Work Text:
Six o’clock in the morning.
Seokhyeong had just pulled an all-nighter finishing a few lectures, checking his residents’ theses, and studying for his surgeries for the upcoming week. Satisfied with the work he had finished, he turned off his computer and organized his papers. He changed from his blue scrubs into a loose shirt, perfect for the hot weather of the summer. Luckily, he has the morning and afternoon off. He just had to return in the evening for a surgery.
Knowing his girlfriend was on night duty as well, he stopped by the nurses’ station. Seokhyeong always worried for Minha whenever she was on night duty as he knew how difficult it was. As he arrived at the station, he frowned when he saw only one nurse present in the whole area. “Seonsaeng-nim, where is everyone?” he inquired, his eyes actively searching for Minha.
The nurse quickly looked up at the professor. “Ah, annyeonghaseyo, gyosunim,” she bowed. “The ward wasn’t busy at all and most of the residents were really tired from the continuous night shifts, so Chu Minha-seonsaeng offered to cover everyone’s calls,” she answered.
Seokhyeong couldn’t help the smile forming at her girlfriend’s thoughtfulness and consideration. It was true that they didn’t have that many patients today. He recognized Minha's overwhelming empathy that would undoubtedly help her become a great doctor.
“Were there any calls? Was she busy the whole night?” he asked as his concerns as her boyfriend overwhelmed him. “Where is she right now?”
“Eopseo-yo, gyosunim, thankfully,” she replied, carefully answering the subsequent questions of the professor. “She’s in the on-call room right now.”
Seokhyeong sighed in relief. “Okay, I’ll go check on her…” he paused. “…and tell her some instructions with the mother in Room 2146,” hoping that his excuse was believable. They haven’t gone public yet with their relationship since they have mutually decided that it would be best for her career.
“Ne, algesseumnida,” the nurse promptly responded and bowed as Seokhyeong walked away.
“Ah!” he remembered, and rushed to return to the station. “I also have to give her comments on her thesis,” Seokhyeong added.
The nurse looked at the professor in confusion, but still nodded in agreement. “Ne, algesseumnida.” She watched as the bear walked towards the on-call room. “I really can’t understand Yang-gyosunim sometimes,” she whispered and returned to work.
—-
Seokhyeong scanned the hallways before opening the door of the on-call room. He smiled as he saw Minha lying on the upper bunk, sound asleep whilst snoring. Quietly, he closed the door and tiptoed quietly towards her. He wouldn’t want anyone seeing them together in the room for residents.
He slowly approached his girlfriend to admire her facial features. Her face was as smooth as silk, her nose shaped a soft curve, her lips pink and plump. Seokhyeong smiled, in disbelief that someone could be as beautiful as Chu Minha. I probably shouldn’t wake her up , he whispered to himself. He softly touched her hair and leaned towards her face, planning to plant a kiss before he leaves.
“Gomdolie...” she muttered in her sleep-like state. Seokhyeong quickly retreated a few inches in shock. He was gomdolie, wasn’t he?
“Minha-ya?” he softly called, slowly approaching to check if she was awake.
“...Gomdolie...” she whispered again, smiling brightly, tightening her hold onto an object she was hugging. Seokhyung paid notice to the brown teddy bear she was clutching while she was asleep. It had a neat red ribbon tied to its neck and a rather large nose made up of a round, black bead.
“Eung, it’s me, Minha-ya,” he slightly increased the volume of his voice. Minha slowly opened her eyes, seeing Yang Seokhyeong with a raised confused eyebrow. “It’s me, Gomdolie.”
“Gomdolie...?” Minha mumbled. Just a few moments ago, she was dreaming of sleeping beside the comfort of Yang Seokhyeong, her boyfriend. Truth be told, it wasn’t a dream she’d proudly share with anyone, even with him. Even thinking back at the vision she’d been having a few moments ago made her blush profusely.
Reality blurred as she blinked her eyes in rapid succession and saw him, standing in front of her bunk with only his pretty face visible, looking at her in confusion. “...Gyosunim!” she said in a panic. Her embarrassment worsened as she realized that he heard her call him gomdolie , while she was asleep, dreaming of something they haven’t even done yet.
