldn’t be there, and so you stayed with him until he went in.”

Seungkwan grumbled, “Vernon has a big mouth for someone who talks so little sometimes.”

You snorted, “My point being. You’re always putting other people’s happiness first. But what about you? What are some times you like to do which brings you happiness?”

Stirring his drink, Seungkwan wrecked his brain for an answer, “I like talking to the people at the ED, and spending time with the elderly in the geriatric ward. To be able to speak to them outside of when I’m working is fulfilling for me. It humanises them in a way, helps me to see them as individuals, it reminds me how important my work is to helping them get back on their feet. Working in the ED can be tiring, but it is refreshing to finally feel fulfilled and passionate about my job again.”

Cheekily chucking a french fry at Seungkwan, you pressed him further, “As nice as all that is, I mean what are some things you like to do outside of work to decompress? What are some things you like to do for you?”

Pushing around the empty wrappers on the table, Seungkwan’s smile faltered. Yea, what has he done for himself lately? At his previous hospital, he didn’t have the luxury to even think about having time off for himself. When he went home, he would shower, eat, and go straight to bed. Now, he had more downtime, but what did he decide to do? Throw himself into doing more work because he was caught up in his renewed passion for his work. Today was probably the first day since he began working at Seventeen Med where he took a full day off work. Hell, he couldn’t remember the last time he spent a day doing absolutely nothing. 

“Hmm. What are some of your hobbies?”

Your voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Without hesitation, Seungkwan declared smugly, “I love badminton. I used to play in a team recreationally on weekends, and I was good.”

“Favourite food?”

“Jokbal, braised pigs trotters.”

“Favourite places to visit?”

“The beach just off the road from the Caratland theme park. Years ago, I used to spend my days off feeling the sea breeze in my hair and blowing on the dandelions.”

Clapping your hands together gleefully, your eyes sparkled in excitement, “Okay! That settles it. If you’re okay with it, for our next date, we can play badminton in the morning, have Jokbal for lunch, and then visit the beach, make wishes on dandelions, and have a simple picnic for dinner while watching the sunset!”

Seungkwan’s eyes widened, “Next date? You want to go on another date with me?”

Tilting your head questioningly at Seungkwan, you exclaimed, “Of course I would! Uhm, only if you want to?”

Overcome with emotion, Seungkwan shot out of his clair and walked over to sit next to you. He gazed into your eyes, brushing your cheek lightly with his hand, “Earlier, you asked me what are some things I like to do that bring me happiness. I think I have something new to add to my list.”

You shuddered under his soft, feathery touch, “And what would that be?”

Intertwining his hand with yours, Seungkwan whispered, “That would be going on many, many dates with you, my beautiful flower.”

--⌃⌄-💎-⌃⌄–

The following day in the break room, Soonyoung scuttered around Seungkwan, probing him for details on his date, “So, how was the date?”

“It was a total disaster. Nothing went according to plan.”

Patting Seungkwan on the back empathetically, Soonyoung comforted him, “I’m sorry to hear that…”

Recalling the events of the previous day, Seungkwan sighed blissfully, “Don’t be. It was the best date I’ve ever been on.”

Watching Seungkwan strut out of the break room, Soonyoung shrugged. He was confused but he would accept the answer. Who was he to question his friends’ weird love lives?

Because love was in bloom, and that was the most important point.

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The majority of patients who came into the ED were in serious condition. Any ED staff member would tell you their work was extremely fast paced and stressful. They saw the ugliest sides of mankind, and the worst that life has to offer. Their days (and nights) working in the ED could be characterised by thousands of life threatening injuries, allergic reactions, and serious illnesses. While many lives could be saved thanks to their valiant efforts and the wonders of modern medicine, just as many patients could not escape from the clutches of death. 

Not to mention, working in an ED was a thankless job. They weren’t only treating their patients, but their patients’ distraught or hysterical loved ones as well. The ED staff members were witnesses, participants, and often the so-called “perpetrators” in some of the worst, if not the worst days of people’s lives. Many times, when a patient’s loved one could not handle the stress of the situation they were suddenly thrown into, tensions and emotions would run high in the ED, which meant the staff were usually on the receiving end of many emotional outbursts. 

The ED staff members shouldered these burdens, silently enduring the physical, mental, and emotional stress that came with the job. It was a small price to pay to be on the front lines. If they could have a hand in saving lives, everything they endured was worth it. 

However, just because they silently endured it, doesn’t mean the stress never got to them. 

Having worked as an ED nurse for almost a decade, Seungkwan knew this all too well. He had, afterall, been one of the miserable, burnt out, overworked, underappreciated nurses who still gritted his teeth and went to work day after day. While he enjoyed being a nurse, it came to a point where the sterile white felt dull, and the blinding fluorescent lights in the ED ironically became an omen of darkness and suffering in his life. 

But, everything changed when Seungkwan moved over to Seventeen Med. When Jihoon offered him a new position, one where he could work with his university friends, he accepted immediately. He loved his friends, and he was in desperate need for a change of environment. Who knows, he thought, perhaps he could rekindle the spark he was looking for… perhaps he could come to genuinely find love and fulfillment in doing his job again. 

Seungkwan wanted a change of environment, and he certainly got it. As Soonyoung, Seungkwan’s old friend (and new boss) gave him a tour of the hospital’s premises, Seungkwan looked around, completely awestruck. Seventeen Med was unlike any other hospital Seungkwan ever saw before. Gone were the white walls of his past, replaced by walls painted in pretty shades of PANTONE 13-1520 and PANTONE 15-3919, or rose quartz and serenity respectively. The contrast of the warm pink and cooler blue colours helped to ground people by evoking a sense of tranquility in an otherwise chaotic place. The beautifully coloured walls, coupled with the floor to ceiling windows, dove grey tiles lining the floor, sunbleached wooden furniture, and decor made of crystal, marble or glass, allowed the entire place to feel bright, open, calm, and inviting. In Seungkwan’s opinion, the design of Seventeen Med was less like a hospital, and more of a luxury retreat. 

By the time Soonyoung brought Seungkwan to the Emergency Department where they would be working, Seungkwan felt more refreshed than he had felt in a long, long time. He was feeling excited to begin his new job, and he felt oddly inspired. It was amazing how a change in the colour scheme and decor of a place could impact his mood. He followed Soonyoung into the ED, chattering animatedly about all the ideas he had about sprucing up the place further. Caught up with Seungkwan’s newfound enthusiasm, Soonyoung began rambling along with him. 

“Maybe we can create a tiger themed ED,” Soonyoung said, grinning gleefully. 

“No. That’s so tacky.”

“Seungkwan pppllleeeaasssseeee. Come on, we can get those tiger print blankets.”

“No.”

“Small tiger figurines we can give away to the children.”

“No, you would hog them all.”

“Tiger snacks?”

Seungkwan gave Soonyoung a disgusted look, “Absolutely not.”

Soonyoung’s grin faded into a sad pout. He whined, “Not even tiger lilies?”

Seungkwan was about to immediately reject Soonyoung’s next stupid suggestion, but he held his tongue because decorating the ED with tiger lilies didn't sound stupid after all. Rubbing his chin, he deliberated over Soonyoung’s surprisingly good suggestion, “Tiger lilies huh? You might be onto something. How about we get flowers for the ED? Fake flowers of course, since real flowers pose a risk. We can buy a new bouquet every week to change up the atmosphere. Plus when we change the bouquet, we can give the old ones away to the children.”

Soonyoung nodded, “Yes. We can even set up a small arts and crafts station near the back of the waiting room mended by volunteers to teach people how to make bouquets, paintings, or origami flowers.”

Filled with pride at his own suggestion and Seungkwan’s idea, Soonyoung gave Seungkwan a thumbs up and a smirk, “Okay! I approve of this proposal. Your first task as my second in charge will be to go to the hospital’s flower shop and get some fake flowers for the ED, preferably tiger lilies… They should have it because the shop actually brings in a whole variety of fake flowers as an alternative for those with allergies. We’ll try this idea out for a month, and if it works, you can write a formal proposal to Jihoon to get funding to turn this into a full time project. I would do it, but you know, I’m your boss and you have to listen to me.”

Rolling his eyes and giving Soonyoung a mock salute, Seungkwan turned on his heel to seek out the hospital’s flower shop. 

--⌃⌄-💎-⌃⌄–

Absent-mindedly fiddling with his new staff ID, Seungkwan hummed as he approached the hospital’s flower shop. He would pick up the tiger lilies Soonyoung ordered him to get, albeit begrudgingly, before returning to his post. If he was quick, the whole transaction shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes. 

Seungkwan was sorely mistaken. Upon arriving at the front of the flower shop, he came to an abrupt halt when he spotted you, adorned in your apron and armed with your gardening shears. His breathing hitched, his grip on his staff ID loosening, causing it to fall to the floor with a soft “clank.” Despite there being a vast display of various types of flowers, they didn’t matter to Seungkwan, nor did he pay them any mind. He ignored the regal roses, charming carnations, heavenly hydrangeas, colourful chrysanthemums, ornate orchids, dainty dahlias, and the luscious lilies. Instead, his eyes were completely transfixed on you. 

To him, you were the most stunning flower of all. 

Hearing the sound of something dropping on the floor, you turned to look in that direction. Noticing your stare, Seungkwan blushed and averted his gaze. He bent down, fumbling to pick up his staff ID. Whether it was out of embarrassment, or the adrenaline pumping through his body because he saw just one of the most stunning women ever, he couldn’t get a good grip on his ID. 

You giggled, amused at how adorable Seungkwan’s clumsy movements were. Deciding to put him out of his misery, you crouched down beside him, picking up his staff ID for him.

Curious as to who this butterfingered stranger was, you read off his staff ID, “Boo Seungkwan. RN. Date of Issue? Oh, it’s today. Hey, welcome to Seventeen Med! I’m Y/n L/n, Med’s resident florist. As you can see, I run this flower shop.”

Seungkwan stared at you, wide eyed and very red faced. He stuttered, grimacing slightly at his mistake, “Uhm… Yes… Nice to meet you flower… no sorry. I mean Y/n.”

You flush, clearing your throat to cover up how flustered you really were over his tiny slip up. Hanging him his staff ID back, you ask him kindly, “How can I help you today Nurse Boo? What type of flowers are you interested in? Perhaps a bouquet for a special someone?”

Seungkwan waved his hands in front of his face frantically, “No, no, not for a special someone. I’m looking for a bouquet of fake tiger lilies. It’s for the ED.”

Pretending not to notice the way your heart leaped when he said he wasn’t going to give the flowers to a special someone, you focused on the fact he was looking for tiger lilies instead, “Soonyoung?”

Seungkwan let out an exasperated, exaggerated sigh, “You know about his tiger obsession too?”

You laughed, “Please, the whole hospital knows about it. On his first day of work, he came dressed head to toe in a tiger print jumpsuit. His excuse was that he was going to change into scrubs anyway, so why not dress in something comfortable? I think Mr Xu almost burst a blood vessel when he saw Soonyoung.”

Seungkwan muttered, “You don’t even know half of it. One time, he came to class dressed in a tigger onesie underneath his lab coat.”

You snickered, moving around Seungkwan to get to the flower display. You carefully picked out some fake tiger lilies from the corner, laying them out on the table to be wrapped up into a bouquet. Meanwhile, Seungkwan watched silently as you worked, trying to ignore how the sight of you arranging the flowers and wrapping the bouquet in a soft, delicate piece of paper sent the butterflies in his stomach fluttering wildly. 

After a short while, you handed over the bouquet to Seungkwan after giving the bow a final tug to ensure you tied it securely, “You can transfer the whole bouquet into a dry vase. If the material of the flower petals gets dusty, just use a slightly damp cloth to wipe it off.”

“How much do I owe you for it?”

Shaking your head, you gave him a smile, teasing him, “Don’t worry about it. Since it’s for the ED, this bouquet is on the house. Besides, I have a feeling I’ll be seeing you around more frequently, Nurse Boo.”

--⌃⌄-💎-⌃⌄–

And see Nurse Boo around more frequently, you did, because you became one of the main suppliers for the hospital’s newly implemented “Smile Flower Initiative.”

Built upon Seungkwan’s proposal to start decorating the ED with flowers, the “Smile Flower Initiative” turned out to be a major success. Regardless of how well designed the ED was, how well run the ED was, or how nice all the staff members were, at the end of the day, Seventeen Med’s ED was still an ED. Injuries, illnesses, and distraught and disgruntled people were still commonplace in the ED. Working there was no less fast paced or stressful as working in EDs elsewhere. 

Although a seemingly simple addition to the ED, the flowers worked wonders and there was a noticeable difference in the atmosphere. The presence of flowers helped to significantly improve the mood of staff, patients, and visitors alike. As his friend, psychiatrist Dr. Lee Dokyeom, would explain, flowers release a chemical called mycobacterium vaccae, which signals the brain to realse the “feel good” hormone, serotonin, thereby naturally improving people’s moods. To put it simply, the flowers, yes even the fake ones, brought happiness, serenity, and hope to people, especially in a place like the ED. 

Jihoon signed off on Seungkwan’s proposal to have the hospital fund the flowers for the ED even before the end of the one month trial. He saw how well received the flowers were, and admitted that while real flowers were used as decorations elsewhere in the hospital, he never thought to use fake flowers as a replacement in departments where real flowers were a safety hazard. Seungkwan mentally face palmed at Jihoon’s admission, but preened under his praise. 

Once the proposal was implemented, the ED was soon full of different types of fake flowers. Knitted or crochet flowers, flowers on blankets, pieces of art featuring flowers, etc. Most items were either donated, handmade by volunteers, or funded by the hospital. Seungkwan loved how each item was unique, usually personalised by the person who supplied it to them. He strongly believed the flowers brought more life and colour into the ED. 

Out of everything he saw though, Seungkwan’s favourite types of flower decorations were still the bouquets you would so lovingly arrange and prepare for him every week. Week after week, month after month, Seungkwan would meet you at your flower shop on Mondays at 10.30am sharp to collect the bouquet of the week. He always looked forward to seeing what new bouquet arrangements you prepared specially for him. The excited expressions from his co-workers, patients, and visitors to the ED when they saw the new bouquets were also highly anticipated. 

At least, those were the reasons Seungkwan told himself justify the excited, tingly, jittery feeling he had whenever it was time to pick up the flowers from your shop. As the time approached, he would be overcome with a rapidly beating heart, hot flushes, a wild blush on his face, clammy hands, and sweaty palms. He would feel slightly lightheaded, and yet he couldn’t manage to keep still, like he needed to bounce or jump about to release some pent up energy. 

Despite the many, many times Seungkwan told himself it was simply adrenaline from the excitement of being able to bring joy to the ED, he knew it wasn’t that. He knew the real reason behind his buzzing nerves - you, the flower shop’s (very cute) florist. While he could try to live in denial, it wasn’t lost on Seungkwan that he might have a huge tiny crush on you. 

Seungkwan’s feelings weren’t lost on Soonyoung either. Soonyoung would frequently observe Seungkwan from a distance as he floated off to pick up the bouquet with a spring in his step, and a lovestruck expression plastered across his face. There were so many times Seungkwan tripped over a cart or almost bumped into someone because he was thinking so intensely about you. Seungkwan liked to believe no one saw him fumble about, but Soonyoung was more observant than most people thought. If Soonyoung was being honest with himself, he was tired and fed up that most of his friends were so hopeless when it came to love. For how much crap Seungkwan liked to give Dokyeom for being a trainwreck before the latter began dating his girlfriend, Seungkwan was no better. 

The process of Seungkwan actually accepting that he did in fact have a crush on you was rather long and arduous, much to Soonyoung’s chargrain. But, Seungkwan was eventually able to accept his feelings for you, and not a moment too soon because Soonyoung was about to start screaming his head off from exasperation. 

Fortunately for Soonyoung, before he worked himself up into having a terrible sore throat, Seungkwan sought him out one day asking for a pleasantly surprising favour.

“YOU WHAT???” 

Seungkwan’s hands flew up to protect his ears. He gave Soonyoung a death glare, “You don’t need to screech in my ears, you hamster face. Did you not hear me? All I asked was if you could do me a favour and cover my shift next Sunday so I can take Y/n out on a date.”

Soonyoung brought his hand to his face, pretending to wipe away his fake tears, “Yea I heard you the first time. I’m just so proud of you. My little shriveled up tangerine tree, you bore no flowers, leaves, or fruit, for your dead roots never found a pool full of love to drink from. Now, you’ve found it, you’re finally growing up, heart open, leaves sprouting. You’re ready to love so go forth, and let your flowers, drinking hungrily from the pools of love, bloom. BLOOM I SAY. BLOOOMMMMMMMPPPHJHHHHHHHHHH.”

Soonyoung’s enthusiastic monologue was cut off by Seungkwan clamping his hand over Soonyoung’s mouth tightly, “I take it that’s a yes?”

“MMMHSMMM.”

“You’re going to cover my shift? So I can go on my date?”

“MMMHSMMM. MMMHHHMMM.”

Seungkwan, satisfied by Soonyoung’s answers, released his grip on the elder. Soonyoung grumbled, “You ask me for a favour, I grant you what you want, and this is how you treat me. Woe is me.”

Seungkwan shrugged, “You were the one being overdramatic.”

Rubbing his sore chin, Soonyoung retorted, “You can’t blame me. You were pathetically pining over her for months now, and now out of the blue you ask me to cover your shift because you’ve finally asked her out and she agreed to go on a date with you. Can’t a guy be happy for his friend?”

Seungkwan paled, the words “you’ve finally asked her out and she agreed to go on a date with you” echoing through his head repeatedly. 

Noticing Seungkwan’s unusual silence and lack of a snarky comment, Soonyoung looked at him questioningly, “Uhm… you have asked her out right? That’s why you’re asking me for the favour? Because you asked her on a date and she said yes?”

Alarmed, Seungkwan shrieked, his hands flailing all over the place as he dashed out of the ED, “Wait. Wait… WAIT. YOU’RE RIGHT. I NEVER ASKED HER OUT TO BEGIN WITH!”

Soonyoung reached out to grab Seungkwan’s shirt, wanting to stop him from rushing off halfway during a shift, but he missed it by an inch. Completely bewildered, Soonyoung stood motionless in the corner of the ED. He opened his mouth to try to say something, only to close it again. After what seemed like an eternity, Soonyoung finally processed what he saw and leaned against the nearby wall for support. He exhaled shakily, “Whooo boy, and I thought Dokyeommie was helpless. Seungkwan, he’s on a whole other planet.”

--⌃⌄-💎-⌃⌄–

Meanwhile, you were assisting your best friend at the hospital’s gift shop. 

“My angel, do you think these orange petunias would go with the new shipment of teddy bears?”

Your best friend lightly pinched your cheek, “Munchkin. Orange flowers with those purple teddy bears? I don’t see why not. Go for it.”

You squealed, immediately grabbing a teddy to try and put together a cute teddy flower bouquet. As you picked out new flowers for the bouquet, your best friend worked on a new gift basket arrangement. You worked in comfortable silence for a while, but your best friend soon grew bored.

