sea

the way lsk just hangs up on her son is so funny to me

and um... the rest is in my drawings... ☺️👉👈 i wish i drew kdj spitting flowers on yjh too

words like 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 and 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘦. they stop when they notice a man watching from the doorway. 🌸

only when he was informed that kim dokja's medical leave was extended from 𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘸 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘴 to 𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘸 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘴 did he decide to track down his secretary to reconcile. currently, he is outside a pre-op holding room listening to muted voices quibble.

fast forward: yoo joonghyuk was informed of his secretary's medical leave through a cold text, which is to be expected. yjh is neither good at making amends nor explaining himself.

lsk: when are you back from your trip.
kdj: sunday..?
lsk: i'll see you then. *hangs up*

kdj: his cooking always gives me an asthma attack. what is he even putting in his food? seriously.
lsk:
lsk: your asthma...?
kdj: yes my stupid asthma. it SUCKS i cant breathe at all. was it ever that bad when i was a kid?
lsk: You Don't Have Asthma.
kdj: 🧍
lsk: 🧍

kdj: well the top note is patchouli and the earthy scent compliments his character. but the base note of firesmoke really brings it together
kdj: but anyway his food. this stupid food he makes for me--
lsk: he cooks for you?
kdj: listen.......

kdj: he's such a jackass! he pulls me from my old job, he makes me go get his stupid special coffee beans--which he roasts IN THE OFFICE--and his stupid cologne REEKS
lsk: oh? what does it smell like.

kdj: so mom, you want me to find a nice man? well let me tell you how THAT'S going. THERE ARE NO GOOD MEN.
lsk's very even keeled response: hmm. no good men.
kdj: YES.
lsk: no good men, which is why you called me in the middle of the night to talk about one.
kdj: LISTEN,

even this damn nebulizer is barely doing anything anymore. yoo joonghyuk is hovering around him like an idiot, like he has any right to, but eventually the attack subsides. hes says i'm going OUT (going to call his mom and bitch)

(he can't get enough air into his body. breathing through a straw. he cant get enough air IN. his nose works his mouth works, they're bringing in the air, but nothing alleviates his lungs. its strange, and terrifying)

obviously, kdj is pissed and heartbroken, firing off his supporting evidence for his reasoning, and putting on a show of his coughing to make yjh feel worse. then it's like, 𝘸𝑎𝘪𝑡, 𝘐 𝘴𝑒𝘳𝑖𝘰𝑢𝘴𝑙𝘺 𝘤𝑎𝘯'𝑡 𝑏𝘳𝑒𝘢𝑡𝘩𝑒... kdj has to go for his nebulizer.

(this is of course because yoo joonghyuk is a GENTLEMAN and wants to do right by kdj, and didn't want to make any mistakes. he is as prudent as ever, even to his own detriment.)

kim dokja has begun to believe that their romantic feelings are mutual, and *decides to make his move after consulting a bottle of soju. (*i am not entirely sure about this plot point.) yoo joonghyuk rejects him.

kdj is more annoyed than concerned about how bad his asthma has gotten. he misses breathing NORMALLY. it all comes to a head on their big and climatic business trip. they're seeing some nice real estate this time, a tropical villa? expanding to hotels maybe?

currently: yoo joonghyuk has become very insistent about kim dokja's wellbeing. though kim dokja waves him off as a "helicopter parent," (yjh muttering about he wants to keep his secretary) he's charmed by yjh's sweet side. and how cute yjh is when kdj can get him flustered!

🌸 SOME PLOT?! 😳🌸

he thought... well he doesn't know if yoo joongyuk hates him. kdj thinks he hates everyone. but he didn't know he was worth defending. yoo joongyuk says he's "the only secretary I've had who's half-competent."
kdj: 🧍 (of course he has to throw an insult at me... but... 😳 )

he would OCCASIONALLY describe yjh as "fair." at some point, yoo joongyuk defends him and demands to keep him as a secretary. kim dokja likes yoo joongyuk aiming that bad attitude at someone for his own benefit.

and kdj is most certainly not in love. not that hanahaki is caused by love. either way, kdj sees yjh as "interesting." he doesn't think he's in love--he finds yoo joonghyuk incredibly irritating. he's a fucking pain in the ass to deal with, but he also doesn't abuse him.

(kdj begins to cough/have an asthma attack whenever things get romantic between him and yjh. things like kdj doesn't understand the joy of eating and yjh will end up making lunches for him ☺️. which gives kdj attacks.)

all this to say, it's unusual but not exactly alarming when his asthma comes back as an adult. when he goes to the doctor, he explains that his asthma is worse, and gets prescribed albuterol. the doctor doesnt need to know the circumstances of his attacks...

lsk also successfully arranged a surgery to "help kdj's lungs." so as a child, kim dokja never knew to be worried--never thought it was anything other than asthma. they removed the heart of the hanahaki, but they either missed a section, or there was a second bulb.

kim dokja has had a mild case of "asthma" since he was a child. perhaps kim dokja witnessed the "asthma attack" that killed his father. lee sookyung still faced scrutiny, but was able to retain custody of her son.

🌸 THE BACKSTORY 🌸

if hanahaki responds to physiological symptoms, it could also respond to hate, or things like extreme sports or exercise. luckily, modern medicine can tackle lung obstructions with ease... as long as the diagnosis is correct!

maybe the hanahaki releases chemicals that shoots a metaphorical "cupids arrow." maybe the parasite itself is triggered BY those chemicals: dopamine, serotonin, adrenaline. maybe it responds to the physical symptoms of being in love. racing heart, flushing, sweating, etc.

most humans remain in the latent stage, but there are a rare few who it does manifest in. rarer still, there are severe and life-threatening cases. now i would like to pose a question: why is it that hanahaki is associated with love, specifically?

hanahaki has differing levels of severity: latent, mild, severe, and deadly. modern prevention methods include: don't deal with unclean animals, practice good hygiene, clean environment, etc. fortunately, in the modern era, most people are no longer in contact with bats.