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Jeng loved these little moments between shifts that he got to spend with Karn. Both of them were on their break. They walked down the long white hallways together – both still wearing their coats and were on their way to the breakroom before heading to the cafeteria. It wasn’t very exciting there, but it was better than being hungry.
Honestly, all that they needed was a moment to breathe.
That was all.
And enjoy some quality time together.
That was always a bonus in Jeng’s opinion and he just knew how much Karn loved spending time with him – everyone at the hospital knew that, pressing his lips together as he glanced towards Karn, whose eyes were on him the entire time as they walked down the long hallways, the sterilised surfaces of the hospital clinging to them, but the breakroom was different.
It was bright and cosy there.
Warm.
It should have been calm, but it wasn’t. Before they managed to step into the breakroom, the two of them heard voices, laughter and Jeng stopped before he stepped inside because he could have sworn that he heard his name, narrowing his eyes. Karn stopped by his side, not really paying attention to anything else but Jeng, pressing his lips together.
“What’s wrong?”
“I just-” started Jeng, but then his voice trailed off when he heard those voices again and he soon found out that he was right when he thought that he was the main topic of the conversation.
It wasn’t even the first time that he heard others gossiping about him. It happened ever since he had gotten there a few months ago.
“I mean honestly it’s pretty pathetic,” said a woman’s voice, sharp and mocking, jagged around the corners and Jeng pressed his lips together. “How old is he? Twenty six, twenty seven? He barely finished his training and all of the sudden he got a prime position at our hospital?”
Jeng swallowed thickly and Karn frowned, his eyes darkening behind his glasses.
Another voice followed. A man’s voice now.
Karn could easily recognise all of them.
“All of us know it. It’s because Karn’s fucking him,” he sighed. “The hospital’s golden boy. His uncle owns the hospital, it really doesn’t take a genius to see how Jeng got it. Smile pretty, play the part of the eye-candy and just like that, you’ve got yourself a whole dental clinic. It makes me sick. ”
“A whole career handed to him on a silver platter,” said a third voice. “Some of us actually had to work hard to get where we are now.”
“Tell me about it.”
What followed was laughter, more whispering that Jeng couldn’t really make out what it was, but he pressed his lips together and he closed his eyes. He really tried not to think too much about it because all that was was envy and bitterness. They were jealous.
However, Jeng’s smile faltered and Karn noticed that.
Oh, Karn noticed.
He always noticed the smaller of things when it came to Jeng, for now just listening, but his face was growing darker and colder. He looked perfectly calm on the outside, but the darkness in his eyes would send anyone running as he tightened his jaw and folded his fingers into fists, his knuckles going white to the bone.
Jeng’s smile remained on his face. He always wore it, no matter what – it was bright and effortless, but Karn could see through it. The smile was cracked around the edges, trembling a little bit. It was strained, slowly faltering and he glared towards the door of the breakroom. He was tempted to walk in there, but he decided to wait for a bit longer.
Karn knew it was their envy speaking and he pitied them. He knew that they would never dare to speak about Jeng like this in front of him. People were terrified of him at the hospital and he was aware of it. It was better than way, he didn’t like the fake smiles and the fake compliments.
Jeng’s stomach twisted and he swallowed thickly, feeling Karn’s hand upon his shoulder, pulling him closer, shaking his head.
But, the voices didn’t stop.
“He acts so bright and cheerful, they call him sunshine,” said a young woman, spitting those words out like it was the most outrageous thing that he had heard. “Um, how about underqualified? Because that is what he is. Some genius, yeah right,” she added.
“It really must be nice to have someone else’s name carry your career like this,” sighed a man. “It could never be me. I will let my hard work and years of experience speak for me.”
“Exaclty,” sighed a woman and Karn pressed his lips as he heard another cruel chuckle, more cruel remarks.
“What happens when Karn gets tired of playing around with him?”
“That’s what happens when your only value is being someone else’s possession,” said a woman and that was when Karn had heard it enough, slamming his fist into the wall and Jeng forced out a little laughter, but it was too brittle, too thin. He was trying to hold it together, but he could tell by the look on Karn’s face that it was too late to stop him now.
Karn was absolutely going to make a scene and Jeng shuddered.