With an evil glint in her eye, she abandoned the gift basket, propping herself up on her seat. Leaning in towards you, she asked, “Sooooooo. How’s your Boo?”

You rolled your eyes, “I should be asking you how’s your dating life now you’re with Dr Chwe.”

Unimpressed, she retorted, “At least I have a dating life babie. Nurse Boo and you should be dating by now. Go and ask him out on a date.”

“I don’t have the guts to ask someone out and you know it. Besides, what if he says no? He’s Nurse Boo. I’m sure he’s surrounded by pretty nurses and doctors all the time. Why settle for me?”

Your best friend reeled back, placing a hand over her heart, “EXCUSE ME? Settle for you? Babie. Munchkin. My love. My heart will die if you say that. Anyone who cannot see how amazing you are needs to get their brain checked. You’re more than enough so don’t doubt yourself like that.”

Fiddling with the finished teddy flower bouquet, you nodded shakily. 

Your best friend patted your head, swiveling your seat around to face the shop’s entrance, “Good. Now. Once again, you’re more than enough. I can see that, and Nurse Boo definitely can see it too.”

From your position, you could see Seungkwan frantically looking around your flower shop calling out your name. You stared in shock as you felt your best friend gently nudge you forward and out of her shop, guiding you towards him. 

Your best friend cheekily called out, “Delivery for Nurse Boo!!”

Snapping out of your daze, you glared at her as she retreated back into the gift shop howling with laughter. 

You muttered an apology to Seungkwan, awkwardly asking, “Sorry about that Seungkwan. Is there anything I can help you with today? Do you need a new bouquet urgently?”

Face flushed and ears pink, both from being out of breath and from what he was about to do, Seungkwan shifted around a bit, wringing his bands, “Uh. Yea, there is something you can help me with… Would you… umm, happen to be free next Sunday? For a date, with… me?

Seungkwan was asking you on a date. Next Sunday. Just the two of you. You and him. Together. Alone. On a date. Romantic date. Date with Seungkwan. 

Letting Seungkwan’s question sink in, you squeaked, hiding your warm face behind the teddy flower bouquet you were still holding. Through the gaps in the flowers, you could see Seungkwan’s eyes sparkle with apprehension, and more importantly, hope. Your heart fluttered with the same adoring feeling you had whenever you saw flowers swaying gently in the wind. 

Seungkwan wanted to go on this date with you. 

Somehow, that realisation made your grip on the bouquet grow tighter, and you refused to meet his eyes. 

Standing opposite from you, Seungkwan’s hope was beginning to falter. With you hiding behind the bouquet, he was unable to read your reaction properly. Were you shy because of the question? Was he weird? Were you so turned off by the idea of having to go on a date with him you hid behind your flowers? Beads of sweat rolled down his face, he gulped, sucking in a deep breath, about to try to cut through the uneasy, uncomfortable tension by telling you it was okay if you didn’t want to you know? There was no pressure at all.

“NURSE BOO, YOU BROKE HER. BUT Y/N WOULD LOVE TO GO ON A DATE WITH YOU. GO ON Y/N SAY YES. GET YOUR MAN.” Your best friend, who was finally unable to take the silence anymore, screamed from the gift shop.

You quickly lowered the bouquet, giving Seungkwan a reassuring, albeit sheepish nod, “Yes yes. What she said. I would love to go on a date with you Seungkwan.”

Relieved, Seungkwan let out the breath he was holding in, “Oh thank the heavens. I’ll pick you up next Sunday. Say, 11am?”

You smiled, hugging the bouquet closer to your body, “11am sounds perfect.”

--⌃⌄-💎-⌃⌄–

If there was one word to describe how Seungkwan felt last week after he actually asked you out on a date and you said yes, it would be “perfect.” Everything was perfect. While he was apprehensive about the date, he was more excited than anything else. He spent the week agonising over every inch of his plans, the places to bring you, food to eat, conversation topics. Everything was going to be perfect. It had to be, for you. 

Alas, when perfection is what is highly sought after and anticipated, reality always falls short of it. Fast forward one week, and the one word to describe how the date was going now was “disaster.”

Seungkwan’s original plan was to pick you up at 11am, drive two hours away to a pretty flower field you mentioned in passing one time during your previous conversations. You would have a quiet lunch at the restaurant overlooking the flower field before roaming around and taking in the sights for a few hours. Should you feel parched or tired halfway, there was also a cafe on the edge of the flower field where you could have some tea. During the drive back into the city, you would stop by another restaurant serving your favourite dish. If all went well, he would have you home safely by 9 or 10pm. 

Unfortunately, Seungkwan’s plans were derailed one by one, and soon the perfection he was aiming for was nothing more than a fleeting dream replaced by this disaster of a date. 

Absolutely nothing went his way. In the morning, Seungkwan’s car wouldn’t start when he prepared to head over to your apartment to pick you up. By the time he managed to get a hold of a mechanic to jump start his car, he was over an hour late. Despite your reassurances that it was okay to reschedule the date, Seungkwan was stubborn. He wasn’t going to let this little setback ruin the perfect day he so meticulously planned. 

The drive to the flower field started out lovely. There was a lot of talking, and even more laughs. Everything was looking up for Seungkwan, but as the saying goes, “when it rains, it pours.” In this case, quite literally. What began as a sunny day turned into a dark, gloomy, overcast one as rain began pelting down harshly on the ground. Nevertheless, Seungkwan insisted on moving forward with his original plans. Sudden showers weren’t uncommon during this time of the year, and perhaps the rain would clear up by the time you arrived at your destination. 

When you finally arrived at the flower field, the rain stopped, but Seungkwan’s good spirits were dashed by further setbacks in his plans. The restaurant regretfully informed Seungkwan that you had missed your reservation, and because you arrived 2 hours late, the restaurant was now closing for the afternoon. To make matters worse, the flower field which housed the cafe, was also closed due to flash flooding from the rain. 

Seungkwan’s shoulders slumped as his last rays of hope were dashed. So much for the perfect date. This date could possibly have been the worst date you had ever been on. Throughout the day, you had been reassuring him that you could always reschedule the date, or spend the day at a cafe in the city. And when he insisted on going through with his plans, you never once objected to them or complained about his stubborn nature. He felt like the biggest fool of the century. In his mission to plan the perfect date for you to make you happy, he ended up ruining the entire date. Although you didn’t show any indication of it, he was sure you were having a horrible time and would never want to go out with him ever again. 

You observed Seungkwan silently from the passenger’s seat of his car. His dejected, dull, downcast eyes told you everything. He was full of regret and disappointment at how the day turned out. Worst of all, he was most disappointed with himself. He blamed himself for ruining the day and was chastising himself internally.

You nudged him gently, “Seungkwan, it’s kind of late now and we both haven’t eaten since this morning. How about we turn around and head back into the city? I saw a burger place on the way here. Maybe we can grab some? I know you like burgers…”

By requesting something from Seungkwan, you hoped you could pull him out of his fixation on the ruined day. Seungkwan was a giver, someone who was always ready to help others. You had a hunch that by giving him something else to focus on, he would shift his attention onto how he could best carry out your request to satisfy you. Your hunch proved to be correct. A deep frown was still evident on Seungkwan’s face, but he visibly relaxed at your request. 

The drive to the burger place was silent and slightly tense. Seungkwan’s mind was muddled up with countless thoughts. What should he say to you? Were you mad at him for this ruined date? He practically wasted your time when you could have been at home, warm and well fed. He would obviously have to apologise, but how? He continuously grabbed at the steering wheel as he glanced at you nervously from the corner of his eye. You didn’t look the least bit upset. In fact, you appeared to be quite content with gazing out the window at the passing scenery. That was a good sign right?

As the burger place came into sight, Seungkwan’s stomach growled, cutting through the silence in the car. You snickered at him, “Looks like someone is hungry. Let’s go and get some food for you.”

Knowing Seungkwan was trying to make himself feel better just as much as he was trying to make the day up to you, you didn’t bother arguing with Seungkwan when he insisted on paying. You could always treat him to a meal another time. 

A little while later, Seungkwan returned with your meals and you both dug in hungrily. There was nothing like a warm meal on a cold and wet day. 

“I’m sorry.”

At the sound of Seungkwan’s voice, you retracted your hand from your french fries. Ah, so the time had come. 

You asked him gently, “Whatever for?”

Poking at his burger, Seungkwan murmured, “For ruining the date. I’m sorry I ruined it. Everything was supposed to be perfect. I wanted this date to be perfect for you so you would be happy and instead I ruined it. It was a total disaster.”

You shook your head, “Seungkwan. In my opinion, this date was perfect. So what if our plans were derailed. I’m still enjoying this date with you immensely.”

Seungkwan’s eyes widened in shock. He sputtered, “You mean… you’re not disappointed or upset at me?”

“Is that what you think?”

“Yes.”

You softened, your heart breaking at his self-reprimanding tone, “Am I disappointed the flower field was closed due to flash floods? Yes. But am I disappointed and upset at you? Absolutely not. You couldn’t have predicted what would happen today. You planned a wonderful day for us and I am grateful to you for that. Besides, despite everything you still tried your best to ensure the date was perfect. It was perfect, and still is. Spending this precious time with you is more important to me than anything else. How else was I supposed to learn you were in a comedy group named BooSeokSoon in college along with Nurse Kwon and Dr. Lee?”

Seungkwan’s head lifted and his frown morphed into a proud smile, “Comedy slash singing group. We wanted to bring smiles to everyone around us. I guess you’re right. This time I spent with you is precious.”

You smirked, “Of course. I wouldn’t want to spend my Sundays in a random burger place with anyone else but you.”

Content with the way Seungkwan’s mood was lifted significantly, your heart swelled with pride as you gazed at him fondly. This was the man you came to adore over the past few months. The man who was selfless, who always sought to do his best for everyone else around him just so he could uplift their moods and bring them happiness. Even when he wasn’t doing much, his smile and presence alone could brighten up the whole room, a feat not many were able to achieve. You saw the warmth surrounding his heart, his patience, kindness, and gentle actions towards others, which were always carried out with such attention to detail and love. Boo Seungkwan was the epitome of a nurse and he set the standard for what kind of human you aspired to be. 

Musing over the wonderful being that was Seungkwan for a moment longer, you couldn’t help but blurt, “You’re such a kind person Seungkwan.”

Caught off guard by your compliment, Seungkwan stammered, “What… what brought this compliment about?”

You shrugged, “I was thinking about you. All the things you do to make others smile, bring them happiness. Your whole “Smile Flower Initiative” for instance, or the date you planned today. Oh and don’t think I don’t see you regularly buying coffee for the staff and volunteers who work at the ED, or the way you sometimes get those small tiger pins from the gift shop to give to Nurse Kwon. I’ve also heard stories about how you would work frequently overtime at the ED because some of the elderly regulars are most comfortable around you. One time, I heard from my best friend that you spent the whole night singing to one of the children who was going to undergo an orthopedic surgery. Hospital regulation stated his parents couldn’t be there, and so you stayed with him until he went in.”

Seungkwan grumbled, “Vernon has a big mouth for someone who talks so little sometimes.”

You snorted, “My point being. You’re always putting other people’s happiness first. But what about you? What are some times you like to do which brings you happiness?”

Stirring his drink, Seungkwan wrecked his brain for an answer, “I like talking to the people at the ED, and spending time with the elderly in the geriatric ward. To be able to speak to them outside of when I’m working is fulfilling for me. It humanises them in a way, helps me to see them as individuals, it reminds me how important my work is to helping them get back on their feet. Working in the ED can be tiring, but it is refreshing to finally feel fulfilled and passionate about my job again.”

Cheekily chucking a french fry at Seungkwan, you pressed him further, “As nice as all that is, I mean what are some things you like to do outside of work to decompress? What are some things you like to do for you?”

Pushing around the empty wrappers on the table, Seungkwan’s smile faltered. Yea, what has he done for himself lately? At his previous hospital, he didn’t have the luxury to even think about having time off for himself. When he went home, he would shower, eat, and go straight to bed. Now, he had more downtime, but what did he decide to do? Throw himself into doing more work because he was caught up in his renewed passion for his work. Today was probably the first day since he began working at Seventeen Med where he took a full day off work. Hell, he couldn’t remember the last time he spent a day doing absolutely nothing. 

“Hmm. What are some of your hobbies?”

Your voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Without hesitation, Seungkwan declared smugly, “I love badminton. I used to play in a team recreationally on weekends, and I was good.”

“Favourite food?”

“Jokbal, braised pigs trotters.”

“Favourite places to visit?”

“The beach just off the road from the Caratland theme park. Years ago, I used to spend my days off feeling the sea breeze in my hair and blowing on the dandelions.”

Clapping your hands together gleefully, your eyes sparkled in excitement, “Okay! That settles it. If you’re okay with it, for our next date, we can play badminton in the morning, have Jokbal for lunch, and then visit the beach, make wishes on dandelions, and have a simple picnic for dinner while watching the sunset!”

Seungkwan’s eyes widened, “Next date? You want to go on another date with me?”

Tilting your head questioningly at Seungkwan, you exclaimed, “Of course I would! Uhm, only if you want to?”

Overcome with emotion, Seungkwan shot out of his clair and walked over to sit next to you. He gazed into your eyes, brushing your cheek lightly with his hand, “Earlier, you asked me what are some things I like to do that bring me happiness. I think I have something new to add to my list.”

You shuddered under his soft, feathery touch, “And what would that be?”

Intertwining his hand with yours, Seungkwan whispered, “That would be going on many, many dates with you, my beautiful flower.”

--⌃⌄-💎-⌃⌄–

The following day in the break room, Soonyoung scuttered around Seungkwan, probing him for details on his date, “So, how was the date?”

“It was a total disaster. Nothing went according to plan.”

Patting Seungkwan on the back empathetically, Soonyoung comforted him, “I’m sorry to hear that…”

Recalling the events of the previous day, Seungkwan sighed blissfully, “Don’t be. It was the best date I’ve ever been on.”

Watching Seungkwan strut out of the break room, Soonyoung shrugged. He was confused but he would accept the answer. Who was he to question his friends’ weird love lives?

Because love was in bloom, and that was the most important point.

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The majority of patients who came into the ED were in serious condition. Any ED staff member would tell you their work was extremely fast paced and stressful. They saw the ugliest sides of mankind, and the worst that life has to offer. Their days (and nights) working in the ED could be characterised by thousands of life threatening injuries, allergic reactions, and serious illnesses. While many lives could be saved thanks to their valiant efforts and the wonders of modern medicine, just as many patients could not escape from the clutches of death. 

Not to mention, working in an ED was a thankless job. They weren’t only treating their patients, but their patients’ distraught or hysterical loved ones as well. The ED staff members were witnesses, participants, and often the so-called “perpetrators” in some of the worst, if not the worst days of people’s lives. Many times, when a patient’s loved one could not handle the stress of the situation they were suddenly thrown into, tensions and emotions would run high in the ED, which meant the staff were usually on the receiving end of many emotional outbursts. 

The ED staff members shouldered these burdens, silently enduring the physical, mental, and emotional stress that came with the job. It was a small price to pay to be on the front lines. If they could have a hand in saving lives, everything they endured was worth it. 

However, just because they silently endured it, doesn’t mean the stress never got to them. 

Having worked as an ED nurse for almost a decade, Seungkwan knew this all too well. He had, afterall, been one of the miserable, burnt out, overworked, underappreciated nurses who still gritted his teeth and went to work day after day. While he enjoyed being a nurse, it came to a point where the sterile white felt dull, and the blinding fluorescent lights in the ED ironically became an omen of darkness and suffering in his life. 

But, everything changed when Seungkwan moved over to Seventeen Med. When Jihoon offered him a new position, one where he could work with his university friends, he accepted immediately. He loved his friends, and he was in desperate need for a change of environment. Who knows, he thought, perhaps he could rekindle the spark he was looking for… perhaps he could come to genuinely find love and fulfillment in doing his job again. 

Seungkwan wanted a change of environment, and he certainly got it. As Soonyoung, Seungkwan’s old friend (and new boss) gave him a tour of the hospital’s premises, Seungkwan looked around, completely awestruck. Seventeen Med was unlike any other hospital Seungkwan ever saw before. Gone were the white walls of his past, replaced by walls painted in pretty shades of PANTONE 13-1520 and PANTONE 15-3919, or rose quartz and serenity respectively. The contrast of the warm pink and cooler blue colours helped to ground people by evoking a sense of tranquility in an otherwise chaotic place. The beautifully coloured walls, coupled with the floor to ceiling windows, dove grey tiles lining the floor, sunbleached wooden furniture, and decor made of crystal, marble or glass, allowed the entire place to feel bright, open, calm, and inviting. In Seungkwan’s opinion, the design of Seventeen Med was less like a hospital, and more of a luxury retreat. 

By the time Soonyoung brought Seungkwan to the Emergency Department where they would be working, Seungkwan felt more refreshed than he had felt in a long, long time. He was feeling excited to begin his new job, and he felt oddly inspired. It was amazing how a change in the colour scheme and decor of a place could impact his mood. He followed Soonyoung into the ED, chattering animatedly about all the ideas he had about sprucing up the place further. Caught up with Seungkwan’s newfound enthusiasm, Soonyoung began rambling along with him. 

“Maybe we can create a tiger themed ED,” Soonyoung said, grinning gleefully. 

“No. That’s so tacky.”

“Seungkwan pppllleeeaasssseeee. Come on, we can get those tiger print blankets.”

“No.”

“Small tiger figurines we can give away to the children.”

“No, you would hog them all.”

“Tiger snacks?”

Seungkwan gave Soonyoung a disgusted look, “Absolutely not.”

Soonyoung’s grin faded into a sad pout. He whined, “Not even tiger lilies?”

Seungkwan was about to immediately reject Soonyoung’s next stupid suggestion, but he held his tongue because decorating the ED with tiger lilies didn't sound stupid after all. Rubbing his chin, he deliberated over Soonyoung’s surprisingly good suggestion, “Tiger lilies huh? You might be onto something. How about we get flowers for the ED? Fake flowers of course, since real flowers pose a risk. We can buy a new bouquet every week to change up the atmosphere. Plus when we change the bouquet, we can give the old ones away to the children.”

Soonyoung nodded, “Yes. We can even set up a small arts and crafts station near the back of the waiting room mended by volunteers to teach people how to make bouquets, paintings, or origami flowers.”

Filled with pride at his own suggestion and Seungkwan’s idea, Soonyoung gave Seungkwan a thumbs up and a smirk, “Okay! I approve of this proposal. Your first task as my second in charge will be to go to the hospital’s flower shop and get some fake flowers for the ED, preferably tiger lilies… They should have it because the shop actually brings in a whole variety of fake flowers as an alternative for those with allergies. We’ll try this idea out for a month, and if it works, you can write a formal proposal to Jihoon to get funding to turn this into a full time project. I would do it, but you know, I’m your boss and you have to listen to me.”

Rolling his eyes and giving Soonyoung a mock salute, Seungkwan turned on his heel to seek out the hospital’s flower shop. 

