Work Text:
The trauma center gang had been waiting for this moment for weeks. Between emergency surgeries, impossible shifts, and sleepless nights, they had talked endlessly about having a barbecue night. A real one—grilled meat, unlimited soju, and no pagers buzzing to interrupt them. Tonight, the stars had finally aligned.
The smell of sizzling meat wafted through the private room they had booked, a cozy corner in their favorite Korean barbecue restaurant. The table was set up for six, though only five of them had made it tonight: Dr. Baek Kanghyuk, the ever-stoic head of the trauma center and tonight’s generous host; Dr. Yang Jaewon, the most stressed; Nurse Cheon Jangmi, the sharp-tongued girlboss of the trauma wing; Dr. Park Gyeongwon, their designated driver and the only sober one tonight; and Dr. Seo Dongju, whose alcohol tolerance sat firmly between "moderate" and "lightweight."
The seating arrangement was strategic—or so it seemed. At one end of the table sat Dr. Seo, Nurse Cheon, and Dr. Park, their positions lined neatly along one side of the grilling station. Across from them were Dr. Yang and Dr. Baek, positioned just slightly closer to each other than seemed purely coincidental.
"Alright, Dongju, you’re not slowing down on me, are you?" Nurse Cheon asked, raising an eyebrow as she poured another shot of soju into Dongju’s glass.
"Not slowing down," Dongju muttered, though the slight wobble in his posture said otherwise.
Meanwhile, Jaewon was already leaning heavily on the table, his cheeks tinged a warm pink as he giggled at nothing in particular. His glass was still mostly full—proof that his tolerance for alcohol was abysmal—but that hadn’t stopped him from sipping occasionally, clinging to his hyung’s sleeve like a lifeline.
"Eat more, Jaewon-ah," Baek Kanghyuk said evenly, flipping another piece of samgyeopsal on the grill. His tone was calm, but the way he wrapped the freshly grilled meat into a lettuce ssam and placed it directly into Jaewon’s plate wasn’t subtle. "You’ll pass out if all you’re drinking is soju."
"Hyuuuung~" Jaewon whined, his voice dragging in a way that made Kanghyuk smirk faintly.
The room stilled.
"Wait, what?" Nurse Cheon blinked, chopsticks frozen midair.
Dr. Seo, already looking half-dazed from the alcohol, squinted in confusion. "Hyung? Did… did he just say ‘hyung’?"
Even Dr. Park, who was halfway through cutting the meat on his plate, paused to glance up. His usually stoic face betrayed the faintest flicker of surprise.
Jaewon, oblivious to the growing tension in the room, clung tighter to Kanghyuk’s arm, his head lolling dangerously close to his shoulder. "Hyuuung~ you’re so good at cooking. My hyung is the best~"
Kanghyuk, unbothered as ever, simply continued flipping the meat on the grill. "Careful, Jaewon-ah. You’re going to knock your glass over."
"Wait, wait, wait," Nurse Cheon interjected, her voice rising slightly. "Dr.Yang, why are you calling him ‘hyung’? Shouldn’t it be ‘Gyosunim’? What’s going on here?"
Kanghyuk didn’t even look up as he calmly responded, "I asked him to."
Another pause. This time, the air practically crackled with disbelief.
"You what?" Nurse Cheon’s jaw dropped.
Dr. Seo, half-drunk but now fully alert, gasped dramatically, covering his mouth with his hand. Dr. Park’s usual poker face cracked, his eyes widening as he muttered, "Heol."
Kanghyuk glanced up briefly, taking in their stunned expressions with a faint smirk. "He calls me ‘hyung’ when we’re not at work. It’s nothing new."
"But why?!" Nurse Cheon demanded, her voice a mix of curiosity and exasperation.
Dr. Seo, emboldened by the soju coursing through his system, leaned forward. "Yeah, Gyosunim, why? Is there something… special about you two?"
At that, Kanghyuk finally set down his chopsticks and reached for his soju glass. He took a long sip, savoring the burn before answering, "There is."
The room collectively held its breath.
Jaewon, as if sensing the tension even in his drunken haze, suddenly stirred. His head lifted off the table, his eyes glassy and unfocused. "We’re…" he slurred, his words tumbling out in a near-whisper, "…boyfriends…"
And just like that, his head dropped again—this time, straight onto Kanghyuk’s lap.
The silence that followed was deafening.
Nurse Cheon was the first to recover, though her voice came out as a squeak. "I—what—since when?!"
Dr. Seo looked like he was on the verge of fainting, his hands flying to his face. "Is this real? Are you serious?!"
Even Dr. Park, who rarely reacted to anything, let out a quiet, "Heol…" again, his chopsticks slipping from his hand.
Kanghyuk, unfazed as always, reached down to adjust Jaewon’s position so his head rested more comfortably on his thigh. Then, as if nothing had happened, he picked up a piece of meat, wrapped it in lettuce, and popped it into his mouth.
"Why didn’t we know about this?!" Nurse Cheon demanded, her voice rising. "How long has this been going on? And how did you manage to keep it a secret?"
Kanghyuk shrugged, taking another sip of soju before replying. "We didn’t feel the need to announce it. It’s not exactly relevant to work."
"But—"
"He’s drunk," Kanghyuk interrupted, gesturing to Jaewon’s limp form on his lap. "We can talk about it when he’s sober."
Dr. Seo, still wide-eyed, muttered under his breath, "Boyfriends… unbelievable."
"Since when?!" Nurse Cheon pressed, clearly unwilling to let the matter drop.
Kanghyuk sighed, setting his glass down. "About a year."
"A year?!" All three of them shouted in unison.
Dr. Seo looked as though he might cry. "I feel so betrayed."
Dr. Park shook his head slowly, finally regaining his composure. "I should’ve seen it coming. The way he always takes care of him…"
Kanghyuk smirked faintly, his gaze dropping to Jaewon’s sleeping face. "It’s not like we were trying to hide it. You guys just never asked."
"Of course we didn’t ask! Who would’ve thought you two—" Nurse Cheon cut herself off, throwing her hands in the air. "Unbelievable."
"Wait," Dr. Seo said suddenly, narrowing his eyes. "This isn’t a prank, is it? You’re not just messing with us because we’re drunk?"
"No prank," Kanghyuk said simply.
Jaewon stirred again, mumbling something incoherent before settling back into Kanghyuk’s lap. Kanghyuk adjusted his position, his hand briefly brushing over Jaewon’s hair in a gesture so casual yet so intimate that it left the others speechless.
Finally, Nurse Cheon let out a long sigh, leaning back in her chair. "Well. I guess congratulations are in order. Though I’m still processing this."
Dr. Seo nodded weakly, reaching for his glass. "I need another drink."
Dr. Park, ever the responsible one, simply muttered, "I can’t believe I’m driving all of you home after this."
Kanghyuk chuckled softly, his gaze never leaving Jaewon’s sleeping face. "Don’t worry. I’ll take care of him."
And with that, the room fell into an uneasy but oddly warm silence.