“Why are you calling me in your sleep?” Seokhyeong asked her, his tone perfectly innocent. Minha shifted into a sitting position. Lying down reminded her too much of that dream. Her legs hung from the edge of the bed with her boyfriend’s eye level around her stomach. She looked down at a slight angle to meet his eyes, “I wasn’t calling you,” she tried to lie.
Seokhyeong quickly picked up the change in tone of his girlfriend. She was slightly biting her lips and her cheeks were painted pink. He squinted his eyes in suspicion, “You were mumbling ‘Gomdolie’ in your sleep.”
Minha felt like she was a little kid caught doing something naughty. Her eyes actively avoided looking at Seokhyeong’s pretty face. She could feel his curious stare wondering what she was thinking. “Minha-ya?” he called again, fishing for answers. A bulb lit up in her head when she saw her teddy bear, the inanimate toy she was hugging tightly while sleeping, lying beside her. She promptly grabbed it and showed it to Seokhyeong, almost shoving it onto his face, “He’s Gomdolie.”
Seokhyeong took a moment to process the emotions and actions of his girlfriend. She was unusually shy, contrary to her forward and honest self. She was blushing so hard, but refused to acknowledge why she was feeling that way. She was whispering a nickname she had never called him before, while she was smiling in her sleep. The puzzle pieces fit together, Seokhyeong thought, and he let out a chuckle as he realized why Minha was behaving that way. “Is he really Gomdolie?” He fancied her excuse.
She gulped and found the courage to stare at his beautiful brown eyes. Her boyfriend had always been hard to read. Now, she was deciding if he had caught up on her lie, or he just simply found him cute. “Jeongmal-yo. You’re really not Gomdolie. He is,” she hugged the teddy bear tighter.
Seokhyeong raised an eyebrow and tried not to smile. Rarely does Chu Minha hide whatever’s on her mind, and he found it a perfect opportunity to tease her. He looked at her, his eyes asking her to elaborate her excuse.
“You’re Gomtaengie, a slow bear,” she expounded at her boyfriend’s unspoken request. “Sometimes, gom saekki, when you’re really annoying,” she added bluntly. “Not anymore though, at least to me,” she quickly added. Although it has been a long time since he had cursed her professor, Minha felt that she added more salt to the wound.
Seokhyeong let out a small laugh. Her barrage of excuses was so cute that it made him want to play with her more. It was not a common occurrence for him to have her around his finger. “You dream of your teddy bear?” he asked in the babiest voice possible. “Minha-ya, I can’t help but feel jealous if you love Gomdolie that much.”
Minha started feeling that her professor was playing with her. She knew she was not a good liar at all, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if Seokhyeong had already figured her out. He may be generally slow, but he really exhibits different qualities when it comes to dating. She still followed onto her initial plan though, embarrassed at the dream she had just had. “Ne, hugging him tightly helps me sleep.”
Seokhyeong looked up to meet his girlfriend’s eyes. “Can’t you hug me instead?” he pleaded. “Can’t I be Gomdolie?” he teased while chuckling, no longer able to hide the fact that he knew exactly what Minha was hiding.
Minha pouted at Seokhyeong’s wide and sly smile, realizing that her boyfriend was teasing her all along. “You know already, don’t you?” her cheeks were burning red.
He extended his arms towards her, signalling her to jump onto him to envelope her into his body. “I’m a better hugger than Gomdolie , I swear,” a chuckle escaped his mouth as Minha’s pout worsened.
Seeing how cute his boyfriend was being, she smiled slightly. He did love teasing her, which was a little bit unexpected from this antisocial introvert. She would be lying if she said he didn’t like it too whenever he does that. Seokhyeong nodded with a smile as Minha stared into his eyes. He gave her an understanding and loving look, a confirmation that he also felt the same. That he knew what she was thinking and feeling, and he acknowledged whatever that was.
With a smile, Minha slid her body from the upper bunk onto her boyfriend’s muscular forearms and wrapped her thin arms onto his thick neck. Seokhyung caught and held her, an arm on her lower buttocks and the other on her upper back. Despite being so strong, his grip was gentle and caring. Minha could feel his well-defined chest against her evidently smaller body. They hugged tightly, chuckling every now and then as they remembered how they teased each other a few moments earlier.
“Minha-ya,” Seokhyeong whispered into her ear. She adjusted her hands to hold onto his broad shoulders and add a few inches of distance between her and her boyfriend’s face. Minha looked at him curiously, “Wae-yo?”