--⌃⌄-💎-⌃⌄–

Absent-mindedly fiddling with his new staff ID, Seungkwan hummed as he approached the hospital’s flower shop. He would pick up the tiger lilies Soonyoung ordered him to get, albeit begrudgingly, before returning to his post. If he was quick, the whole transaction shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes. 

Seungkwan was sorely mistaken. Upon arriving at the front of the flower shop, he came to an abrupt halt when he spotted you, adorned in your apron and armed with your gardening shears. His breathing hitched, his grip on his staff ID loosening, causing it to fall to the floor with a soft “clank.” Despite there being a vast display of various types of flowers, they didn’t matter to Seungkwan, nor did he pay them any mind. He ignored the regal roses, charming carnations, heavenly hydrangeas, colourful chrysanthemums, ornate orchids, dainty dahlias, and the luscious lilies. Instead, his eyes were completely transfixed on you. 

To him, you were the most stunning flower of all. 

Hearing the sound of something dropping on the floor, you turned to look in that direction. Noticing your stare, Seungkwan blushed and averted his gaze. He bent down, fumbling to pick up his staff ID. Whether it was out of embarrassment, or the adrenaline pumping through his body because he saw just one of the most stunning women ever, he couldn’t get a good grip on his ID. 

You giggled, amused at how adorable Seungkwan’s clumsy movements were. Deciding to put him out of his misery, you crouched down beside him, picking up his staff ID for him.

Curious as to who this butterfingered stranger was, you read off his staff ID, “Boo Seungkwan. RN. Date of Issue? Oh, it’s today. Hey, welcome to Seventeen Med! I’m Y/n L/n, Med’s resident florist. As you can see, I run this flower shop.”

Seungkwan stared at you, wide eyed and very red faced. He stuttered, grimacing slightly at his mistake, “Uhm… Yes… Nice to meet you flower… no sorry. I mean Y/n.”

You flush, clearing your throat to cover up how flustered you really were over his tiny slip up. Hanging him his staff ID back, you ask him kindly, “How can I help you today Nurse Boo? What type of flowers are you interested in? Perhaps a bouquet for a special someone?”

Seungkwan waved his hands in front of his face frantically, “No, no, not for a special someone. I’m looking for a bouquet of fake tiger lilies. It’s for the ED.”

Pretending not to notice the way your heart leaped when he said he wasn’t going to give the flowers to a special someone, you focused on the fact he was looking for tiger lilies instead, “Soonyoung?”

Seungkwan let out an exasperated, exaggerated sigh, “You know about his tiger obsession too?”

You laughed, “Please, the whole hospital knows about it. On his first day of work, he came dressed head to toe in a tiger print jumpsuit. His excuse was that he was going to change into scrubs anyway, so why not dress in something comfortable? I think Mr Xu almost burst a blood vessel when he saw Soonyoung.”

Seungkwan muttered, “You don’t even know half of it. One time, he came to class dressed in a tigger onesie underneath his lab coat.”

You snickered, moving around Seungkwan to get to the flower display. You carefully picked out some fake tiger lilies from the corner, laying them out on the table to be wrapped up into a bouquet. Meanwhile, Seungkwan watched silently as you worked, trying to ignore how the sight of you arranging the flowers and wrapping the bouquet in a soft, delicate piece of paper sent the butterflies in his stomach fluttering wildly. 

After a short while, you handed over the bouquet to Seungkwan after giving the bow a final tug to ensure you tied it securely, “You can transfer the whole bouquet into a dry vase. If the material of the flower petals gets dusty, just use a slightly damp cloth to wipe it off.”

“How much do I owe you for it?”

Shaking your head, you gave him a smile, teasing him, “Don’t worry about it. Since it’s for the ED, this bouquet is on the house. Besides, I have a feeling I’ll be seeing you around more frequently, Nurse Boo.”

--⌃⌄-💎-⌃⌄–

And see Nurse Boo around more frequently, you did, because you became one of the main suppliers for the hospital’s newly implemented “Smile Flower Initiative.”

Built upon Seungkwan’s proposal to start decorating the ED with flowers, the “Smile Flower Initiative” turned out to be a major success. Regardless of how well designed the ED was, how well run the ED was, or how nice all the staff members were, at the end of the day, Seventeen Med’s ED was still an ED. Injuries, illnesses, and distraught and disgruntled people were still commonplace in the ED. Working there was no less fast paced or stressful as working in EDs elsewhere. 

Although a seemingly simple addition to the ED, the flowers worked wonders and there was a noticeable difference in the atmosphere. The presence of flowers helped to significantly improve the mood of staff, patients, and visitors alike. As his friend, psychiatrist Dr. Lee Dokyeom, would explain, flowers release a chemical called mycobacterium vaccae, which signals the brain to realse the “feel good” hormone, serotonin, thereby naturally improving people’s moods. To put it simply, the flowers, yes even the fake ones, brought happiness, serenity, and hope to people, especially in a place like the ED. 

Jihoon signed off on Seungkwan’s proposal to have the hospital fund the flowers for the ED even before the end of the one month trial. He saw how well received the flowers were, and admitted that while real flowers were used as decorations elsewhere in the hospital, he never thought to use fake flowers as a replacement in departments where real flowers were a safety hazard. Seungkwan mentally face palmed at Jihoon’s admission, but preened under his praise. 

Once the proposal was implemented, the ED was soon full of different types of fake flowers. Knitted or crochet flowers, flowers on blankets, pieces of art featuring flowers, etc. Most items were either donated, handmade by volunteers, or funded by the hospital. Seungkwan loved how each item was unique, usually personalised by the person who supplied it to them. He strongly believed the flowers brought more life and colour into the ED. 

Out of everything he saw though, Seungkwan’s favourite types of flower decorations were still the bouquets you would so lovingly arrange and prepare for him every week. Week after week, month after month, Seungkwan would meet you at your flower shop on Mondays at 10.30am sharp to collect the bouquet of the week. He always looked forward to seeing what new bouquet arrangements you prepared specially for him. The excited expressions from his co-workers, patients, and visitors to the ED when they saw the new bouquets were also highly anticipated. 

At least, those were the reasons Seungkwan told himself justify the excited, tingly, jittery feeling he had whenever it was time to pick up the flowers from your shop. As the time approached, he would be overcome with a rapidly beating heart, hot flushes, a wild blush on his face, clammy hands, and sweaty palms. He would feel slightly lightheaded, and yet he couldn’t manage to keep still, like he needed to bounce or jump about to release some pent up energy. 

Despite the many, many times Seungkwan told himself it was simply adrenaline from the excitement of being able to bring joy to the ED, he knew it wasn’t that. He knew the real reason behind his buzzing nerves - you, the flower shop’s (very cute) florist. While he could try to live in denial, it wasn’t lost on Seungkwan that he might have a huge tiny crush on you. 

Seungkwan’s feelings weren’t lost on Soonyoung either. Soonyoung would frequently observe Seungkwan from a distance as he floated off to pick up the bouquet with a spring in his step, and a lovestruck expression plastered across his face. There were so many times Seungkwan tripped over a cart or almost bumped into someone because he was thinking so intensely about you. Seungkwan liked to believe no one saw him fumble about, but Soonyoung was more observant than most people thought. If Soonyoung was being honest with himself, he was tired and fed up that most of his friends were so hopeless when it came to love. For how much crap Seungkwan liked to give Dokyeom for being a trainwreck before the latter began dating his girlfriend, Seungkwan was no better. 

The process of Seungkwan actually accepting that he did in fact have a crush on you was rather long and arduous, much to Soonyoung’s chargrain. But, Seungkwan was eventually able to accept his feelings for you, and not a moment too soon because Soonyoung was about to start screaming his head off from exasperation. 

Fortunately for Soonyoung, before he worked himself up into having a terrible sore throat, Seungkwan sought him out one day asking for a pleasantly surprising favour.

“YOU WHAT???” 

Seungkwan’s hands flew up to protect his ears. He gave Soonyoung a death glare, “You don’t need to screech in my ears, you hamster face. Did you not hear me? All I asked was if you could do me a favour and cover my shift next Sunday so I can take Y/n out on a date.”

Soonyoung brought his hand to his face, pretending to wipe away his fake tears, “Yea I heard you the first time. I’m just so proud of you. My little shriveled up tangerine tree, you bore no flowers, leaves, or fruit, for your dead roots never found a pool full of love to drink from. Now, you’ve found it, you’re finally growing up, heart open, leaves sprouting. You’re ready to love so go forth, and let your flowers, drinking hungrily from the pools of love, bloom. BLOOM I SAY. BLOOOMMMMMMMPPPHJHHHHHHHHHH.”

Soonyoung’s enthusiastic monologue was cut off by Seungkwan clamping his hand over Soonyoung’s mouth tightly, “I take it that’s a yes?”

“MMMHSMMM.”

“You’re going to cover my shift? So I can go on my date?”

“MMMHSMMM. MMMHHHMMM.”

Seungkwan, satisfied by Soonyoung’s answers, released his grip on the elder. Soonyoung grumbled, “You ask me for a favour, I grant you what you want, and this is how you treat me. Woe is me.”

Seungkwan shrugged, “You were the one being overdramatic.”

Rubbing his sore chin, Soonyoung retorted, “You can’t blame me. You were pathetically pining over her for months now, and now out of the blue you ask me to cover your shift because you’ve finally asked her out and she agreed to go on a date with you. Can’t a guy be happy for his friend?”

Seungkwan paled, the words “you’ve finally asked her out and she agreed to go on a date with you” echoing through his head repeatedly. 

Noticing Seungkwan’s unusual silence and lack of a snarky comment, Soonyoung looked at him questioningly, “Uhm… you have asked her out right? That’s why you’re asking me for the favour? Because you asked her on a date and she said yes?”

Alarmed, Seungkwan shrieked, his hands flailing all over the place as he dashed out of the ED, “Wait. Wait… WAIT. YOU’RE RIGHT. I NEVER ASKED HER OUT TO BEGIN WITH!”

Soonyoung reached out to grab Seungkwan’s shirt, wanting to stop him from rushing off halfway during a shift, but he missed it by an inch. Completely bewildered, Soonyoung stood motionless in the corner of the ED. He opened his mouth to try to say something, only to close it again. After what seemed like an eternity, Soonyoung finally processed what he saw and leaned against the nearby wall for support. He exhaled shakily, “Whooo boy, and I thought Dokyeommie was helpless. Seungkwan, he’s on a whole other planet.”

--⌃⌄-💎-⌃⌄–

Meanwhile, you were assisting your best friend at the hospital’s gift shop. 

“My angel, do you think these orange petunias would go with the new shipment of teddy bears?”

Your best friend lightly pinched your cheek, “Munchkin. Orange flowers with those purple teddy bears? I don’t see why not. Go for it.”

You squealed, immediately grabbing a teddy to try and put together a cute teddy flower bouquet. As you picked out new flowers for the bouquet, your best friend worked on a new gift basket arrangement. You worked in comfortable silence for a while, but your best friend soon grew bored.

With an evil glint in her eye, she abandoned the gift basket, propping herself up on her seat. Leaning in towards you, she asked, “Sooooooo. How’s your Boo?”

You rolled your eyes, “I should be asking you how’s your dating life now you’re with Dr Chwe.”

Unimpressed, she retorted, “At least I have a dating life babie. Nurse Boo and you should be dating by now. Go and ask him out on a date.”

“I don’t have the guts to ask someone out and you know it. Besides, what if he says no? He’s Nurse Boo. I’m sure he’s surrounded by pretty nurses and doctors all the time. Why settle for me?”

Your best friend reeled back, placing a hand over her heart, “EXCUSE ME? Settle for you? Babie. Munchkin. My love. My heart will die if you say that. Anyone who cannot see how amazing you are needs to get their brain checked. You’re more than enough so don’t doubt yourself like that.”

Fiddling with the finished teddy flower bouquet, you nodded shakily. 

Your best friend patted your head, swiveling your seat around to face the shop’s entrance, “Good. Now. Once again, you’re more than enough. I can see that, and Nurse Boo definitely can see it too.”

From your position, you could see Seungkwan frantically looking around your flower shop calling out your name. You stared in shock as you felt your best friend gently nudge you forward and out of her shop, guiding you towards him. 

Your best friend cheekily called out, “Delivery for Nurse Boo!!”

Snapping out of your daze, you glared at her as she retreated back into the gift shop howling with laughter. 

You muttered an apology to Seungkwan, awkwardly asking, “Sorry about that Seungkwan. Is there anything I can help you with today? Do you need a new bouquet urgently?”

Face flushed and ears pink, both from being out of breath and from what he was about to do, Seungkwan shifted around a bit, wringing his bands, “Uh. Yea, there is something you can help me with… Would you… umm, happen to be free next Sunday? For a date, with… me?

Seungkwan was asking you on a date. Next Sunday. Just the two of you. You and him. Together. Alone. On a date. Romantic date. Date with Seungkwan. 

Letting Seungkwan’s question sink in, you squeaked, hiding your warm face behind the teddy flower bouquet you were still holding. Through the gaps in the flowers, you could see Seungkwan’s eyes sparkle with apprehension, and more importantly, hope. Your heart fluttered with the same adoring feeling you had whenever you saw flowers swaying gently in the wind. 

Seungkwan wanted to go on this date with you. 

Somehow, that realisation made your grip on the bouquet grow tighter, and you refused to meet his eyes. 

Standing opposite from you, Seungkwan’s hope was beginning to falter. With you hiding behind the bouquet, he was unable to read your reaction properly. Were you shy because of the question? Was he weird? Were you so turned off by the idea of having to go on a date with him you hid behind your flowers? Beads of sweat rolled down his face, he gulped, sucking in a deep breath, about to try to cut through the uneasy, uncomfortable tension by telling you it was okay if you didn’t want to you know? There was no pressure at all.

“NURSE BOO, YOU BROKE HER. BUT Y/N WOULD LOVE TO GO ON A DATE WITH YOU. GO ON Y/N SAY YES. GET YOUR MAN.” Your best friend, who was finally unable to take the silence anymore, screamed from the gift shop.

You quickly lowered the bouquet, giving Seungkwan a reassuring, albeit sheepish nod, “Yes yes. What she said. I would love to go on a date with you Seungkwan.”

Relieved, Seungkwan let out the breath he was holding in, “Oh thank the heavens. I’ll pick you up next Sunday. Say, 11am?”

You smiled, hugging the bouquet closer to your body, “11am sounds perfect.”

--⌃⌄-💎-⌃⌄–

If there was one word to describe how Seungkwan felt last week after he actually asked you out on a date and you said yes, it would be “perfect.” Everything was perfect. While he was apprehensive about the date, he was more excited than anything else. He spent the week agonising over every inch of his plans, the places to bring you, food to eat, conversation topics. Everything was going to be perfect. It had to be, for you. 

Alas, when perfection is what is highly sought after and anticipated, reality always falls short of it. Fast forward one week, and the one word to describe how the date was going now was “disaster.”

Seungkwan’s original plan was to pick you up at 11am, drive two hours away to a pretty flower field you mentioned in passing one time during your previous conversations. You would have a quiet lunch at the restaurant overlooking the flower field before roaming around and taking in the sights for a few hours. Should you feel parched or tired halfway, there was also a cafe on the edge of the flower field where you could have some tea. During the drive back into the city, you would stop by another restaurant serving your favourite dish. If all went well, he would have you home safely by 9 or 10pm. 

Unfortunately, Seungkwan’s plans were derailed one by one, and soon the perfection he was aiming for was nothing more than a fleeting dream replaced by this disaster of a date. 

Absolutely nothing went his way. In the morning, Seungkwan’s car wouldn’t start when he prepared to head over to your apartment to pick you up. By the time he managed to get a hold of a mechanic to jump start his car, he was over an hour late. Despite your reassurances that it was okay to reschedule the date, Seungkwan was stubborn. He wasn’t going to let this little setback ruin the perfect day he so meticulously planned. 

The drive to the flower field started out lovely. There was a lot of talking, and even more laughs. Everything was looking up for Seungkwan, but as the saying goes, “when it rains, it pours.” In this case, quite literally. What began as a sunny day turned into a dark, gloomy, overcast one as rain began pelting down harshly on the ground. Nevertheless, Seungkwan insisted on moving forward with his original plans. Sudden showers weren’t uncommon during this time of the year, and perhaps the rain would clear up by the time you arrived at your destination. 

When you finally arrived at the flower field, the rain stopped, but Seungkwan’s good spirits were dashed by further setbacks in his plans. The restaurant regretfully informed Seungkwan that you had missed your reservation, and because you arrived 2 hours late, the restaurant was now closing for the afternoon. To make matters worse, the flower field which housed the cafe, was also closed due to flash flooding from the rain. 

Seungkwan’s shoulders slumped as his last rays of hope were dashed. So much for the perfect date. This date could possibly have been the worst date you had ever been on. Throughout the day, you had been reassuring him that you could always reschedule the date, or spend the day at a cafe in the city. And when he insisted on going through with his plans, you never once objected to them or complained about his stubborn nature. He felt like the biggest fool of the century. In his mission to plan the perfect date for you to make you happy, he ended up ruining the entire date. Although you didn’t show any indication of it, he was sure you were having a horrible time and would never want to go out with him ever again. 

You observed Seungkwan silently from the passenger’s seat of his car. His dejected, dull, downcast eyes told you everything. He was full of regret and disappointment at how the day turned out. Worst of all, he was most disappointed with himself. He blamed himself for ruining the day and was chastising himself internally.

You nudged him gently, “Seungkwan, it’s kind of late now and we both haven’t eaten since this morning. How about we turn around and head back into the city? I saw a burger place on the way here. Maybe we can grab some? I know you like burgers…”

By requesting something from Seungkwan, you hoped you could pull him out of his fixation on the ruined day. Seungkwan was a giver, someone who was always ready to help others. You had a hunch that by giving him something else to focus on, he would shift his attention onto how he could best carry out your request to satisfy you. Your hunch proved to be correct. A deep frown was still evident on Seungkwan’s face, but he visibly relaxed at your request. 

The drive to the burger place was silent and slightly tense. Seungkwan’s mind was muddled up with countless thoughts. What should he say to you? Were you mad at him for this ruined date? He practically wasted your time when you could have been at home, warm and well fed. He would obviously have to apologise, but how? He continuously grabbed at the steering wheel as he glanced at you nervously from the corner of his eye. You didn’t look the least bit upset. In fact, you appeared to be quite content with gazing out the window at the passing scenery. That was a good sign right?

As the burger place came into sight, Seungkwan’s stomach growled, cutting through the silence in the car. You snickered at him, “Looks like someone is hungry. Let’s go and get some food for you.”

Knowing Seungkwan was trying to make himself feel better just as much as he was trying to make the day up to you, you didn’t bother arguing with Seungkwan when he insisted on paying. You could always treat him to a meal another time. 

A little while later, Seungkwan returned with your meals and you both dug in hungrily. There was nothing like a warm meal on a cold and wet day. 

“I’m sorry.”

At the sound of Seungkwan’s voice, you retracted your hand from your french fries. Ah, so the time had come. 

You asked him gently, “Whatever for?”

Poking at his burger, Seungkwan murmured, “For ruining the date. I’m sorry I ruined it. Everything was supposed to be perfect. I wanted this date to be perfect for you so you would be happy and instead I ruined it. It was a total disaster.”