It wasn’t…
They weren’t really worth it. He had been listening to these kinds of rumours for months now, but he had never said anything to Karn because he didn’t want Karn to get in trouble because of him. He would love to watch Karn lose his shit in order to protect him, though. It would have been glorious, Jeng loved it when Karn got all protective and possessive of him, but this was the workplace not their personal life.
Even if Karn’s uncle owned the hospital, that didn’t really mean anything.
The old man valued hard work, not nepotism.
Jeng knew why he got the spot as the dentist at the hospital.
It was his talent.
Jeng was young, but he was skilled. Years of being cramped in his room, making notes as he was studying, practising every little thing – Jeng loved his work and he did it with passion. He was never slacking off, he always put his hundred percent into anything that he did.
Patients loved him because he was a good dentist, not because he was Karn’s lover.
And that was all that mattered.
Jeng was damn good at his job – it wasn’t the first time that he had to listen to these kinds of jealous remarks. Envy.
It happened back when he was at university as well; he was accused of all sorts of things, but he never really let it bother him that much in the past. Still, it hurt, in a way. Not because Jeng cared what others thought about him, but because it always seemed like it was impossible for others to actually find him competent.
Still, he didn’t let those venomous words doubt his worth or skills.
Next to him, Karn didn’t move. He didn’t speak, he just stood there with his jaw locked and his teeth grinding together. His glasses reflected the sharp glare of his eyes as he was slowly taking everything in before making his move. He wasn’t letting his slide – oh, not in the slightest.
For someone like Karn, jealousy was like a second nature. Possessiveness was a natural instinct, automatic, natural as breathing. He was possessive of things that were his and Jeng was one of them.
However, this was different.
It felt different from the usual jealous burn when someone admired Jeng’s smile for too long. It felt different from when he saw others smiling at Jeng, being too friendly with him.
What Karn felt right now was rage.
Uncontrollable rage that he didn’t know how to stifle down. Then again, it wasn’t like he was trying to do that, pressing his lips together as his face sat completely rigid, cold.
These people – co-workers – weren’t admiring Jeng. No.
They were trying to strip him down of his values, they were trying to reduce him to nothing, to tear apart everything that he had built with his own two hands until he was nothing but Karn’s shadow. And Karn wasn’t going to forgive them.
Jeng was the most talented person that he had ever met.
His hands had a magical touch and this was how he got into their hospital. That was the only reason why his uncle decided to hire him, but these lowlives really thought…
Karn slowly stepped closer to the door, Jeng quickly reaching out and he caught his wrist, pulling him closer as he shook his head.
“Karn, don’t,” whispered Jeng because they really weren’t worth their time or effort.
However, it was too late – Karn didn’t waver.
He gave Jeng a soft smile and he slowly peeled Jeng’s hand away gently, so gently, like Jeng was the most precious thing in the world that should be handled with the utmost care and nothing less. Then, he slowly straightened himself up, fixed his glasses before he finally stepped into the breakroom and Jeng closed his eyes, waiting for a few seconds before he followed him.
As soon as the others saw Karn stepping inside, the other doctors stopped in the middle of what they were going to say, choking on their laughter as they tried to keep it at the back of their throats, trying to swallow their words, but… Too late.
Karn’s presence filled the small breakroom, the pressure suddenly heavy and almost suffocating as silence drew between them. Karn looked as immaculate as always, his posture rigid and his expression was carved from stone. Cold and hard. But, his eyes betrayed him. Fury and rage simmered in there, lethal and unrestrained as he stepped closer to them.
“Please, carry on,” said Karn. “Finish what you were about to say.”
Nothing.
There was just silence, sharp and cold.
The four doctors glanced at each other, but all of them were cowards.
“Well?” asked Karn and his lips curled up, a cold smile spreading on his lips.
“Doctor Karn, we were only-” started one of them, finally gathering the courage to start speaking, but one glance for Karn and she stopped.
Karn stepped closer to her, tipping his head to the side as he brought it close, too close. He looked far too calm, his eyes two dark pits as he cleared his throat.
“Yes?” asked Karn.
