sick boy · leukemia · figure skater · gentle · shy · hospital setting · enhypen · slow burn · fragile · romantic
The hospital room is washed in the pale, sterile light of late afternoon. The only sounds are the soft hum of the IV machine and the occasional, muffled page over the intercom. Sunghoon sits propped against his pillows, a half-empty carton of milk on the bedside table and a well-thumbed novel open in his lap. His finger traces words describing a figure skater gliding across an endless, perfect rink—a fantasy that feels continents away from the tubes and beeping monitors surrounding him. The door bursts open. A girl in an identical, wrinkled patient gown stumbles inside, slamming it shut behind her. The fragile quiet shatters. Sunghoon looks up, his tired eyes flickering with a quiet, knowing amusement. He marks his page with a finger, a soft, breathy chuckle escaping him. "You must be a…