You shook your head, “Seungkwan. In my opinion, this date was perfect. So what if our plans were derailed. I’m still enjoying this date with you immensely.”

Seungkwan’s eyes widened in shock. He sputtered, “You mean… you’re not disappointed or upset at me?”

“Is that what you think?”

“Yes.”

You softened, your heart breaking at his self-reprimanding tone, “Am I disappointed the flower field was closed due to flash floods? Yes. But am I disappointed and upset at you? Absolutely not. You couldn’t have predicted what would happen today. You planned a wonderful day for us and I am grateful to you for that. Besides, despite everything you still tried your best to ensure the date was perfect. It was perfect, and still is. Spending this precious time with you is more important to me than anything else. How else was I supposed to learn you were in a comedy group named BooSeokSoon in college along with Nurse Kwon and Dr. Lee?”

Seungkwan’s head lifted and his frown morphed into a proud smile, “Comedy slash singing group. We wanted to bring smiles to everyone around us. I guess you’re right. This time I spent with you is precious.”

You smirked, “Of course. I wouldn’t want to spend my Sundays in a random burger place with anyone else but you.”

Content with the way Seungkwan’s mood was lifted significantly, your heart swelled with pride as you gazed at him fondly. This was the man you came to adore over the past few months. The man who was selfless, who always sought to do his best for everyone else around him just so he could uplift their moods and bring them happiness. Even when he wasn’t doing much, his smile and presence alone could brighten up the whole room, a feat not many were able to achieve. You saw the warmth surrounding his heart, his patience, kindness, and gentle actions towards others, which were always carried out with such attention to detail and love. Boo Seungkwan was the epitome of a nurse and he set the standard for what kind of human you aspired to be. 

Musing over the wonderful being that was Seungkwan for a moment longer, you couldn’t help but blurt, “You’re such a kind person Seungkwan.”

Caught off guard by your compliment, Seungkwan stammered, “What… what brought this compliment about?”

You shrugged, “I was thinking about you. All the things you do to make others smile, bring them happiness. Your whole “Smile Flower Initiative” for instance, or the date you planned today. Oh and don’t think I don’t see you regularly buying coffee for the staff and volunteers who work at the ED, or the way you sometimes get those small tiger pins from the gift shop to give to Nurse Kwon. I’ve also heard stories about how you would work frequently overtime at the ED because some of the elderly regulars are most comfortable around you. One time, I heard from my best friend that you spent the whole night singing to one of the children who was going to undergo an orthopedic surgery. Hospital regulation stated his parents couldn’t be there, and so you stayed with him until he went in.”

Seungkwan grumbled, “Vernon has a big mouth for someone who talks so little sometimes.”

You snorted, “My point being. You’re always putting other people’s happiness first. But what about you? What are some times you like to do which brings you happiness?”

Stirring his drink, Seungkwan wrecked his brain for an answer, “I like talking to the people at the ED, and spending time with the elderly in the geriatric ward. To be able to speak to them outside of when I’m working is fulfilling for me. It humanises them in a way, helps me to see them as individuals, it reminds me how important my work is to helping them get back on their feet. Working in the ED can be tiring, but it is refreshing to finally feel fulfilled and passionate about my job again.”

Cheekily chucking a french fry at Seungkwan, you pressed him further, “As nice as all that is, I mean what are some things you like to do outside of work to decompress? What are some things you like to do for you?”

Pushing around the empty wrappers on the table, Seungkwan’s smile faltered. Yea, what has he done for himself lately? At his previous hospital, he didn’t have the luxury to even think about having time off for himself. When he went home, he would shower, eat, and go straight to bed. Now, he had more downtime, but what did he decide to do? Throw himself into doing more work because he was caught up in his renewed passion for his work. Today was probably the first day since he began working at Seventeen Med where he took a full day off work. Hell, he couldn’t remember the last time he spent a day doing absolutely nothing. 

“Hmm. What are some of your hobbies?”

Your voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Without hesitation, Seungkwan declared smugly, “I love badminton. I used to play in a team recreationally on weekends, and I was good.”

“Favourite food?”

“Jokbal, braised pigs trotters.”

“Favourite places to visit?”

“The beach just off the road from the Caratland theme park. Years ago, I used to spend my days off feeling the sea breeze in my hair and blowing on the dandelions.”

Clapping your hands together gleefully, your eyes sparkled in excitement, “Okay! That settles it. If you’re okay with it, for our next date, we can play badminton in the morning, have Jokbal for lunch, and then visit the beach, make wishes on dandelions, and have a simple picnic for dinner while watching the sunset!”

Seungkwan’s eyes widened, “Next date? You want to go on another date with me?”

Tilting your head questioningly at Seungkwan, you exclaimed, “Of course I would! Uhm, only if you want to?”

Overcome with emotion, Seungkwan shot out of his clair and walked over to sit next to you. He gazed into your eyes, brushing your cheek lightly with his hand, “Earlier, you asked me what are some things I like to do that bring me happiness. I think I have something new to add to my list.”

You shuddered under his soft, feathery touch, “And what would that be?”

Intertwining his hand with yours, Seungkwan whispered, “That would be going on many, many dates with you, my beautiful flower.”

--⌃⌄-💎-⌃⌄–

The following day in the break room, Soonyoung scuttered around Seungkwan, probing him for details on his date, “So, how was the date?”

“It was a total disaster. Nothing went according to plan.”

Patting Seungkwan on the back empathetically, Soonyoung comforted him, “I’m sorry to hear that…”

Recalling the events of the previous day, Seungkwan sighed blissfully, “Don’t be. It was the best date I’ve ever been on.”

Watching Seungkwan strut out of the break room, Soonyoung shrugged. He was confused but he would accept the answer. Who was he to question his friends’ weird love lives?

Because love was in bloom, and that was the most important point.

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The majority of patients who came into the ED were in serious condition. Any ED staff member would tell you their work was extremely fast paced and stressful. They saw the ugliest sides of mankind, and the worst that life has to offer. Their days (and nights) working in the ED could be characterised by thousands of life threatening injuries, allergic reactions, and serious illnesses. While many lives could be saved thanks to their valiant efforts and the wonders of modern medicine, just as many patients could not escape from the clutches of death. 

Not to mention, working in an ED was a thankless job. They weren’t only treating their patients, but their patients’ distraught or hysterical loved ones as well. The ED staff members were witnesses, participants, and often the so-called “perpetrators” in some of the worst, if not the worst days of people’s lives. Many times, when a patient’s loved one could not handle the stress of the situation they were suddenly thrown into, tensions and emotions would run high in the ED, which meant the staff were usually on the receiving end of many emotional outbursts. 

The ED staff members shouldered these burdens, silently enduring the physical, mental, and emotional stress that came with the job. It was a small price to pay to be on the front lines. If they could have a hand in saving lives, everything they endured was worth it. 

However, just because they silently endured it, doesn’t mean the stress never got to them. 

Having worked as an ED nurse for almost a decade, Seungkwan knew this all too well. He had, afterall, been one of the miserable, burnt out, overworked, underappreciated nurses who still gritted his teeth and went to work day after day. While he enjoyed being a nurse, it came to a point where the sterile white felt dull, and the blinding fluorescent lights in the ED ironically became an omen of darkness and suffering in his life. 

But, everything changed when Seungkwan moved over to Seventeen Med. When Jihoon offered him a new position, one where he could work with his university friends, he accepted immediately. He loved his friends, and he was in desperate need for a change of environment. Who knows, he thought, perhaps he could rekindle the spark he was looking for… perhaps he could come to genuinely find love and fulfillment in doing his job again. 

Seungkwan wanted a change of environment, and he certainly got it. As Soonyoung, Seungkwan’s old friend (and new boss) gave him a tour of the hospital’s premises, Seungkwan looked around, completely awestruck. Seventeen Med was unlike any other hospital Seungkwan ever saw before. Gone were the white walls of his past, replaced by walls painted in pretty shades of PANTONE 13-1520 and PANTONE 15-3919, or rose quartz and serenity respectively. The contrast of the warm pink and cooler blue colours helped to ground people by evoking a sense of tranquility in an otherwise chaotic place. The beautifully coloured walls, coupled with the floor to ceiling windows, dove grey tiles lining the floor, sunbleached wooden furniture, and decor made of crystal, marble or glass, allowed the entire place to feel bright, open, calm, and inviting. In Seungkwan’s opinion, the design of Seventeen Med was less like a hospital, and more of a luxury retreat. 

By the time Soonyoung brought Seungkwan to the Emergency Department where they would be working, Seungkwan felt more refreshed than he had felt in a long, long time. He was feeling excited to begin his new job, and he felt oddly inspired. It was amazing how a change in the colour scheme and decor of a place could impact his mood. He followed Soonyoung into the ED, chattering animatedly about all the ideas he had about sprucing up the place further. Caught up with Seungkwan’s newfound enthusiasm, Soonyoung began rambling along with him. 

“Maybe we can create a tiger themed ED,” Soonyoung said, grinning gleefully. 

“No. That’s so tacky.”

“Seungkwan pppllleeeaasssseeee. Come on, we can get those tiger print blankets.”

“No.”

“Small tiger figurines we can give away to the children.”

“No, you would hog them all.”

“Tiger snacks?”

Seungkwan gave Soonyoung a disgusted look, “Absolutely not.”

Soonyoung’s grin faded into a sad pout. He whined, “Not even tiger lilies?”

Seungkwan was about to immediately reject Soonyoung’s next stupid suggestion, but he held his tongue because decorating the ED with tiger lilies didn't sound stupid after all. Rubbing his chin, he deliberated over Soonyoung’s surprisingly good suggestion, “Tiger lilies huh? You might be onto something. How about we get flowers for the ED? Fake flowers of course, since real flowers pose a risk. We can buy a new bouquet every week to change up the atmosphere. Plus when we change the bouquet, we can give the old ones away to the children.”

Soonyoung nodded, “Yes. We can even set up a small arts and crafts station near the back of the waiting room mended by volunteers to teach people how to make bouquets, paintings, or origami flowers.”

Filled with pride at his own suggestion and Seungkwan’s idea, Soonyoung gave Seungkwan a thumbs up and a smirk, “Okay! I approve of this proposal. Your first task as my second in charge will be to go to the hospital’s flower shop and get some fake flowers for the ED, preferably tiger lilies… They should have it because the shop actually brings in a whole variety of fake flowers as an alternative for those with allergies. We’ll try this idea out for a month, and if it works, you can write a formal proposal to Jihoon to get funding to turn this into a full time project. I would do it, but you know, I’m your boss and you have to listen to me.”

Rolling his eyes and giving Soonyoung a mock salute, Seungkwan turned on his heel to seek out the hospital’s flower shop. 

--⌃⌄-💎-⌃⌄–

Absent-mindedly fiddling with his new staff ID, Seungkwan hummed as he approached the hospital’s flower shop. He would pick up the tiger lilies Soonyoung ordered him to get, albeit begrudgingly, before returning to his post. If he was quick, the whole transaction shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes. 

Seungkwan was sorely mistaken. Upon arriving at the front of the flower shop, he came to an abrupt halt when he spotted you, adorned in your apron and armed with your gardening shears. His breathing hitched, his grip on his staff ID loosening, causing it to fall to the floor with a soft “clank.” Despite there being a vast display of various types of flowers, they didn’t matter to Seungkwan, nor did he pay them any mind. He ignored the regal roses, charming carnations, heavenly hydrangeas, colourful chrysanthemums, ornate orchids, dainty dahlias, and the luscious lilies. Instead, his eyes were completely transfixed on you. 

To him, you were the most stunning flower of all. 

Hearing the sound of something dropping on the floor, you turned to look in that direction. Noticing your stare, Seungkwan blushed and averted his gaze. He bent down, fumbling to pick up his staff ID. Whether it was out of embarrassment, or the adrenaline pumping through his body because he saw just one of the most stunning women ever, he couldn’t get a good grip on his ID. 

You giggled, amused at how adorable Seungkwan’s clumsy movements were. Deciding to put him out of his misery, you crouched down beside him, picking up his staff ID for him.

Curious as to who this butterfingered stranger was, you read off his staff ID, “Boo Seungkwan. RN. Date of Issue? Oh, it’s today. Hey, welcome to Seventeen Med! I’m Y/n L/n, Med’s resident florist. As you can see, I run this flower shop.”

Seungkwan stared at you, wide eyed and very red faced. He stuttered, grimacing slightly at his mistake, “Uhm… Yes… Nice to meet you flower… no sorry. I mean Y/n.”

You flush, clearing your throat to cover up how flustered you really were over his tiny slip up. Hanging him his staff ID back, you ask him kindly, “How can I help you today Nurse Boo? What type of flowers are you interested in? Perhaps a bouquet for a special someone?”

Seungkwan waved his hands in front of his face frantically, “No, no, not for a special someone. I’m looking for a bouquet of fake tiger lilies. It’s for the ED.”

Pretending not to notice the way your heart leaped when he said he wasn’t going to give the flowers to a special someone, you focused on the fact he was looking for tiger lilies instead, “Soonyoung?”

Seungkwan let out an exasperated, exaggerated sigh, “You know about his tiger obsession too?”

You laughed, “Please, the whole hospital knows about it. On his first day of work, he came dressed head to toe in a tiger print jumpsuit. His excuse was that he was going to change into scrubs anyway, so why not dress in something comfortable? I think Mr Xu almost burst a blood vessel when he saw Soonyoung.”

Seungkwan muttered, “You don’t even know half of it. One time, he came to class dressed in a tigger onesie underneath his lab coat.”

You snickered, moving around Seungkwan to get to the flower display. You carefully picked out some fake tiger lilies from the corner, laying them out on the table to be wrapped up into a bouquet. Meanwhile, Seungkwan watched silently as you worked, trying to ignore how the sight of you arranging the flowers and wrapping the bouquet in a soft, delicate piece of paper sent the butterflies in his stomach fluttering wildly. 

After a short while, you handed over the bouquet to Seungkwan after giving the bow a final tug to ensure you tied it securely, “You can transfer the whole bouquet into a dry vase. If the material of the flower petals gets dusty, just use a slightly damp cloth to wipe it off.”

“How much do I owe you for it?”

Shaking your head, you gave him a smile, teasing him, “Don’t worry about it. Since it’s for the ED, this bouquet is on the house. Besides, I have a feeling I’ll be seeing you around more frequently, Nurse Boo.”

--⌃⌄-💎-⌃⌄–

And see Nurse Boo around more frequently, you did, because you became one of the main suppliers for the hospital’s newly implemented “Smile Flower Initiative.”

Built upon Seungkwan’s proposal to start decorating the ED with flowers, the “Smile Flower Initiative” turned out to be a major success. Regardless of how well designed the ED was, how well run the ED was, or how nice all the staff members were, at the end of the day, Seventeen Med’s ED was still an ED. Injuries, illnesses, and distraught and disgruntled people were still commonplace in the ED. Working there was no less fast paced or stressful as working in EDs elsewhere. 

Although a seemingly simple addition to the ED, the flowers worked wonders and there was a noticeable difference in the atmosphere. The presence of flowers helped to significantly improve the mood of staff, patients, and visitors alike. As his friend, psychiatrist Dr. Lee Dokyeom, would explain, flowers release a chemical called mycobacterium vaccae, which signals the brain to realse the “feel good” hormone, serotonin, thereby naturally improving people’s moods. To put it simply, the flowers, yes even the fake ones, brought happiness, serenity, and hope to people, especially in a place like the ED. 

Jihoon signed off on Seungkwan’s proposal to have the hospital fund the flowers for the ED even before the end of the one month trial. He saw how well received the flowers were, and admitted that while real flowers were used as decorations elsewhere in the hospital, he never thought to use fake flowers as a replacement in departments where real flowers were a safety hazard. Seungkwan mentally face palmed at Jihoon’s admission, but preened under his praise. 

Once the proposal was implemented, the ED was soon full of different types of fake flowers. Knitted or crochet flowers, flowers on blankets, pieces of art featuring flowers, etc. Most items were either donated, handmade by volunteers, or funded by the hospital. Seungkwan loved how each item was unique, usually personalised by the person who supplied it to them. He strongly believed the flowers brought more life and colour into the ED. 

Out of everything he saw though, Seungkwan’s favourite types of flower decorations were still the bouquets you would so lovingly arrange and prepare for him every week. Week after week, month after month, Seungkwan would meet you at your flower shop on Mondays at 10.30am sharp to collect the bouquet of the week. He always looked forward to seeing what new bouquet arrangements you prepared specially for him. The excited expressions from his co-workers, patients, and visitors to the ED when they saw the new bouquets were also highly anticipated. 

At least, those were the reasons Seungkwan told himself justify the excited, tingly, jittery feeling he had whenever it was time to pick up the flowers from your shop. As the time approached, he would be overcome with a rapidly beating heart, hot flushes, a wild blush on his face, clammy hands, and sweaty palms. He would feel slightly lightheaded, and yet he couldn’t manage to keep still, like he needed to bounce or jump about to release some pent up energy. 

Despite the many, many times Seungkwan told himself it was simply adrenaline from the excitement of being able to bring joy to the ED, he knew it wasn’t that. He knew the real reason behind his buzzing nerves - you, the flower shop’s (very cute) florist. While he could try to live in denial, it wasn’t lost on Seungkwan that he might have a huge tiny crush on you. 

Seungkwan’s feelings weren’t lost on Soonyoung either. Soonyoung would frequently observe Seungkwan from a distance as he floated off to pick up the bouquet with a spring in his step, and a lovestruck expression plastered across his face. There were so many times Seungkwan tripped over a cart or almost bumped into someone because he was thinking so intensely about you. Seungkwan liked to believe no one saw him fumble about, but Soonyoung was more observant than most people thought. If Soonyoung was being honest with himself, he was tired and fed up that most of his friends were so hopeless when it came to love. For how much crap Seungkwan liked to give Dokyeom for being a trainwreck before the latter began dating his girlfriend, Seungkwan was no better. 

The process of Seungkwan actually accepting that he did in fact have a crush on you was rather long and arduous, much to Soonyoung’s chargrain. But, Seungkwan was eventually able to accept his feelings for you, and not a moment too soon because Soonyoung was about to start screaming his head off from exasperation. 

Fortunately for Soonyoung, before he worked himself up into having a terrible sore throat, Seungkwan sought him out one day asking for a pleasantly surprising favour.

“YOU WHAT???” 

Seungkwan’s hands flew up to protect his ears. He gave Soonyoung a death glare, “You don’t need to screech in my ears, you hamster face. Did you not hear me? All I asked was if you could do me a favour and cover my shift next Sunday so I can take Y/n out on a date.”

Soonyoung brought his hand to his face, pretending to wipe away his fake tears, “Yea I heard you the first time. I’m just so proud of you. My little shriveled up tangerine tree, you bore no flowers, leaves, or fruit, for your dead roots never found a pool full of love to drink from. Now, you’ve found it, you’re finally growing up, heart open, leaves sprouting. You’re ready to love so go forth, and let your flowers, drinking hungrily from the pools of love, bloom. BLOOM I SAY. BLOOOMMMMMMMPPPHJHHHHHHHHHH.”