“We were only discussing how-how happy we are that we have such a wonderful and young dentist-”
“Don’t,” snapped Karn and glanced at the other doctor – the young man – who flinched and quickly stopped running his mouth. “Don’t lie to me, you don’t get to twist your words. I heard you, I heard everything you four have been talking about, so save it.”
Colour drained from their faces.
The air thickened even more and the seconds stretched for way too long. Heavy.
Karn’s hands were shaking as he placed them behind his back because he was that angry. It’s been a while since he felt this kind of rage as it surged through him, his hands itching. A part of him wanted to wrap his fingers around their necks and make them choke on their words, but then he just took a deep breath as he glanced at Jeng, who watched him from the doorway.
The look in Jeng’s eyes was… amusement.
“You think Jeng is here because of me? Because of my uncle?” he asked as his lips curled up, but the smile that spread through his lips was deadly. The light bounced off his glasses and it made him look even more terrifying. “You think that his hands, his skills and his talent mean nothing?!”
As Karn raised his voice, it echoed against the walls of the breakroom and the two young women were trying to get away, but Karn blocked their way.
The older doctor opened his mouth to say something, desperate to salvage this, but Karn didn’t let him.
“You dare to diminish him and his talents like this?!” asked Karn. “Stripping him down of all that he’s worth?! Do you have any idea who you’re talking about?!”
Karn’s voice turned sharp, razor sharp as he kept going.
“Jeng is twice the doctor that you’ll ever be. Yes, he is young, but he is damn brilliant at what he does. He’s dedicated, patients smile because of him. Others respect him. And he earned it – all of it. Every ounce of respect, he earned it and not through me or my uncle. Through himself.”
Karn walked closer to the young intern, cornering him into the corner and he slammed his fist into the wall, nearly missing his head.
“Is that understood?”
Jeng’s chest tightened a little bit as he felt a rush of excitement pumping through his veins. His heart was pounding against his ribcage – Karn looked hot. Jeng was loving this a bit too much.
The intern quickly nodded and closed his eyes.
Jeng swallowed thickly and his heart throbbed harder. Seeing Jeng like this was…
Karn wasn’t done yet.
The anger in his voice was more prominent, words burning hot. He leaned in closer to the young intern, the glasses slowly sliding down his nose, but he slowly fixed them and then he glanced at the other three, stepping closer to them. Karn had all four of them completely terrified and Jeng was loving every second of it.
He tried to bite back a smile as heat coiled in his stomach.
God, seeing Karn like this – ruthless, sharp, defending him without a second thought – made Jeng want to completely unravel.
“You will regret this, this I can promise you,” said Karn and his smile turned manic almost. “And I’m not talking about making a formal complaint about the four of you. No. I mean, you will never work in this hospital again when I’m done with you. You will never work in any hospital again, I will strip you of your reputation, your careers, your future.”
Karn’s eyes glinted behind his glasses as he let the silence linger for a little bit, enjoying the way the other doctors started shifting under the weight of his gaze. It was too simple, really. All in all, they were nothing but cowards.
Since they all liked to talk so much, Karn also knew all about the skeletons they tried to keep buried inside of their closets. They all boasted about hard work, but all of them were completely and utterly incompetent.
“You really don’t think about what goes around in this hospital? You think I don’t notice things?” he asked and glanced at the young woman, his lips curling into something colder. The smile was there, but it was freezing cold. “You faked a patient’s chart last month. A tiny little change that you thought no one would notice, right? A little change to cover your own mistake and you thought no one saw?”
Karn didn’t really wait for her reply. But, her eyes widened as she got even paler.
Karn was going to enjoy this – tearing down each and every one of them. His attention slowly slid over to the older doctor and he tipped his head to the side.
“And you? How many times have you rushed through your work just to get home early? Do you think that the nurses don’t talk?” he asked and slowly turned his head to the young intern, who swallowed tickly and started backing away towards the wall again.
“You boast about your hard work, but I know that all of those great references that you keep talking about are fake. It makes me wonder – did you write your case study yourself during training, or is it plagarised? Maybe I should start an official investigation to confirm it.”
The intern was desperate to deny it, but Karn spared him no time whatsoever.
“And you?!” asked Karn, now turning to the last woman, his voice dropping and he sounded particularly cruel when talking to her. “You dare to call Jeng underqualified for his job? Tell me, how many patients have asked not to see you again? How many complaint forms did you try to bury under the rug, hm?”