Seokhyeong broke into a smile upon seeing her beautiful features once again. “So who’s Gomdolie?” he couldn’t help but tease her. Minha bit her lower lip as she felt the playfulness of her boyfriend consume him. She looked to the right to avoid his gaze. “But you already know!” she responded with a slightly annoyed tone.
To meet her avoiding gaze, Seokhyeong leaned his head towards the direction of hers. “No, I don’t.” he smiled, their bodies shifting in the same direction.
Minha noticed his eyes following hers. She gazed to the side once again, this time to the left. “You keep teasing me because you know!” she clamored, her face red with embarrassment.
Seokhyeong followed her head’s direction again. “Tell me what I know,” he playfully answered, every word tinted with his soft and gentle voice. Cradling his girlfriend so closely in his arms, he can’t help but feel her heart rate increase at his every statement.
As she knew Seokhyeong enjoyed teasing her so much, she gave up trying to avoid the inevitable. Minha quickly faced him and stared at his beautiful brown eyes. “Yes, you’re gomdolie!” she gulped. “And I was calling your name in my sleep exactly because of the reason you’re thinking of.”
The sly fox smiled widely from ear to ear. “Your gomdolie,” he confirmed. He rubbed the tip of his nose with Minha’s red, flushed one. “You’re so cute,” he let out the words he had been holding the whole time.
Minha felt the closeness of her boyfriend’s touch. Dreams don’t last long, they usually disappear naturally as you wake up. But the proximity of Seokhyeong’s face made her remember it all over again. She gently cupped his cheek with her hand, her eyes meeting his. A silent agreement was formed, an agreement that they wanted to do it together. However, despite the burning desire Seokhyeong felt in the pits of his stomach, he remembered the boundaries they had set for each other to separate their work and life. Sure, coming into here and asking for a hug was already crossing it. But what both of them wanted to do may be something they’ll regret in the future. He bit his lip, trying his best to resist the urge to meet her lips, and whispered, “After work?”
Minha stared at her boyfriend’s eyes, apologetic and sincere. She knew how much Seokhyeong enjoyed physical affection. It must have taken him so much to draw the line as she noticed how every inch of his face refused his inner desires. A smile formed on her face as she realized how much he respected her. Yang Seokhyeong’s love was gentle, sweet, loving, but most importantly, it was understanding and considerate. Minha nodded slowly as he gently put her down on the floor. A short awkward moment of silence loomed over the couple. At that sight, Seokhyeong put on his softest expression to comfort her. “You should go to the station now,” he said softly. “Your shift ends soon, right?”
“In an hour,” she answered. Seokhyeong looked directly at her shy eyes. “Can you drive me home?” she requested.
Seokhyeong chuckled at her suggestion. “Meet me in my car, it’s parked at the same spot as it usually is.”
“Ne, gyosunim,” she smiled. Seokhyeong grinned as he patted her head softly. Both of their faces flushed red, already anticipating what they had silently promised to give each other.
“I’ll wait for you,” He nodded as Minha rushed to the nurse’s station. In the hallway, she stopped by for a short moment to look at her face on her front camera. Her hair was fine, but her face was still red from the encounter. She hoped the flush would disappear soon, or at least that everyone would believe in her excuse that she fell asleep on her face.
Seokhyeong sighed as his girlfriend went back to work. He hadn’t gotten any sleep yet, but her energy and presence were enough to get him through the day. Curiously, he searched the upper bunk again to reach Minha’s beloved inanimate teddy bear. He touched its black bead of a nose and tried hugging it to feel the warmth it supposedly brought Minha everytime she slept here.
“I’m definitely cuter than you,” he said in the babiest voice possible to the bear. He smelled Minha’s perfume attached to the cotton surface of the toy, bringing a wide smile to his face. He pinched the corners of the teddy bear, each point touched by Minha at some point in time, until he felt a name tag attached to its feet. Fluffles, this bear’s name is Fluffles.
He smirked satisfactorily as he returned the bear near her pillow. Seokhyeong whistled silently as he made his way to the parking lot, a happy thought recurring in his head the whole time. He was her teddy bear. Her cute, big teddy bear that she loved so much. He continuously checked his watch every two minutes, feeling as if time was moving much slower than usual. He looked forward to Minha enveloping him in her warm, tight hug, the same one she had been dreaming of a few moments ago.