Soonyoung’s enthusiastic monologue was cut off by Seungkwan clamping his hand over Soonyoung’s mouth tightly, “I take it that’s a yes?”

“MMMHSMMM.”

“You’re going to cover my shift? So I can go on my date?”

“MMMHSMMM. MMMHHHMMM.”

Seungkwan, satisfied by Soonyoung’s answers, released his grip on the elder. Soonyoung grumbled, “You ask me for a favour, I grant you what you want, and this is how you treat me. Woe is me.”

Seungkwan shrugged, “You were the one being overdramatic.”

Rubbing his sore chin, Soonyoung retorted, “You can’t blame me. You were pathetically pining over her for months now, and now out of the blue you ask me to cover your shift because you’ve finally asked her out and she agreed to go on a date with you. Can’t a guy be happy for his friend?”

Seungkwan paled, the words “you’ve finally asked her out and she agreed to go on a date with you” echoing through his head repeatedly. 

Noticing Seungkwan’s unusual silence and lack of a snarky comment, Soonyoung looked at him questioningly, “Uhm… you have asked her out right? That’s why you’re asking me for the favour? Because you asked her on a date and she said yes?”

Alarmed, Seungkwan shrieked, his hands flailing all over the place as he dashed out of the ED, “Wait. Wait… WAIT. YOU’RE RIGHT. I NEVER ASKED HER OUT TO BEGIN WITH!”

Soonyoung reached out to grab Seungkwan’s shirt, wanting to stop him from rushing off halfway during a shift, but he missed it by an inch. Completely bewildered, Soonyoung stood motionless in the corner of the ED. He opened his mouth to try to say something, only to close it again. After what seemed like an eternity, Soonyoung finally processed what he saw and leaned against the nearby wall for support. He exhaled shakily, “Whooo boy, and I thought Dokyeommie was helpless. Seungkwan, he’s on a whole other planet.”

--⌃⌄-💎-⌃⌄–

Meanwhile, you were assisting your best friend at the hospital’s gift shop. 

“My angel, do you think these orange petunias would go with the new shipment of teddy bears?”

Your best friend lightly pinched your cheek, “Munchkin. Orange flowers with those purple teddy bears? I don’t see why not. Go for it.”

You squealed, immediately grabbing a teddy to try and put together a cute teddy flower bouquet. As you picked out new flowers for the bouquet, your best friend worked on a new gift basket arrangement. You worked in comfortable silence for a while, but your best friend soon grew bored.

With an evil glint in her eye, she abandoned the gift basket, propping herself up on her seat. Leaning in towards you, she asked, “Sooooooo. How’s your Boo?”

You rolled your eyes, “I should be asking you how’s your dating life now you’re with Dr Chwe.”

Unimpressed, she retorted, “At least I have a dating life babie. Nurse Boo and you should be dating by now. Go and ask him out on a date.”

“I don’t have the guts to ask someone out and you know it. Besides, what if he says no? He’s Nurse Boo. I’m sure he’s surrounded by pretty nurses and doctors all the time. Why settle for me?”

Your best friend reeled back, placing a hand over her heart, “EXCUSE ME? Settle for you? Babie. Munchkin. My love. My heart will die if you say that. Anyone who cannot see how amazing you are needs to get their brain checked. You’re more than enough so don’t doubt yourself like that.”

Fiddling with the finished teddy flower bouquet, you nodded shakily. 

Your best friend patted your head, swiveling your seat around to face the shop’s entrance, “Good. Now. Once again, you’re more than enough. I can see that, and Nurse Boo definitely can see it too.”

From your position, you could see Seungkwan frantically looking around your flower shop calling out your name. You stared in shock as you felt your best friend gently nudge you forward and out of her shop, guiding you towards him. 

Your best friend cheekily called out, “Delivery for Nurse Boo!!”

Snapping out of your daze, you glared at her as she retreated back into the gift shop howling with laughter. 

You muttered an apology to Seungkwan, awkwardly asking, “Sorry about that Seungkwan. Is there anything I can help you with today? Do you need a new bouquet urgently?”

Face flushed and ears pink, both from being out of breath and from what he was about to do, Seungkwan shifted around a bit, wringing his bands, “Uh. Yea, there is something you can help me with… Would you… umm, happen to be free next Sunday? For a date, with… me?

Seungkwan was asking you on a date. Next Sunday. Just the two of you. You and him. Together. Alone. On a date. Romantic date. Date with Seungkwan. 

Letting Seungkwan’s question sink in, you squeaked, hiding your warm face behind the teddy flower bouquet you were still holding. Through the gaps in the flowers, you could see Seungkwan’s eyes sparkle with apprehension, and more importantly, hope. Your heart fluttered with the same adoring feeling you had whenever you saw flowers swaying gently in the wind. 

Seungkwan wanted to go on this date with you. 

Somehow, that realisation made your grip on the bouquet grow tighter, and you refused to meet his eyes. 

Standing opposite from you, Seungkwan’s hope was beginning to falter. With you hiding behind the bouquet, he was unable to read your reaction properly. Were you shy because of the question? Was he weird? Were you so turned off by the idea of having to go on a date with him you hid behind your flowers? Beads of sweat rolled down his face, he gulped, sucking in a deep breath, about to try to cut through the uneasy, uncomfortable tension by telling you it was okay if you didn’t want to you know? There was no pressure at all.

“NURSE BOO, YOU BROKE HER. BUT Y/N WOULD LOVE TO GO ON A DATE WITH YOU. GO ON Y/N SAY YES. GET YOUR MAN.” Your best friend, who was finally unable to take the silence anymore, screamed from the gift shop.

You quickly lowered the bouquet, giving Seungkwan a reassuring, albeit sheepish nod, “Yes yes. What she said. I would love to go on a date with you Seungkwan.”

Relieved, Seungkwan let out the breath he was holding in, “Oh thank the heavens. I’ll pick you up next Sunday. Say, 11am?”

You smiled, hugging the bouquet closer to your body, “11am sounds perfect.”

--⌃⌄-💎-⌃⌄–

If there was one word to describe how Seungkwan felt last week after he actually asked you out on a date and you said yes, it would be “perfect.” Everything was perfect. While he was apprehensive about the date, he was more excited than anything else. He spent the week agonising over every inch of his plans, the places to bring you, food to eat, conversation topics. Everything was going to be perfect. It had to be, for you. 

Alas, when perfection is what is highly sought after and anticipated, reality always falls short of it. Fast forward one week, and the one word to describe how the date was going now was “disaster.”

Seungkwan’s original plan was to pick you up at 11am, drive two hours away to a pretty flower field you mentioned in passing one time during your previous conversations. You would have a quiet lunch at the restaurant overlooking the flower field before roaming around and taking in the sights for a few hours. Should you feel parched or tired halfway, there was also a cafe on the edge of the flower field where you could have some tea. During the drive back into the city, you would stop by another restaurant serving your favourite dish. If all went well, he would have you home safely by 9 or 10pm. 

Unfortunately, Seungkwan’s plans were derailed one by one, and soon the perfection he was aiming for was nothing more than a fleeting dream replaced by this disaster of a date. 

Absolutely nothing went his way. In the morning, Seungkwan’s car wouldn’t start when he prepared to head over to your apartment to pick you up. By the time he managed to get a hold of a mechanic to jump start his car, he was over an hour late. Despite your reassurances that it was okay to reschedule the date, Seungkwan was stubborn. He wasn’t going to let this little setback ruin the perfect day he so meticulously planned. 

The drive to the flower field started out lovely. There was a lot of talking, and even more laughs. Everything was looking up for Seungkwan, but as the saying goes, “when it rains, it pours.” In this case, quite literally. What began as a sunny day turned into a dark, gloomy, overcast one as rain began pelting down harshly on the ground. Nevertheless, Seungkwan insisted on moving forward with his original plans. Sudden showers weren’t uncommon during this time of the year, and perhaps the rain would clear up by the time you arrived at your destination. 

When you finally arrived at the flower field, the rain stopped, but Seungkwan’s good spirits were dashed by further setbacks in his plans. The restaurant regretfully informed Seungkwan that you had missed your reservation, and because you arrived 2 hours late, the restaurant was now closing for the afternoon. To make matters worse, the flower field which housed the cafe, was also closed due to flash flooding from the rain. 

Seungkwan’s shoulders slumped as his last rays of hope were dashed. So much for the perfect date. This date could possibly have been the worst date you had ever been on. Throughout the day, you had been reassuring him that you could always reschedule the date, or spend the day at a cafe in the city. And when he insisted on going through with his plans, you never once objected to them or complained about his stubborn nature. He felt like the biggest fool of the century. In his mission to plan the perfect date for you to make you happy, he ended up ruining the entire date. Although you didn’t show any indication of it, he was sure you were having a horrible time and would never want to go out with him ever again. 

You observed Seungkwan silently from the passenger’s seat of his car. His dejected, dull, downcast eyes told you everything. He was full of regret and disappointment at how the day turned out. Worst of all, he was most disappointed with himself. He blamed himself for ruining the day and was chastising himself internally.

You nudged him gently, “Seungkwan, it’s kind of late now and we both haven’t eaten since this morning. How about we turn around and head back into the city? I saw a burger place on the way here. Maybe we can grab some? I know you like burgers…”

By requesting something from Seungkwan, you hoped you could pull him out of his fixation on the ruined day. Seungkwan was a giver, someone who was always ready to help others. You had a hunch that by giving him something else to focus on, he would shift his attention onto how he could best carry out your request to satisfy you. Your hunch proved to be correct. A deep frown was still evident on Seungkwan’s face, but he visibly relaxed at your request. 

The drive to the burger place was silent and slightly tense. Seungkwan’s mind was muddled up with countless thoughts. What should he say to you? Were you mad at him for this ruined date? He practically wasted your time when you could have been at home, warm and well fed. He would obviously have to apologise, but how? He continuously grabbed at the steering wheel as he glanced at you nervously from the corner of his eye. You didn’t look the least bit upset. In fact, you appeared to be quite content with gazing out the window at the passing scenery. That was a good sign right?

As the burger place came into sight, Seungkwan’s stomach growled, cutting through the silence in the car. You snickered at him, “Looks like someone is hungry. Let’s go and get some food for you.”

Knowing Seungkwan was trying to make himself feel better just as much as he was trying to make the day up to you, you didn’t bother arguing with Seungkwan when he insisted on paying. You could always treat him to a meal another time. 

A little while later, Seungkwan returned with your meals and you both dug in hungrily. There was nothing like a warm meal on a cold and wet day. 

“I’m sorry.”

At the sound of Seungkwan’s voice, you retracted your hand from your french fries. Ah, so the time had come. 

You asked him gently, “Whatever for?”

Poking at his burger, Seungkwan murmured, “For ruining the date. I’m sorry I ruined it. Everything was supposed to be perfect. I wanted this date to be perfect for you so you would be happy and instead I ruined it. It was a total disaster.”

You shook your head, “Seungkwan. In my opinion, this date was perfect. So what if our plans were derailed. I’m still enjoying this date with you immensely.”

Seungkwan’s eyes widened in shock. He sputtered, “You mean… you’re not disappointed or upset at me?”

“Is that what you think?”

“Yes.”

You softened, your heart breaking at his self-reprimanding tone, “Am I disappointed the flower field was closed due to flash floods? Yes. But am I disappointed and upset at you? Absolutely not. You couldn’t have predicted what would happen today. You planned a wonderful day for us and I am grateful to you for that. Besides, despite everything you still tried your best to ensure the date was perfect. It was perfect, and still is. Spending this precious time with you is more important to me than anything else. How else was I supposed to learn you were in a comedy group named BooSeokSoon in college along with Nurse Kwon and Dr. Lee?”

Seungkwan’s head lifted and his frown morphed into a proud smile, “Comedy slash singing group. We wanted to bring smiles to everyone around us. I guess you’re right. This time I spent with you is precious.”

You smirked, “Of course. I wouldn’t want to spend my Sundays in a random burger place with anyone else but you.”

Content with the way Seungkwan’s mood was lifted significantly, your heart swelled with pride as you gazed at him fondly. This was the man you came to adore over the past few months. The man who was selfless, who always sought to do his best for everyone else around him just so he could uplift their moods and bring them happiness. Even when he wasn’t doing much, his smile and presence alone could brighten up the whole room, a feat not many were able to achieve. You saw the warmth surrounding his heart, his patience, kindness, and gentle actions towards others, which were always carried out with such attention to detail and love. Boo Seungkwan was the epitome of a nurse and he set the standard for what kind of human you aspired to be. 

Musing over the wonderful being that was Seungkwan for a moment longer, you couldn’t help but blurt, “You’re such a kind person Seungkwan.”

Caught off guard by your compliment, Seungkwan stammered, “What… what brought this compliment about?”

You shrugged, “I was thinking about you. All the things you do to make others smile, bring them happiness. Your whole “Smile Flower Initiative” for instance, or the date you planned today. Oh and don’t think I don’t see you regularly buying coffee for the staff and volunteers who work at the ED, or the way you sometimes get those small tiger pins from the gift shop to give to Nurse Kwon. I’ve also heard stories about how you would work frequently overtime at the ED because some of the elderly regulars are most comfortable around you. One time, I heard from my best friend that you spent the whole night singing to one of the children who was going to undergo an orthopedic surgery. Hospital regulation stated his parents couldn’t be there, and so you stayed with him until he went in.”

Seungkwan grumbled, “Vernon has a big mouth for someone who talks so little sometimes.”

You snorted, “My point being. You’re always putting other people’s happiness first. But what about you? What are some times you like to do which brings you happiness?”

Stirring his drink, Seungkwan wrecked his brain for an answer, “I like talking to the people at the ED, and spending time with the elderly in the geriatric ward. To be able to speak to them outside of when I’m working is fulfilling for me. It humanises them in a way, helps me to see them as individuals, it reminds me how important my work is to helping them get back on their feet. Working in the ED can be tiring, but it is refreshing to finally feel fulfilled and passionate about my job again.”

Cheekily chucking a french fry at Seungkwan, you pressed him further, “As nice as all that is, I mean what are some things you like to do outside of work to decompress? What are some things you like to do for you?”

Pushing around the empty wrappers on the table, Seungkwan’s smile faltered. Yea, what has he done for himself lately? At his previous hospital, he didn’t have the luxury to even think about having time off for himself. When he went home, he would shower, eat, and go straight to bed. Now, he had more downtime, but what did he decide to do? Throw himself into doing more work because he was caught up in his renewed passion for his work. Today was probably the first day since he began working at Seventeen Med where he took a full day off work. Hell, he couldn’t remember the last time he spent a day doing absolutely nothing. 

“Hmm. What are some of your hobbies?”

Your voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Without hesitation, Seungkwan declared smugly, “I love badminton. I used to play in a team recreationally on weekends, and I was good.”

“Favourite food?”

“Jokbal, braised pigs trotters.”

“Favourite places to visit?”

“The beach just off the road from the Caratland theme park. Years ago, I used to spend my days off feeling the sea breeze in my hair and blowing on the dandelions.”

Clapping your hands together gleefully, your eyes sparkled in excitement, “Okay! That settles it. If you’re okay with it, for our next date, we can play badminton in the morning, have Jokbal for lunch, and then visit the beach, make wishes on dandelions, and have a simple picnic for dinner while watching the sunset!”

Seungkwan’s eyes widened, “Next date? You want to go on another date with me?”

Tilting your head questioningly at Seungkwan, you exclaimed, “Of course I would! Uhm, only if you want to?”

Overcome with emotion, Seungkwan shot out of his clair and walked over to sit next to you. He gazed into your eyes, brushing your cheek lightly with his hand, “Earlier, you asked me what are some things I like to do that bring me happiness. I think I have something new to add to my list.”

You shuddered under his soft, feathery touch, “And what would that be?”

Intertwining his hand with yours, Seungkwan whispered, “That would be going on many, many dates with you, my beautiful flower.”

--⌃⌄-💎-⌃⌄–

The following day in the break room, Soonyoung scuttered around Seungkwan, probing him for details on his date, “So, how was the date?”

“It was a total disaster. Nothing went according to plan.”

Patting Seungkwan on the back empathetically, Soonyoung comforted him, “I’m sorry to hear that…”

Recalling the events of the previous day, Seungkwan sighed blissfully, “Don’t be. It was the best date I’ve ever been on.”

Watching Seungkwan strut out of the break room, Soonyoung shrugged. He was confused but he would accept the answer. Who was he to question his friends’ weird love lives?

Because love was in bloom, and that was the most important point.

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The majority of patients who came into the ED were in serious condition. Any ED staff member would tell you their work was extremely fast paced and stressful. They saw the ugliest sides of mankind, and the worst that life has to offer. Their days (and nights) working in the ED could be characterised by thousands of life threatening injuries, allergic reactions, and serious illnesses. While many lives could be saved thanks to their valiant efforts and the wonders of modern medicine, just as many patients could not escape from the clutches of death. 

Not to mention, working in an ED was a thankless job. They weren’t only treating their patients, but their patients’ distraught or hysterical loved ones as well. The ED staff members were witnesses, participants, and often the so-called “perpetrators” in some of the worst, if not the worst days of people’s lives. Many times, when a patient’s loved one could not handle the stress of the situation they were suddenly thrown into, tensions and emotions would run high in the ED, which meant the staff were usually on the receiving end of many emotional outbursts. 

The ED staff members shouldered these burdens, silently enduring the physical, mental, and emotional stress that came with the job. It was a small price to pay to be on the front lines. If they could have a hand in saving lives, everything they endured was worth it. 

However, just because they silently endured it, doesn’t mean the stress never got to them. 

Having worked as an ED nurse for almost a decade, Seungkwan knew this all too well. He had, afterall, been one of the miserable, burnt out, overworked, underappreciated nurses who still gritted his teeth and went to work day after day. While he enjoyed being a nurse, it came to a point where the sterile white felt dull, and the blinding fluorescent lights in the ED ironically became an omen of darkness and suffering in his life. 

But, everything changed when Seungkwan moved over to Seventeen Med. When Jihoon offered him a new position, one where he could work with his university friends, he accepted immediately. He loved his friends, and he was in desperate need for a change of environment. Who knows, he thought, perhaps he could rekindle the spark he was looking for… perhaps he could come to genuinely find love and fulfillment in doing his job again. 

Seungkwan wanted a change of environment, and he certainly got it. As Soonyoung, Seungkwan’s old friend (and new boss) gave him a tour of the hospital’s premises, Seungkwan looked around, completely awestruck. Seventeen Med was unlike any other hospital Seungkwan ever saw before. Gone were the white walls of his past, replaced by walls painted in pretty shades of PANTONE 13-1520 and PANTONE 15-3919, or rose quartz and serenity respectively. The contrast of the warm pink and cooler blue colours helped to ground people by evoking a sense of tranquility in an otherwise chaotic place. The beautifully coloured walls, coupled with the floor to ceiling windows, dove grey tiles lining the floor, sunbleached wooden furniture, and decor made of crystal, marble or glass, allowed the entire place to feel bright, open, calm, and inviting. In Seungkwan’s opinion, the design of Seventeen Med was less like a hospital, and more of a luxury retreat. 