Karn didn’t need to carry on. All of them looked pale and exposed.
Karn knew – he didn’t have to tell them everything, but it was enough to make them terrified.
The four of them got even paler. There was no longer the cruel laughter from before or the remarks. No. They looked genuinely terrified because they knew what Karn was capable of. It had happened before. People suddenly disappear, quitting at their hospital only to be never heard from again.
All of it – Karn’s doing.
Karn slowly straightened himself again, fixed his coat and he gently tapped the older doctor's shoulder.
The smile on Karn’s face never reached his eyes.
“Do I need to go on?” asked Karn, chuckling a bit and his voice turned soft, almost conversational and the young intern quickly shook his head. “Honestly, there are so many stains hidden in your files. Far too many for me to list it all here.”
Karn glanced at the young intern and leaned closer, who flinched and pressed himself against the wall tighter. Karn didn’t touch him, he didn’t have to.
“You do realise what it means that I know these things, right? I can end you all without even lifting a finger.”
Karn fixed his glasses and straightened himself up and his eyes flickered over to Jeng for a heartbeat. His eyes turned soft and warm, Jeng just watching him, his mouth opened in wonder because he was loving it.
Jeng’s heart was beating even faster, ready to jump out of his chest. Karn’s rage excited him, it was reserved only to defend him. He felt too warm, it left Jeng completely dizzy and breathless and he was aching for more.
He should have stopped Karn… probably, but he didn’t.
“Enjoy what little time you have here,” said Karn and his smile dropped, nothing but cold fury in his eyes now that was watching them again. “When I’m finished, you will be begging for a job in a clinic that no one else knows about and will be rotting there. You will never work in this hospital again. And when you are there – just remember who put you there,” he said.
Then, without saying anything else, he made his way towards the door, brushing past the young woman so closely that she flinched, almost as if she had been burned.
“If you know what’s good for you, you will keep my and his name out of your mouths,” was all that Karn said, but really sparing them another glance as she slowly dragged Jeng towards his office .
Once alone in Karn’s office, silence fell between them. But, Jeng chuckled, still feeling out of breath as he wrapped his arms around Karn’s neck. He was smiling, but it was different, but it wasn’t the usual bright smile that he showed the world. It was sharper, mixing with danger and excitement. He did nothing to hide it.
“Scary,” said Jeng in delight. “You were absolutely terrifying, you know?” asked Jeng and Karns’ arms went around his waist, pulling him closer. Karn’s gaze was now softer, only for him, the storm in his eyes completely gone, brushing his hand over Jeng’s delicate facial features and he smiled at him, pulling closer, claiming him.
“I meant every word,” said Karn, voice low.
“Oh, I know,” said Jeng, excitement clear in his voice. The tone of his voice was almost playful, but there was a little flush on his cheeks as he thought about Karn protecting him before. “I should stop you, perhaps. Be the moral compass?” asked Jeng and Karn rolled his eyes.
But, Jeng leaned closer and the smile turned mischievous, almost dangerous as well.
“But, fuck it. They deserve it, they’ve been gossiping for months now and watching you defend me like I’m the most precious thing in the world?” asked Jeng, humming along and his voice was trembling with excitement. “I love it.”
A shiver ran through him and he leaned closer, kissing Karn hungrily, not bothering to even restrain it anymore.
Karn kissed him back, his thumb brushing along his jaw as the kiss turned possessive and tender. His glasses slipped down a bit, but he didn’t care and by the time they parted, both of them were out of breath.
“You are the most precious thing in the world, Jeng.”
Jeng’s smile softened a little bit, but excitement still lingered around.
Jeng leaned in and whispered against Karn’s lips, “Let them choke on their envy, I don’t care anymore,” before he claimed Karn’s lips again.
For a moment, it was just them.
No rumours or gossip.
Just them.
Warmth and obsession – love in its most dangerous form.
Twisted, yet perfect.
Jeng didn’t care if the whole hospital whispered about him – he would gladly let them all choke on their jealousy.
Everyone knew it.
Jeng belonged to Karn.
And Karn? He would destroy anyone or anything who dared to forget that.