By the time Soonyoung brought Seungkwan to the Emergency Department where they would be working, Seungkwan felt more refreshed than he had felt in a long, long time. He was feeling excited to begin his new job, and he felt oddly inspired. It was amazing how a change in the colour scheme and decor of a place could impact his mood. He followed Soonyoung into the ED, chattering animatedly about all the ideas he had about sprucing up the place further. Caught up with Seungkwan’s newfound enthusiasm, Soonyoung began rambling along with him. 

“Maybe we can create a tiger themed ED,” Soonyoung said, grinning gleefully. 

“No. That’s so tacky.”

“Seungkwan pppllleeeaasssseeee. Come on, we can get those tiger print blankets.”

“No.”

“Small tiger figurines we can give away to the children.”

“No, you would hog them all.”

“Tiger snacks?”

Seungkwan gave Soonyoung a disgusted look, “Absolutely not.”

Soonyoung’s grin faded into a sad pout. He whined, “Not even tiger lilies?”

Seungkwan was about to immediately reject Soonyoung’s next stupid suggestion, but he held his tongue because decorating the ED with tiger lilies didn't sound stupid after all. Rubbing his chin, he deliberated over Soonyoung’s surprisingly good suggestion, “Tiger lilies huh? You might be onto something. How about we get flowers for the ED? Fake flowers of course, since real flowers pose a risk. We can buy a new bouquet every week to change up the atmosphere. Plus when we change the bouquet, we can give the old ones away to the children.”

Soonyoung nodded, “Yes. We can even set up a small arts and crafts station near the back of the waiting room mended by volunteers to teach people how to make bouquets, paintings, or origami flowers.”

Filled with pride at his own suggestion and Seungkwan’s idea, Soonyoung gave Seungkwan a thumbs up and a smirk, “Okay! I approve of this proposal. Your first task as my second in charge will be to go to the hospital’s flower shop and get some fake flowers for the ED, preferably tiger lilies… They should have it because the shop actually brings in a whole variety of fake flowers as an alternative for those with allergies. We’ll try this idea out for a month, and if it works, you can write a formal proposal to Jihoon to get funding to turn this into a full time project. I would do it, but you know, I’m your boss and you have to listen to me.”

Rolling his eyes and giving Soonyoung a mock salute, Seungkwan turned on his heel to seek out the hospital’s flower shop. 

--⌃⌄-💎-⌃⌄–

Absent-mindedly fiddling with his new staff ID, Seungkwan hummed as he approached the hospital’s flower shop. He would pick up the tiger lilies Soonyoung ordered him to get, albeit begrudgingly, before returning to his post. If he was quick, the whole transaction shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes. 

Seungkwan was sorely mistaken. Upon arriving at the front of the flower shop, he came to an abrupt halt when he spotted you, adorned in your apron and armed with your gardening shears. His breathing hitched, his grip on his staff ID loosening, causing it to fall to the floor with a soft “clank.” Despite there being a vast display of various types of flowers, they didn’t matter to Seungkwan, nor did he pay them any mind. He ignored the regal roses, charming carnations, heavenly hydrangeas, colourful chrysanthemums, ornate orchids, dainty dahlias, and the luscious lilies. Instead, his eyes were completely transfixed on you. 

To him, you were the most stunning flower of all. 

Hearing the sound of something dropping on the floor, you turned to look in that direction. Noticing your stare, Seungkwan blushed and averted his gaze. He bent down, fumbling to pick up his staff ID. Whether it was out of embarrassment, or the adrenaline pumping through his body because he saw just one of the most stunning women ever, he couldn’t get a good grip on his ID. 

You giggled, amused at how adorable Seungkwan’s clumsy movements were. Deciding to put him out of his misery, you crouched down beside him, picking up his staff ID for him.

Curious as to who this butterfingered stranger was, you read off his staff ID, “Boo Seungkwan. RN. Date of Issue? Oh, it’s today. Hey, welcome to Seventeen Med! I’m Y/n L/n, Med’s resident florist. As you can see, I run this flower shop.”

Seungkwan stared at you, wide eyed and very red faced. He stuttered, grimacing slightly at his mistake, “Uhm… Yes… Nice to meet you flower… no sorry. I mean Y/n.”

You flush, clearing your throat to cover up how flustered you really were over his tiny slip up. Hanging him his staff ID back, you ask him kindly, “How can I help you today Nurse Boo? What type of flowers are you interested in? Perhaps a bouquet for a special someone?”

Seungkwan waved his hands in front of his face frantically, “No, no, not for a special someone. I’m looking for a bouquet of fake tiger lilies. It’s for the ED.”

Pretending not to notice the way your heart leaped when he said he wasn’t going to give the flowers to a special someone, you focused on the fact he was looking for tiger lilies instead, “Soonyoung?”

Seungkwan let out an exasperated, exaggerated sigh, “You know about his tiger obsession too?”

You laughed, “Please, the whole hospital knows about it. On his first day of work, he came dressed head to toe in a tiger print jumpsuit. His excuse was that he was going to change into scrubs anyway, so why not dress in something comfortable? I think Mr Xu almost burst a blood vessel when he saw Soonyoung.”

Seungkwan muttered, “You don’t even know half of it. One time, he came to class dressed in a tigger onesie underneath his lab coat.”

You snickered, moving around Seungkwan to get to the flower display. You carefully picked out some fake tiger lilies from the corner, laying them out on the table to be wrapped up into a bouquet. Meanwhile, Seungkwan watched silently as you worked, trying to ignore how the sight of you arranging the flowers and wrapping the bouquet in a soft, delicate piece of paper sent the butterflies in his stomach fluttering wildly. 

After a short while, you handed over the bouquet to Seungkwan after giving the bow a final tug to ensure you tied it securely, “You can transfer the whole bouquet into a dry vase. If the material of the flower petals gets dusty, just use a slightly damp cloth to wipe it off.”

“How much do I owe you for it?”

Shaking your head, you gave him a smile, teasing him, “Don’t worry about it. Since it’s for the ED, this bouquet is on the house. Besides, I have a feeling I’ll be seeing you around more frequently, Nurse Boo.”

--⌃⌄-💎-⌃⌄–

And see Nurse Boo around more frequently, you did, because you became one of the main suppliers for the hospital’s newly implemented “Smile Flower Initiative.”

Built upon Seungkwan’s proposal to start decorating the ED with flowers, the “Smile Flower Initiative” turned out to be a major success. Regardless of how well designed the ED was, how well run the ED was, or how nice all the staff members were, at the end of the day, Seventeen Med’s ED was still an ED. Injuries, illnesses, and distraught and disgruntled people were still commonplace in the ED. Working there was no less fast paced or stressful as working in EDs elsewhere. 

Although a seemingly simple addition to the ED, the flowers worked wonders and there was a noticeable difference in the atmosphere. The presence of flowers helped to significantly improve the mood of staff, patients, and visitors alike. As his friend, psychiatrist Dr. Lee Dokyeom, would explain, flowers release a chemical called mycobacterium vaccae, which signals the brain to realse the “feel good” hormone, serotonin, thereby naturally improving people’s moods. To put it simply, the flowers, yes even the fake ones, brought happiness, serenity, and hope to people, especially in a place like the ED. 

Jihoon signed off on Seungkwan’s proposal to have the hospital fund the flowers for the ED even before the end of the one month trial. He saw how well received the flowers were, and admitted that while real flowers were used as decorations elsewhere in the hospital, he never thought to use fake flowers as a replacement in departments where real flowers were a safety hazard. Seungkwan mentally face palmed at Jihoon’s admission, but preened under his praise. 

Once the proposal was implemented, the ED was soon full of different types of fake flowers. Knitted or crochet flowers, flowers on blankets, pieces of art featuring flowers, etc. Most items were either donated, handmade by volunteers, or funded by the hospital. Seungkwan loved how each item was unique, usually personalised by the person who supplied it to them. He strongly believed the flowers brought more life and colour into the ED. 

Out of everything he saw though, Seungkwan’s favourite types of flower decorations were still the bouquets you would so lovingly arrange and prepare for him every week. Week after week, month after month, Seungkwan would meet you at your flower shop on Mondays at 10.30am sharp to collect the bouquet of the week. He always looked forward to seeing what new bouquet arrangements you prepared specially for him. The excited expressions from his co-workers, patients, and visitors to the ED when they saw the new bouquets were also highly anticipated. 

At least, those were the reasons Seungkwan told himself justify the excited, tingly, jittery feeling he had whenever it was time to pick up the flowers from your shop. As the time approached, he would be overcome with a rapidly beating heart, hot flushes, a wild blush on his face, clammy hands, and sweaty palms. He would feel slightly lightheaded, and yet he couldn’t manage to keep still, like he needed to bounce or jump about to release some pent up energy. 

Despite the many, many times Seungkwan told himself it was simply adrenaline from the excitement of being able to bring joy to the ED, he knew it wasn’t that. He knew the real reason behind his buzzing nerves - you, the flower shop’s (very cute) florist. While he could try to live in denial, it wasn’t lost on Seungkwan that he might have a huge tiny crush on you. 

Seungkwan’s feelings weren’t lost on Soonyoung either. Soonyoung would frequently observe Seungkwan from a distance as he floated off to pick up the bouquet with a spring in his step, and a lovestruck expression plastered across his face. There were so many times Seungkwan tripped over a cart or almost bumped into someone because he was thinking so intensely about you. Seungkwan liked to believe no one saw him fumble about, but Soonyoung was more observant than most people thought. If Soonyoung was being honest with himself, he was tired and fed up that most of his friends were so hopeless when it came to love. For how much crap Seungkwan liked to give Dokyeom for being a trainwreck before the latter began dating his girlfriend, Seungkwan was no better. 

The process of Seungkwan actually accepting that he did in fact have a crush on you was rather long and arduous, much to Soonyoung’s chargrain. But, Seungkwan was eventually able to accept his feelings for you, and not a moment too soon because Soonyoung was about to start screaming his head off from exasperation. 

Fortunately for Soonyoung, before he worked himself up into having a terrible sore throat, Seungkwan sought him out one day asking for a pleasantly surprising favour.

“YOU WHAT???” 

Seungkwan’s hands flew up to protect his ears. He gave Soonyoung a death glare, “You don’t need to screech in my ears, you hamster face. Did you not hear me? All I asked was if you could do me a favour and cover my shift next Sunday so I can take Y/n out on a date.”

Soonyoung brought his hand to his face, pretending to wipe away his fake tears, “Yea I heard you the first time. I’m just so proud of you. My little shriveled up tangerine tree, you bore no flowers, leaves, or fruit, for your dead roots never found a pool full of love to drink from. Now, you’ve found it, you’re finally growing up, heart open, leaves sprouting. You’re ready to love so go forth, and let your flowers, drinking hungrily from the pools of love, bloom. BLOOM I SAY. BLOOOMMMMMMMPPPHJHHHHHHHHHH.”

Soonyoung’s enthusiastic monologue was cut off by Seungkwan clamping his hand over Soonyoung’s mouth tightly, “I take it that’s a yes?”

“MMMHSMMM.”

“You’re going to cover my shift? So I can go on my date?”

“MMMHSMMM. MMMHHHMMM.”

Seungkwan, satisfied by Soonyoung’s answers, released his grip on the elder. Soonyoung grumbled, “You ask me for a favour, I grant you what you want, and this is how you treat me. Woe is me.”

Seungkwan shrugged, “You were the one being overdramatic.”

Rubbing his sore chin, Soonyoung retorted, “You can’t blame me. You were pathetically pining over her for months now, and now out of the blue you ask me to cover your shift because you’ve finally asked her out and she agreed to go on a date with you. Can’t a guy be happy for his friend?”

Seungkwan paled, the words “you’ve finally asked her out and she agreed to go on a date with you” echoing through his head repeatedly. 

Noticing Seungkwan’s unusual silence and lack of a snarky comment, Soonyoung looked at him questioningly, “Uhm… you have asked her out right? That’s why you’re asking me for the favour? Because you asked her on a date and she said yes?”

Alarmed, Seungkwan shrieked, his hands flailing all over the place as he dashed out of the ED, “Wait. Wait… WAIT. YOU’RE RIGHT. I NEVER ASKED HER OUT TO BEGIN WITH!”

Soonyoung reached out to grab Seungkwan’s shirt, wanting to stop him from rushing off halfway during a shift, but he missed it by an inch. Completely bewildered, Soonyoung stood motionless in the corner of the ED. He opened his mouth to try to say something, only to close it again. After what seemed like an eternity, Soonyoung finally processed what he saw and leaned against the nearby wall for support. He exhaled shakily, “Whooo boy, and I thought Dokyeommie was helpless. Seungkwan, he’s on a whole other planet.”

--⌃⌄-💎-⌃⌄–

Meanwhile, you were assisting your best friend at the hospital’s gift shop. 

“My angel, do you think these orange petunias would go with the new shipment of teddy bears?”

Your best friend lightly pinched your cheek, “Munchkin. Orange flowers with those purple teddy bears? I don’t see why not. Go for it.”

You squealed, immediately grabbing a teddy to try and put together a cute teddy flower bouquet. As you picked out new flowers for the bouquet, your best friend worked on a new gift basket arrangement. You worked in comfortable silence for a while, but your best friend soon grew bored.

With an evil glint in her eye, she abandoned the gift basket, propping herself up on her seat. Leaning in towards you, she asked, “Sooooooo. How’s your Boo?”

You rolled your eyes, “I should be asking you how’s your dating life now you’re with Dr Chwe.”

Unimpressed, she retorted, “At least I have a dating life babie. Nurse Boo and you should be dating by now. Go and ask him out on a date.”

“I don’t have the guts to ask someone out and you know it. Besides, what if he says no? He’s Nurse Boo. I’m sure he’s surrounded by pretty nurses and doctors all the time. Why settle for me?”

Your best friend reeled back, placing a hand over her heart, “EXCUSE ME? Settle for you? Babie. Munchkin. My love. My heart will die if you say that. Anyone who cannot see how amazing you are needs to get their brain checked. You’re more than enough so don’t doubt yourself like that.”

Fiddling with the finished teddy flower bouquet, you nodded shakily. 

Your best friend patted your head, swiveling your seat around to face the shop’s entrance, “Good. Now. Once again, you’re more than enough. I can see that, and Nurse Boo definitely can see it too.”

From your position, you could see Seungkwan frantically looking around your flower shop calling out your name. You stared in shock as you felt your best friend gently nudge you forward and out of her shop, guiding you towards him. 

Your best friend cheekily called out, “Delivery for Nurse Boo!!”

Snapping out of your daze, you glared at her as she retreated back into the gift shop howling with laughter. 

You muttered an apology to Seungkwan, awkwardly asking, “Sorry about that Seungkwan. Is there anything I can help you with today? Do you need a new bouquet urgently?”

Face flushed and ears pink, both from being out of breath and from what he was about to do, Seungkwan shifted around a bit, wringing his bands, “Uh. Yea, there is something you can help me with… Would you… umm, happen to be free next Sunday? For a date, with… me?

Seungkwan was asking you on a date. Next Sunday. Just the two of you. You and him. Together. Alone. On a date. Romantic date. Date with Seungkwan. 

Letting Seungkwan’s question sink in, you squeaked, hiding your warm face behind the teddy flower bouquet you were still holding. Through the gaps in the flowers, you could see Seungkwan’s eyes sparkle with apprehension, and more importantly, hope. Your heart fluttered with the same adoring feeling you had whenever you saw flowers swaying gently in the wind. 

Seungkwan wanted to go on this date with you. 

Somehow, that realisation made your grip on the bouquet grow tighter, and you refused to meet his eyes. 

Standing opposite from you, Seungkwan’s hope was beginning to falter. With you hiding behind the bouquet, he was unable to read your reaction properly. Were you shy because of the question? Was he weird? Were you so turned off by the idea of having to go on a date with him you hid behind your flowers? Beads of sweat rolled down his face, he gulped, sucking in a deep breath, about to try to cut through the uneasy, uncomfortable tension by telling you it was okay if you didn’t want to you know? There was no pressure at all.

“NURSE BOO, YOU BROKE HER. BUT Y/N WOULD LOVE TO GO ON A DATE WITH YOU. GO ON Y/N SAY YES. GET YOUR MAN.” Your best friend, who was finally unable to take the silence anymore, screamed from the gift shop.

You quickly lowered the bouquet, giving Seungkwan a reassuring, albeit sheepish nod, “Yes yes. What she said. I would love to go on a date with you Seungkwan.”

Relieved, Seungkwan let out the breath he was holding in, “Oh thank the heavens. I’ll pick you up next Sunday. Say, 11am?”

You smiled, hugging the bouquet closer to your body, “11am sounds perfect.”

--⌃⌄-💎-⌃⌄–

If there was one word to describe how Seungkwan felt last week after he actually asked you out on a date and you said yes, it would be “perfect.” Everything was perfect. While he was apprehensive about the date, he was more excited than anything else. He spent the week agonising over every inch of his plans, the places to bring you, food to eat, conversation topics. Everything was going to be perfect. It had to be, for you. 

Alas, when perfection is what is highly sought after and anticipated, reality always falls short of it. Fast forward one week, and the one word to describe how the date was going now was “disaster.”

Seungkwan’s original plan was to pick you up at 11am, drive two hours away to a pretty flower field you mentioned in passing one time during your previous conversations. You would have a quiet lunch at the restaurant overlooking the flower field before roaming around and taking in the sights for a few hours. Should you feel parched or tired halfway, there was also a cafe on the edge of the flower field where you could have some tea. During the drive back into the city, you would stop by another restaurant serving your favourite dish. If all went well, he would have you home safely by 9 or 10pm. 

Unfortunately, Seungkwan’s plans were derailed one by one, and soon the perfection he was aiming for was nothing more than a fleeting dream replaced by this disaster of a date. 

Absolutely nothing went his way. In the morning, Seungkwan’s car wouldn’t start when he prepared to head over to your apartment to pick you up. By the time he managed to get a hold of a mechanic to jump start his car, he was over an hour late. Despite your reassurances that it was okay to reschedule the date, Seungkwan was stubborn. He wasn’t going to let this little setback ruin the perfect day he so meticulously planned. 

The drive to the flower field started out lovely. There was a lot of talking, and even more laughs. Everything was looking up for Seungkwan, but as the saying goes, “when it rains, it pours.” In this case, quite literally. What began as a sunny day turned into a dark, gloomy, overcast one as rain began pelting down harshly on the ground. Nevertheless, Seungkwan insisted on moving forward with his original plans. Sudden showers weren’t uncommon during this time of the year, and perhaps the rain would clear up by the time you arrived at your destination. 

When you finally arrived at the flower field, the rain stopped, but Seungkwan’s good spirits were dashed by further setbacks in his plans. The restaurant regretfully informed Seungkwan that you had missed your reservation, and because you arrived 2 hours late, the restaurant was now closing for the afternoon. To make matters worse, the flower field which housed the cafe, was also closed due to flash flooding from the rain. 

Seungkwan’s shoulders slumped as his last rays of hope were dashed. So much for the perfect date. This date could possibly have been the worst date you had ever been on. Throughout the day, you had been reassuring him that you could always reschedule the date, or spend the day at a cafe in the city. And when he insisted on going through with his plans, you never once objected to them or complained about his stubborn nature. He felt like the biggest fool of the century. In his mission to plan the perfect date for you to make you happy, he ended up ruining the entire date. Although you didn’t show any indication of it, he was sure you were having a horrible time and would never want to go out with him ever again. 

You observed Seungkwan silently from the passenger’s seat of his car. His dejected, dull, downcast eyes told you everything. He was full of regret and disappointment at how the day turned out. Worst of all, he was most disappointed with himself. He blamed himself for ruining the day and was chastising himself internally.

You nudged him gently, “Seungkwan, it’s kind of late now and we both haven’t eaten since this morning. How about we turn around and head back into the city? I saw a burger place on the way here. Maybe we can grab some? I know you like burgers…”

By requesting something from Seungkwan, you hoped you could pull him out of his fixation on the ruined day. Seungkwan was a giver, someone who was always ready to help others. You had a hunch that by giving him something else to focus on, he would shift his attention onto how he could best carry out your request to satisfy you. Your hunch proved to be correct. A deep frown was still evident on Seungkwan’s face, but he visibly relaxed at your request. 

The drive to the burger place was silent and slightly tense. Seungkwan’s mind was muddled up with countless thoughts. What should he say to you? Were you mad at him for this ruined date? He practically wasted your time when you could have been at home, warm and well fed. He would obviously have to apologise, but how? He continuously grabbed at the steering wheel as he glanced at you nervously from the corner of his eye. You didn’t look the least bit upset. In fact, you appeared to be quite content with gazing out the window at the passing scenery. That was a good sign right?

As the burger place came into sight, Seungkwan’s stomach growled, cutting through the silence in the car. You snickered at him, “Looks like someone is hungry. Let’s go and get some food for you.”

Knowing Seungkwan was trying to make himself feel better just as much as he was trying to make the day up to you, you didn’t bother arguing with Seungkwan when he insisted on paying. You could always treat him to a meal another time. 

A little while later, Seungkwan returned with your meals and you both dug in hungrily. There was nothing like a warm meal on a cold and wet day. 

“I’m sorry.”

At the sound of Seungkwan’s voice, you retracted your hand from your french fries. Ah, so the time had come. 

You asked him gently, “Whatever for?”

Poking at his burger, Seungkwan murmured, “For ruining the date. I’m sorry I ruined it. Everything was supposed to be perfect. I wanted this date to be perfect for you so you would be happy and instead I ruined it. It was a total disaster.”

You shook your head, “Seungkwan. In my opinion, this date was perfect. So what if our plans were derailed. I’m still enjoying this date with you immensely.”

Seungkwan’s eyes widened in shock. He sputtered, “You mean… you’re not disappointed or upset at me?”

“Is that what you think?”

“Yes.”

You softened, your heart breaking at his self-reprimanding tone, “Am I disappointed the flower field was closed due to flash floods? Yes. But am I disappointed and upset at you? Absolutely not. You couldn’t have predicted what would happen today. You planned a wonderful day for us and I am grateful to you for that. Besides, despite everything you still tried your best to ensure the date was perfect. It was perfect, and still is. Spending this precious time with you is more important to me than anything else. How else was I supposed to learn you were in a comedy group named BooSeokSoon in college along with Nurse Kwon and Dr. Lee?”

Seungkwan’s head lifted and his frown morphed into a proud smile, “Comedy slash singing group. We wanted to bring smiles to everyone around us. I guess you’re right. This time I spent with you is precious.”

You smirked, “Of course. I wouldn’t want to spend my Sundays in a random burger place with anyone else but you.”

Content with the way Seungkwan’s mood was lifted significantly, your heart swelled with pride as you gazed at him fondly. This was the man you came to adore over the past few months. The man who was selfless, who always sought to do his best for everyone else around him just so he could uplift their moods and bring them happiness. Even when he wasn’t doing much, his smile and presence alone could brighten up the whole room, a feat not many were able to achieve. You saw the warmth surrounding his heart, his patience, kindness, and gentle actions towards others, which were always carried out with such attention to detail and love. Boo Seungkwan was the epitome of a nurse and he set the standard for what kind of human you aspired to be. 

Musing over the wonderful being that was Seungkwan for a moment longer, you couldn’t help but blurt, “You’re such a kind person Seungkwan.”

Caught off guard by your compliment, Seungkwan stammered, “What… what brought this compliment about?”

You shrugged, “I was thinking about you. All the things you do to make others smile, bring them happiness. Your whole “Smile Flower Initiative” for instance, or the date you planned today. Oh and don’t think I don’t see you regularly buying coffee for the staff and volunteers who work at the ED, or the way you sometimes get those small tiger pins from the gift shop to give to Nurse Kwon. I’ve also heard stories about how you would work frequently overtime at the ED because some of the elderly regulars are most comfortable around you. One time, I heard from my best friend that you spent the whole night singing to one of the children who was going to undergo an orthopedic surgery. Hospital regulation stated his parents couldn’t be there, and so you stayed with him until he went in.”

Seungkwan grumbled, “Vernon has a big mouth for someone who talks so little sometimes.”

You snorted, “My point being. You’re always putting other people’s happiness first. But what about you? What are some times you like to do which brings you happiness?”

Stirring his drink, Seungkwan wrecked his brain for an answer, “I like talking to the people at the ED, and spending time with the elderly in the geriatric ward. To be able to speak to them outside of when I’m working is fulfilling for me. It humanises them in a way, helps me to see them as individuals, it reminds me how important my work is to helping them get back on their feet. Working in the ED can be tiring, but it is refreshing to finally feel fulfilled and passionate about my job again.”

Cheekily chucking a french fry at Seungkwan, you pressed him further, “As nice as all that is, I mean what are some things you like to do outside of work to decompress? What are some things you like to do for you?”

Pushing around the empty wrappers on the table, Seungkwan’s smile faltered. Yea, what has he done for himself lately? At his previous hospital, he didn’t have the luxury to even think about having time off for himself. When he went home, he would shower, eat, and go straight to bed. Now, he had more downtime, but what did he decide to do? Throw himself into doing more work because he was caught up in his renewed passion for his work. Today was probably the first day since he began working at Seventeen Med where he took a full day off work. Hell, he couldn’t remember the last time he spent a day doing absolutely nothing. 

“Hmm. What are some of your hobbies?”

Your voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Without hesitation, Seungkwan declared smugly, “I love badminton. I used to play in a team recreationally on weekends, and I was good.”

“Favourite food?”

“Jokbal, braised pigs trotters.”

“Favourite places to visit?”

“The beach just off the road from the Caratland theme park. Years ago, I used to spend my days off feeling the sea breeze in my hair and blowing on the dandelions.”

Clapping your hands together gleefully, your eyes sparkled in excitement, “Okay! That settles it. If you’re okay with it, for our next date, we can play badminton in the morning, have Jokbal for lunch, and then visit the beach, make wishes on dandelions, and have a simple picnic for dinner while watching the sunset!”

Seungkwan’s eyes widened, “Next date? You want to go on another date with me?”

Tilting your head questioningly at Seungkwan, you exclaimed, “Of course I would! Uhm, only if you want to?”

Overcome with emotion, Seungkwan shot out of his clair and walked over to sit next to you. He gazed into your eyes, brushing your cheek lightly with his hand, “Earlier, you asked me what are some things I like to do that bring me happiness. I think I have something new to add to my list.”

You shuddered under his soft, feathery touch, “And what would that be?”

Intertwining his hand with yours, Seungkwan whispered, “That would be going on many, many dates with you, my beautiful flower.”

--⌃⌄-💎-⌃⌄–

The following day in the break room, Soonyoung scuttered around Seungkwan, probing him for details on his date, “So, how was the date?”

“It was a total disaster. Nothing went according to plan.”

Patting Seungkwan on the back empathetically, Soonyoung comforted him, “I’m sorry to hear that…”

Recalling the events of the previous day, Seungkwan sighed blissfully, “Don’t be. It was the best date I’ve ever been on.”

Watching Seungkwan strut out of the break room, Soonyoung shrugged. He was confused but he would accept the answer. Who was he to question his friends’ weird love lives?

Because love was in bloom, and that was the most important point.

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The majority of patients who came into the ED were in serious condition. Any ED staff member would tell you their work was extremely fast paced and stressful. They saw the ugliest sides of mankind, and the worst that life has to offer. Their days (and nights) working in the ED could be characterised by thousands of life threatening injuries, allergic reactions, and serious illnesses. While many lives could be saved thanks to their valiant efforts and the wonders of modern medicine, just as many patients could not escape from the clutches of death. 

Not to mention, working in an ED was a thankless job. They weren’t only treating their patients, but their patients’ distraught or hysterical loved ones as well. The ED staff members were witnesses, participants, and often the so-called “perpetrators” in some of the worst, if not the worst days of people’s lives. Many times, when a patient’s loved one could not handle the stress of the situation they were suddenly thrown into, tensions and emotions would run high in the ED, which meant the staff were usually on the receiving end of many emotional outbursts. 

The ED staff members shouldered these burdens, silently enduring the physical, mental, and emotional stress that came with the job. It was a small price to pay to be on the front lines. If they could have a hand in saving lives, everything they endured was worth it. 

However, just because they silently endured it, doesn’t mean the stress never got to them. 

Having worked as an ED nurse for almost a decade, Seungkwan knew this all too well. He had, afterall, been one of the miserable, burnt out, overworked, underappreciated nurses who still gritted his teeth and went to work day after day. While he enjoyed being a nurse, it came to a point where the sterile white felt dull, and the blinding fluorescent lights in the ED ironically became an omen of darkness and suffering in his life. 

But, everything changed when Seungkwan moved over to Seventeen Med. When Jihoon offered him a new position, one where he could work with his university friends, he accepted immediately. He loved his friends, and he was in desperate need for a change of environment. Who knows, he thought, perhaps he could rekindle the spark he was looking for… perhaps he could come to genuinely find love and fulfillment in doing his job again. 

Seungkwan wanted a change of environment, and he certainly got it. As Soonyoung, Seungkwan’s old friend (and new boss) gave him a tour of the hospital’s premises, Seungkwan looked around, completely awestruck. Seventeen Med was unlike any other hospital Seungkwan ever saw before. Gone were the white walls of his past, replaced by walls painted in pretty shades of PANTONE 13-1520 and PANTONE 15-3919, or rose quartz and serenity respectively. The contrast of the warm pink and cooler blue colours helped to ground people by evoking a sense of tranquility in an otherwise chaotic place. The beautifully coloured walls, coupled with the floor to ceiling windows, dove grey tiles lining the floor, sunbleached wooden furniture, and decor made of crystal, marble or glass, allowed the entire place to feel bright, open, calm, and inviting. In Seungkwan’s opinion, the design of Seventeen Med was less like a hospital, and more of a luxury retreat. 

By the time Soonyoung brought Seungkwan to the Emergency Department where they would be working, Seungkwan felt more refreshed than he had felt in a long, long time. He was feeling excited to begin his new job, and he felt oddly inspired. It was amazing how a change in the colour scheme and decor of a place could impact his mood. He followed Soonyoung into the ED, chattering animatedly about all the ideas he had about sprucing up the place further. Caught up with Seungkwan’s newfound enthusiasm, Soonyoung began rambling along with him. 

“Maybe we can create a tiger themed ED,” Soonyoung said, grinning gleefully. 

“No. That’s so tacky.”

“Seungkwan pppllleeeaasssseeee. Come on, we can get those tiger print blankets.”

“No.”

“Small tiger figurines we can give away to the children.”

“No, you would hog them all.”

“Tiger snacks?”

Seungkwan gave Soonyoung a disgusted look, “Absolutely not.”

Soonyoung’s grin faded into a sad pout. He whined, “Not even tiger lilies?”

Seungkwan was about to immediately reject Soonyoung’s next stupid suggestion, but he held his tongue because decorating the ED with tiger lilies didn't sound stupid after all. Rubbing his chin, he deliberated over Soonyoung’s surprisingly good suggestion, “Tiger lilies huh? You might be onto something. How about we get flowers for the ED? Fake flowers of course, since real flowers pose a risk. We can buy a new bouquet every week to change up the atmosphere. Plus when we change the bouquet, we can give the old ones away to the children.”

Soonyoung nodded, “Yes. We can even set up a small arts and crafts station near the back of the waiting room mended by volunteers to teach people how to make bouquets, paintings, or origami flowers.”

Filled with pride at his own suggestion and Seungkwan’s idea, Soonyoung gave Seungkwan a thumbs up and a smirk, “Okay! I approve of this proposal. Your first task as my second in charge will be to go to the hospital’s flower shop and get some fake flowers for the ED, preferably tiger lilies… They should have it because the shop actually brings in a whole variety of fake flowers as an alternative for those with allergies. We’ll try this idea out for a month, and if it works, you can write a formal proposal to Jihoon to get funding to turn this into a full time project. I would do it, but you know, I’m your boss and you have to listen to me.”

Rolling his eyes and giving Soonyoung a mock salute, Seungkwan turned on his heel to seek out the hospital’s flower shop. 

--⌃⌄-💎-⌃⌄–

Absent-mindedly fiddling with his new staff ID, Seungkwan hummed as he approached the hospital’s flower shop. He would pick up the tiger lilies Soonyoung ordered him to get, albeit begrudgingly, before returning to his post. If he was quick, the whole transaction shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes. 

Seungkwan was sorely mistaken. Upon arriving at the front of the flower shop, he came to an abrupt halt when he spotted you, adorned in your apron and armed with your gardening shears. His breathing hitched, his grip on his staff ID loosening, causing it to fall to the floor with a soft “clank.” Despite there being a vast display of various types of flowers, they didn’t matter to Seungkwan, nor did he pay them any mind. He ignored the regal roses, charming carnations, heavenly hydrangeas, colourful chrysanthemums, ornate orchids, dainty dahlias, and the luscious lilies. Instead, his eyes were completely transfixed on you. 

To him, you were the most stunning flower of all. 

Hearing the sound of something dropping on the floor, you turned to look in that direction. Noticing your stare, Seungkwan blushed and averted his gaze. He bent down, fumbling to pick up his staff ID. Whether it was out of embarrassment, or the adrenaline pumping through his body because he saw just one of the most stunning women ever, he couldn’t get a good grip on his ID. 

You giggled, amused at how adorable Seungkwan’s clumsy movements were. Deciding to put him out of his misery, you crouched down beside him, picking up his staff ID for him.

Curious as to who this butterfingered stranger was, you read off his staff ID, “Boo Seungkwan. RN. Date of Issue? Oh, it’s today. Hey, welcome to Seventeen Med! I’m Y/n L/n, Med’s resident florist. As you can see, I run this flower shop.”

Seungkwan stared at you, wide eyed and very red faced. He stuttered, grimacing slightly at his mistake, “Uhm… Yes… Nice to meet you flower… no sorry. I mean Y/n.”

You flush, clearing your throat to cover up how flustered you really were over his tiny slip up. Hanging him his staff ID back, you ask him kindly, “How can I help you today Nurse Boo? What type of flowers are you interested in? Perhaps a bouquet for a special someone?”

Seungkwan waved his hands in front of his face frantically, “No, no, not for a special someone. I’m looking for a bouquet of fake tiger lilies. It’s for the ED.”

Pretending not to notice the way your heart leaped when he said he wasn’t going to give the flowers to a special someone, you focused on the fact he was looking for tiger lilies instead, “Soonyoung?”

Seungkwan let out an exasperated, exaggerated sigh, “You know about his tiger obsession too?”

You laughed, “Please, the whole hospital knows about it. On his first day of work, he came dressed head to toe in a tiger print jumpsuit. His excuse was that he was going to change into scrubs anyway, so why not dress in something comfortable? I think Mr Xu almost burst a blood vessel when he saw Soonyoung.”

Seungkwan muttered, “You don’t even know half of it. One time, he came to class dressed in a tigger onesie underneath his lab coat.”

You snickered, moving around Seungkwan to get to the flower display. You carefully picked out some fake tiger lilies from the corner, laying them out on the table to be wrapped up into a bouquet. Meanwhile, Seungkwan watched silently as you worked, trying to ignore how the sight of you arranging the flowers and wrapping the bouquet in a soft, delicate piece of paper sent the butterflies in his stomach fluttering wildly. 

After a short while, you handed over the bouquet to Seungkwan after giving the bow a final tug to ensure you tied it securely, “You can transfer the whole bouquet into a dry vase. If the material of the flower petals gets dusty, just use a slightly damp cloth to wipe it off.”

“How much do I owe you for it?”

Shaking your head, you gave him a smile, teasing him, “Don’t worry about it. Since it’s for the ED, this bouquet is on the house. Besides, I have a feeling I’ll be seeing you around more frequently, Nurse Boo.”

--⌃⌄-💎-⌃⌄–

And see Nurse Boo around more frequently, you did, because you became one of the main suppliers for the hospital’s newly implemented “Smile Flower Initiative.”

Built upon Seungkwan’s proposal to start decorating the ED with flowers, the “Smile Flower Initiative” turned out to be a major success. Regardless of how well designed the ED was, how well run the ED was, or how nice all the staff members were, at the end of the day, Seventeen Med’s ED was still an ED. Injuries, illnesses, and distraught and disgruntled people were still commonplace in the ED. Working there was no less fast paced or stressful as working in EDs elsewhere. 

Although a seemingly simple addition to the ED, the flowers worked wonders and there was a noticeable difference in the atmosphere. The presence of flowers helped to significantly improve the mood of staff, patients, and visitors alike. As his friend, psychiatrist Dr. Lee Dokyeom, would explain, flowers release a chemical called mycobacterium vaccae, which signals the brain to realse the “feel good” hormone, serotonin, thereby naturally improving people’s moods. To put it simply, the flowers, yes even the fake ones, brought happiness, serenity, and hope to people, especially in a place like the ED. 

Jihoon signed off on Seungkwan’s proposal to have the hospital fund the flowers for the ED even before the end of the one month trial. He saw how well received the flowers were, and admitted that while real flowers were used as decorations elsewhere in the hospital, he never thought to use fake flowers as a replacement in departments where real flowers were a safety hazard. Seungkwan mentally face palmed at Jihoon’s admission, but preened under his praise. 

Once the proposal was implemented, the ED was soon full of different types of fake flowers. Knitted or crochet flowers, flowers on blankets, pieces of art featuring flowers, etc. Most items were either donated, handmade by volunteers, or funded by the hospital. Seungkwan loved how each item was unique, usually personalised by the person who supplied it to them. He strongly believed the flowers brought more life and colour into the ED. 

Out of everything he saw though, Seungkwan’s favourite types of flower decorations were still the bouquets you would so lovingly arrange and prepare for him every week. Week after week, month after month, Seungkwan would meet you at your flower shop on Mondays at 10.30am sharp to collect the bouquet of the week. He always looked forward to seeing what new bouquet arrangements you prepared specially for him. The excited expressions from his co-workers, patients, and visitors to the ED when they saw the new bouquets were also highly anticipated. 

At least, those were the reasons Seungkwan told himself justify the excited, tingly, jittery feeling he had whenever it was time to pick up the flowers from your shop. As the time approached, he would be overcome with a rapidly beating heart, hot flushes, a wild blush on his face, clammy hands, and sweaty palms. He would feel slightly lightheaded, and yet he couldn’t manage to keep still, like he needed to bounce or jump about to release some pent up energy. 

Despite the many, many times Seungkwan told himself it was simply adrenaline from the excitement of being able to bring joy to the ED, he knew it wasn’t that. He knew the real reason behind his buzzing nerves - you, the flower shop’s (very cute) florist. While he could try to live in denial, it wasn’t lost on Seungkwan that he might have a huge tiny crush on you. 

Seungkwan’s feelings weren’t lost on Soonyoung either. Soonyoung would frequently observe Seungkwan from a distance as he floated off to pick up the bouquet with a spring in his step, and a lovestruck expression plastered across his face. There were so many times Seungkwan tripped over a cart or almost bumped into someone because he was thinking so intensely about you. Seungkwan liked to believe no one saw him fumble about, but Soonyoung was more observant than most people thought. If Soonyoung was being honest with himself, he was tired and fed up that most of his friends were so hopeless when it came to love. For how much crap Seungkwan liked to give Dokyeom for being a trainwreck before the latter began dating his girlfriend, Seungkwan was no better. 

The process of Seungkwan actually accepting that he did in fact have a crush on you was rather long and arduous, much to Soonyoung’s chargrain. But, Seungkwan was eventually able to accept his feelings for you, and not a moment too soon because Soonyoung was about to start screaming his head off from exasperation. 

Fortunately for Soonyoung, before he worked himself up into having a terrible sore throat, Seungkwan sought him out one day asking for a pleasantly surprising favour.

“YOU WHAT???” 

Seungkwan’s hands flew up to protect his ears. He gave Soonyoung a death glare, “You don’t need to screech in my ears, you hamster face. Did you not hear me? All I asked was if you could do me a favour and cover my shift next Sunday so I can take Y/n out on a date.”

Soonyoung brought his hand to his face, pretending to wipe away his fake tears, “Yea I heard you the first time. I’m just so proud of you. My little shriveled up tangerine tree, you bore no flowers, leaves, or fruit, for your dead roots never found a pool full of love to drink from. Now, you’ve found it, you’re finally growing up, heart open, leaves sprouting. You’re ready to love so go forth, and let your flowers, drinking hungrily from the pools of love, bloom. BLOOM I SAY. BLOOOMMMMMMMPPPHJHHHHHHHHHH.”

Soonyoung’s enthusiastic monologue was cut off by Seungkwan clamping his hand over Soonyoung’s mouth tightly, “I take it that’s a yes?”

“MMMHSMMM.”

“You’re going to cover my shift? So I can go on my date?”

“MMMHSMMM. MMMHHHMMM.”

Seungkwan, satisfied by Soonyoung’s answers, released his grip on the elder. Soonyoung grumbled, “You ask me for a favour, I grant you what you want, and this is how you treat me. Woe is me.”

Seungkwan shrugged, “You were the one being overdramatic.”

Rubbing his sore chin, Soonyoung retorted, “You can’t blame me. You were pathetically pining over her for months now, and now out of the blue you ask me to cover your shift because you’ve finally asked her out and she agreed to go on a date with you. Can’t a guy be happy for his friend?”

Seungkwan paled, the words “you’ve finally asked her out and she agreed to go on a date with you” echoing through his head repeatedly. 

Noticing Seungkwan’s unusual silence and lack of a snarky comment, Soonyoung looked at him questioningly, “Uhm… you have asked her out right? That’s why you’re asking me for the favour? Because you asked her on a date and she said yes?”

Alarmed, Seungkwan shrieked, his hands flailing all over the place as he dashed out of the ED, “Wait. Wait… WAIT. YOU’RE RIGHT. I NEVER ASKED HER OUT TO BEGIN WITH!”

Soonyoung reached out to grab Seungkwan’s shirt, wanting to stop him from rushing off halfway during a shift, but he missed it by an inch. Completely bewildered, Soonyoung stood motionless in the corner of the ED. He opened his mouth to try to say something, only to close it again. After what seemed like an eternity, Soonyoung finally processed what he saw and leaned against the nearby wall for support. He exhaled shakily, “Whooo boy, and I thought Dokyeommie was helpless. Seungkwan, he’s on a whole other planet.”

--⌃⌄-💎-⌃⌄–

Meanwhile, you were assisting your best friend at the hospital’s gift shop. 

“My angel, do you think these orange petunias would go with the new shipment of teddy bears?”

Your best friend lightly pinched your cheek, “Munchkin. Orange flowers with those purple teddy bears? I don’t see why not. Go for it.”

You squealed, immediately grabbing a teddy to try and put together a cute teddy flower bouquet. As you picked out new flowers for the bouquet, your best friend worked on a new gift basket arrangement. You worked in comfortable silence for a while, but your best friend soon grew bored.

With an evil glint in her eye, she abandoned the gift basket, propping herself up on her seat. Leaning in towards you, she asked, “Sooooooo. How’s your Boo?”

You rolled your eyes, “I should be asking you how’s your dating life now you’re with Dr Chwe.”

Unimpressed, she retorted, “At least I have a dating life babie. Nurse Boo and you should be dating by now. Go and ask him out on a date.”

“I don’t have the guts to ask someone out and you know it. Besides, what if he says no? He’s Nurse Boo. I’m sure he’s surrounded by pretty nurses and doctors all the time. Why settle for me?”

Your best friend reeled back, placing a hand over her heart, “EXCUSE ME? Settle for you? Babie. Munchkin. My love. My heart will die if you say that. Anyone who cannot see how amazing you are needs to get their brain checked. You’re more than enough so don’t doubt yourself like that.”

Fiddling with the finished teddy flower bouquet, you nodded shakily. 

Your best friend patted your head, swiveling your seat around to face the shop’s entrance, “Good. Now. Once again, you’re more than enough. I can see that, and Nurse Boo definitely can see it too.”

From your position, you could see Seungkwan frantically looking around your flower shop calling out your name. You stared in shock as you felt your best friend gently nudge you forward and out of her shop, guiding you towards him. 

Your best friend cheekily called out, “Delivery for Nurse Boo!!”

Snapping out of your daze, you glared at her as she retreated back into the gift shop howling with laughter. 

You muttered an apology to Seungkwan, awkwardly asking, “Sorry about that Seungkwan. Is there anything I can help you with today? Do you need a new bouquet urgently?”

Face flushed and ears pink, both from being out of breath and from what he was about to do, Seungkwan shifted around a bit, wringing his bands, “Uh. Yea, there is something you can help me with… Would you… umm, happen to be free next Sunday? For a date, with… me?

Seungkwan was asking you on a date. Next Sunday. Just the two of you. You and him. Together. Alone. On a date. Romantic date. Date with Seungkwan. 

Letting Seungkwan’s question sink in, you squeaked, hiding your warm face behind the teddy flower bouquet you were still holding. Through the gaps in the flowers, you could see Seungkwan’s eyes sparkle with apprehension, and more importantly, hope. Your heart fluttered with the same adoring feeling you had whenever you saw flowers swaying gently in the wind. 

Seungkwan wanted to go on this date with you. 

Somehow, that realisation made your grip on the bouquet grow tighter, and you refused to meet his eyes. 

Standing opposite from you, Seungkwan’s hope was beginning to falter. With you hiding behind the bouquet, he was unable to read your reaction properly. Were you shy because of the question? Was he weird? Were you so turned off by the idea of having to go on a date with him you hid behind your flowers? Beads of sweat rolled down his face, he gulped, sucking in a deep breath, about to try to cut through the uneasy, uncomfortable tension by telling you it was okay if you didn’t want to you know? There was no pressure at all.

“NURSE BOO, YOU BROKE HER. BUT Y/N WOULD LOVE TO GO ON A DATE WITH YOU. GO ON Y/N SAY YES. GET YOUR MAN.” Your best friend, who was finally unable to take the silence anymore, screamed from the gift shop.

You quickly lowered the bouquet, giving Seungkwan a reassuring, albeit sheepish nod, “Yes yes. What she said. I would love to go on a date with you Seungkwan.”

Relieved, Seungkwan let out the breath he was holding in, “Oh thank the heavens. I’ll pick you up next Sunday. Say, 11am?”

You smiled, hugging the bouquet closer to your body, “11am sounds perfect.”

--⌃⌄-💎-⌃⌄–

If there was one word to describe how Seungkwan felt last week after he actually asked you out on a date and you said yes, it would be “perfect.” Everything was perfect. While he was apprehensive about the date, he was more excited than anything else. He spent the week agonising over every inch of his plans, the places to bring you, food to eat, conversation topics. Everything was going to be perfect. It had to be, for you. 

Alas, when perfection is what is highly sought after and anticipated, reality always falls short of it. Fast forward one week, and the one word to describe how the date was going now was “disaster.”

Seungkwan’s original plan was to pick you up at 11am, drive two hours away to a pretty flower field you mentioned in passing one time during your previous conversations. You would have a quiet lunch at the restaurant overlooking the flower field before roaming around and taking in the sights for a few hours. Should you feel parched or tired halfway, there was also a cafe on the edge of the flower field where you could have some tea. During the drive back into the city, you would stop by another restaurant serving your favourite dish. If all went well, he would have you home safely by 9 or 10pm. 

Unfortunately, Seungkwan’s plans were derailed one by one, and soon the perfection he was aiming for was nothing more than a fleeting dream replaced by this disaster of a date. 

Absolutely nothing went his way. In the morning, Seungkwan’s car wouldn’t start when he prepared to head over to your apartment to pick you up. By the time he managed to get a hold of a mechanic to jump start his car, he was over an hour late. Despite your reassurances that it was okay to reschedule the date, Seungkwan was stubborn. He wasn’t going to let this little setback ruin the perfect day he so meticulously planned. 

The drive to the flower field started out lovely. There was a lot of talking, and even more laughs. Everything was looking up for Seungkwan, but as the saying goes, “when it rains, it pours.” In this case, quite literally. What began as a sunny day turned into a dark, gloomy, overcast one as rain began pelting down harshly on the ground. Nevertheless, Seungkwan insisted on moving forward with his original plans. Sudden showers weren’t uncommon during this time of the year, and perhaps the rain would clear up by the time you arrived at your destination. 

When you finally arrived at the flower field, the rain stopped, but Seungkwan’s good spirits were dashed by further setbacks in his plans. The restaurant regretfully informed Seungkwan that you had missed your reservation, and because you arrived 2 hours late, the restaurant was now closing for the afternoon. To make matters worse, the flower field which housed the cafe, was also closed due to flash flooding from the rain. 

Seungkwan’s shoulders slumped as his last rays of hope were dashed. So much for the perfect date. This date could possibly have been the worst date you had ever been on. Throughout the day, you had been reassuring him that you could always reschedule the date, or spend the day at a cafe in the city. And when he insisted on going through with his plans, you never once objected to them or complained about his stubborn nature. He felt like the biggest fool of the century. In his mission to plan the perfect date for you to make you happy, he ended up ruining the entire date. Although you didn’t show any indication of it, he was sure you were having a horrible time and would never want to go out with him ever again. 

You observed Seungkwan silently from the passenger’s seat of his car. His dejected, dull, downcast eyes told you everything. He was full of regret and disappointment at how the day turned out. Worst of all, he was most disappointed with himself. He blamed himself for ruining the day and was chastising himself internally.

You nudged him gently, “Seungkwan, it’s kind of late now and we both haven’t eaten since this morning. How about we turn around and head back into the city? I saw a burger place on the way here. Maybe we can grab some? I know you like burgers…”

By requesting something from Seungkwan, you hoped you could pull him out of his fixation on the ruined day. Seungkwan was a giver, someone who was always ready to help others. You had a hunch that by giving him something else to focus on, he would shift his attention onto how he could best carry out your request to satisfy you. Your hunch proved to be correct. A deep frown was still evident on Seungkwan’s face, but he visibly relaxed at your request. 

The drive to the burger place was silent and slightly tense. Seungkwan’s mind was muddled up with countless thoughts. What should he say to you? Were you mad at him for this ruined date? He practically wasted your time when you could have been at home, warm and well fed. He would obviously have to apologise, but how? He continuously grabbed at the steering wheel as he glanced at you nervously from the corner of his eye. You didn’t look the least bit upset. In fact, you appeared to be quite content with gazing out the window at the passing scenery. That was a good sign right?

As the burger place came into sight, Seungkwan’s stomach growled, cutting through the silence in the car. You snickered at him, “Looks like someone is hungry. Let’s go and get some food for you.”

Knowing Seungkwan was trying to make himself feel better just as much as he was trying to make the day up to you, you didn’t bother arguing with Seungkwan when he insisted on paying. You could always treat him to a meal another time. 

A little while later, Seungkwan returned with your meals and you both dug in hungrily. There was nothing like a warm meal on a cold and wet day. 

“I’m sorry.”

At the sound of Seungkwan’s voice, you retracted your hand from your french fries. Ah, so the time had come. 

You asked him gently, “Whatever for?”

Poking at his burger, Seungkwan murmured, “For ruining the date. I’m sorry I ruined it. Everything was supposed to be perfect. I wanted this date to be perfect for you so you would be happy and instead I ruined it. It was a total disaster.”

You shook your head, “Seungkwan. In my opinion, this date was perfect. So what if our plans were derailed. I’m still enjoying this date with you immensely.”

Seungkwan’s eyes widened in shock. He sputtered, “You mean… you’re not disappointed or upset at me?”

“Is that what you think?”

“Yes.”

You softened, your heart breaking at his self-reprimanding tone, “Am I disappointed the flower field was closed due to flash floods? Yes. But am I disappointed and upset at you? Absolutely not. You couldn’t have predicted what would happen today. You planned a wonderful day for us and I am grateful to you for that. Besides, despite everything you still tried your best to ensure the date was perfect. It was perfect, and still is. Spending this precious time with you is more important to me than anything else. How else was I supposed to learn you were in a comedy group named BooSeokSoon in college along with Nurse Kwon and Dr. Lee?”

Seungkwan’s head lifted and his frown morphed into a proud smile, “Comedy slash singing group. We wanted to bring smiles to everyone around us. I guess you’re right. This time I spent with you is precious.”

You smirked, “Of course. I wouldn’t want to spend my Sundays in a random burger place with anyone else but you.”

Content with the way Seungkwan’s mood was lifted significantly, your heart swelled with pride as you gazed at him fondly. This was the man you came to adore over the past few months. The man who was selfless, who always sought to do his best for everyone else around him just so he could uplift their moods and bring them happiness. Even when he wasn’t doing much, his smile and presence alone could brighten up the whole room, a feat not many were able to achieve. You saw the warmth surrounding his heart, his patience, kindness, and gentle actions towards others, which were always carried out with such attention to detail and love. Boo Seungkwan was the epitome of a nurse and he set the standard for what kind of human you aspired to be. 

Musing over the wonderful being that was Seungkwan for a moment longer, you couldn’t help but blurt, “You’re such a kind person Seungkwan.”

Caught off guard by your compliment, Seungkwan stammered, “What… what brought this compliment about?”

You shrugged, “I was thinking about you. All the things you do to make others smile, bring them happiness. Your whole “Smile Flower Initiative” for instance, or the date you planned today. Oh and don’t think I don’t see you regularly buying coffee for the staff and volunteers who work at the ED, or the way you sometimes get those small tiger pins from the gift shop to give to Nurse Kwon. I’ve also heard stories about how you would work frequently overtime at the ED because some of the elderly regulars are most comfortable around you. One time, I heard from my best friend that you spent the whole night singing to one of the children who was going to undergo an orthopedic surgery. Hospital regulation stated his parents couldn’t be there, and so you stayed with him until he went in.”

Seungkwan grumbled, “Vernon has a big mouth for someone who talks so little sometimes.”

You snorted, “My point being. You’re always putting other people’s happiness first. But what about you? What are some times you like to do which brings you happiness?”

Stirring his drink, Seungkwan wrecked his brain for an answer, “I like talking to the people at the ED, and spending time with the elderly in the geriatric ward. To be able to speak to them outside of when I’m working is fulfilling for me. It humanises them in a way, helps me to see them as individuals, it reminds me how important my work is to helping them get back on their feet. Working in the ED can be tiring, but it is refreshing to finally feel fulfilled and passionate about my job again.”

Cheekily chucking a french fry at Seungkwan, you pressed him further, “As nice as all that is, I mean what are some things you like to do outside of work to decompress? What are some things you like to do for you?”

Pushing around the empty wrappers on the table, Seungkwan’s smile faltered. Yea, what has he done for himself lately? At his previous hospital, he didn’t have the luxury to even think about having time off for himself. When he went home, he would shower, eat, and go straight to bed. Now, he had more downtime, but what did he decide to do? Throw himself into doing more work because he was caught up in his renewed passion for his work. Today was probably the first day since he began working at Seventeen Med where he took a full day off work. Hell, he couldn’t remember the last time he spent a day doing absolutely nothing. 

“Hmm. What are some of your hobbies?”

Your voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Without hesitation, Seungkwan declared smugly, “I love badminton. I used to play in a team recreationally on weekends, and I was good.”

“Favourite food?”

“Jokbal, braised pigs trotters.”

“Favourite places to visit?”

“The beach just off the road from the Caratland theme park. Years ago, I used to spend my days off feeling the sea breeze in my hair and blowing on the dandelions.”

Clapping your hands together gleefully, your eyes sparkled in excitement, “Okay! That settles it. If you’re okay with it, for our next date, we can play badminton in the morning, have Jokbal for lunch, and then visit the beach, make wishes on dandelions, and have a simple picnic for dinner while watching the sunset!”

Seungkwan’s eyes widened, “Next date? You want to go on another date with me?”

Tilting your head questioningly at Seungkwan, you exclaimed, “Of course I would! Uhm, only if you want to?”

Overcome with emotion, Seungkwan shot out of his clair and walked over to sit next to you. He gazed into your eyes, brushing your cheek lightly with his hand, “Earlier, you asked me what are some things I like to do that bring me happiness. I think I have something new to add to my list.”

You shuddered under his soft, feathery touch, “And what would that be?”

Intertwining his hand with yours, Seungkwan whispered, “That would be going on many, many dates with you, my beautiful flower.”

--⌃⌄-💎-⌃⌄–

The following day in the break room, Soonyoung scuttered around Seungkwan, probing him for details on his date, “So, how was the date?”

“It was a total disaster. Nothing went according to plan.”

Patting Seungkwan on the back empathetically, Soonyoung comforted him, “I’m sorry to hear that…”

Recalling the events of the previous day, Seungkwan sighed blissfully, “Don’t be. It was the best date I’ve ever been on.”

Watching Seungkwan strut out of the break room, Soonyoung shrugged. He was confused but he would accept the answer. Who was he to question his friends’ weird love lives?

Because love was in bloom, and that was the most important point.

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