Mr. Ahn's Toothache Is Chronic
Working-Class Mr. Ahn's Unscheduled Visits to Dr. Yeon's Clinic continues...
Missed Part 1? Start here → PART 1
Warning: this post deals with some heavier psychological topics and dark fictional elements. Everything here is totally fictional.
Excuse Me, I'm Not a Dentist, Ok?
Asuka: Thanks Jennie for your lovely thoughts and interior designing. What a perfect way to end a busy weekend. I have adjusted a little bit of Soup Part 1 in light of new condiments, including the length of Si-eun's service in Iraq. I'll put the full cauldron here:
1.
Although he feigned exasperation with his most persistently ill patient, the truth was that Dr Yeon very much looked forward to Mr Ahn disrupting his routines. On days when he did not visit because of work demands, Dr Yeon felt the time crawl by.
Such days were random, and he always feared Mr Ahn had been injured at work or at wherever he was gallivanting. He remembered the ice-cold days of Suho's coma. Days of numbness and sadness that stretched into weeks and then months.
Dr Yeon could endure medical school and military service, including a little-known stint in Iraq that had lasted for three years; even before that he already had the grit to weather the ruthless bullying of his high school days. But if anything ever happened to Suho again, Dr Yeon knew he would fall apart. This was the one thing he could not bear.
The trauma of years ago had not been expunged, only buried with work and kept out of the waking world. But it lived on in Dr Yeon's dreams. Whenever it visited in the silence of tired nights, he became Si-eun the high schooler again, the boy who gained the world and lost it.
During the six halcyon years living with Suho after Eunjang High, he sometimes woke up shivering with sharp breaths, damp with cold perspiration. He would then lurch to the desk, weak from the weight of bad dreams, and memorize anatomy notes as a way back to sleep while he waited for Suho to return from his delivery runs.
When the old jade-painted metal gates creaked open rustily, Si-eun would open his half-closed eyes and shuffle to the entrance where Suho took his shoes off. He loved early autumn in particular, when his hair stood up from the static (that never failed to draw a smile from Suho). Suho's windbreaker would be saturated with the crisp air of dawn. And Si-eun would hold him tight and breathe in the scents of September, of Seoul, and of Suho. It chased all the boogeymen away.
On days when Suho stayed home, the terrors weakened, as if out of respect for the presence of a guardian deity, though they stubbornly persisted. But with Suho around, when an attack came, Si-eun would awake to find himself in Suho's arms. In summer this could be uncomfortably warm, but the nightmares chilled Si-eun from within, so he was always deeply grateful for the snuggle, and sweated out the remainder of his sleep with a light smile.
Like magic circles, the protective embraces braided their way around Si-eun because Suho, who slept in class like a log, would rouse instinctively upon hearing Si-eun's soft whimpers and half-formed sleep words. Sometimes he heard Beomseok's name.
Once, he heard "don't die, Suho, please", and in the thick darkness where a dreaming Si-eun could not see him, Suho's toughness broke apart as he cried silently and hugged the precious, wounded soul who had curled into a trembling ball of fear. He wet Si-eun's hair with his tears as he kissed the top of his head. "I'm here, I'm here. Si-eun-ah, I'm here," he had whispered over and over until Si-eun's breathing eased.
That alone had made him want to quit night delivery work, but when he discussed it with Si-eun the next morning, the boy genius had dismissed the idea.
"Day delivery work is more dangerous, it'd give me more nightmares if anything. Plus they're just dreams. They can't do a thing."
They can crush your soul, thought Suho. But he downplayed his own worries.
"Awww, but I just want to hug my favorite bolster."
"Don't think I don't know you are rubbing yourself on your favorite bolster."
"You were awake? Why didn't you say so? We could have eaten some ice-cream."
"Oh, you bought some?"
"No, but we have popsicles full of fresh cream don't we? Mine is sea-salt caramel, yours is vanilla."
"...yah... Ahn Suho... you must be the healthiest guy in this neighborhood, really."
That morning, they had dessert for breakfast. It also chased the boogeymen away.
2.
The nurses spoke a lot more carefully to Dr Yeon whenever Mr Ahn failed to saunter in, usually at some time between 1 and 2pm. They also made sure to take their coffee strong, because Mr Ahn's absence meant an afternoon of soldierly alertness throughout the clinic. One file out of place, one delay too many and Dr Yeon would deliver The Glare. When he got into that mood, even the clicking of his pen felt menacing.
So they all sighed with inward relief when, like the most welcome breeze, Mr Ahn blew in. He went to register his presence, smiled warmly at the trainee nurse who was on counter duty, made her insides fuzzy, and went to wait on a sofa of dark leather. How I'll miss this if I went to Jeon Clinic. I think I'll stay here a while longer, she thought dreamily.
After his patient number flashed on a small screen, he knocked gently and entered the large consultation room; the nurses gathered to discuss their latest observations.
"He's so polite today." "Polite or not, doesn't he just ooze charisma?" "I bet he oozes a lot more than charisma in there." "Guess we'll have to bleach the sheets again."
Cackling erupted all around Yeon's Coven.
Some of them thought back to the one (and only) time Mr Ahn had arrived in the evening, around when they were closing for the day. Dr Yeon had already emerged from his room to do a debriefing with the staff. In fact, he was so stern, the staff half-expected he would snap at Mr Ahn. Instead, the dark clouds around Dr Yeon dissipated and he told the nurses he would clean up and close the clinic himself, a first. It was like witnessing a sunrise at night.
"It's been a hard day. Sorry if I was strict. I will see this last patient. You should all go back and rest," he had said in rather urgent, short phrases.
Early the next morning when a groggy Dr Yeon popped up unexpectedly from behind the registration counter, he badly frightened the first nurse to open the clinic doors, who had thought she heard a couple of large mice scurrying about. Some mouse!
He apologized profusely of course, and tried strangely hard with large hand gestures to direct her attention to a nice breakfast (his treat, also a first), but it wasn't enough to distract her senior nurse senses from noticing he smelled headily of boy and spice and yesterday; his shirt buttons were a mess, as was his hair; and there was a Mr Ahn-shaped shadow sneaking out the front door behind her.
While Dr Yeon went to shower and change for his impromptu breakfast date, senior nurse Han promptly updated the Yeonnies chat group.
3.
"Ah... you're here again. What is it this time?" asked Dr Yeon tiredly.
Mr Ahn puffed out his cheeks and clutched the side of his face in mock pain.
"I haf toof achy," he mumbled, child-like.
Performed to perfection by a grown man with sinewed forearms, the aegyo got to Dr Yeon who summoned all his resources to suppress a smile. He tried frowning, but Mr Ahn could see the edges of his lips twitching upwards.
"You just had a toothache last week. How many toothaches will you have?"
"As many as the teeth I have," replied Mr Ahn, flashing his toothiest grin.
Aish your teeth are freakin' perfect! thought Dr Yeon as he rolled his eyes. "Excuse me, I'm not a dentist, ok?"
The previous week Dr Yeon, who could be curiously pure-hearted and unsuspecting at times, relented and went to inspect Mr Ahn's open mouth, dentist or not. He needed to make sure that there was no grave trouble growing that could take Mr Ahn away from him.
But when Dr Yeon got near enough to feel the warmth of his patient's breath, without any warning Mr Ahn latched on to his neck and dragged him down for a very wet oral inspection of his own. Dr Yeon didn't even have time to gasp.
Unfortunately the ex-Byeoksan High boss didn't know his own strength. Within seconds the tang of iron filled Dr Yeon's mouth. He squirmed himself away from his loving assailant.
"Hmm you taste like you ate a lot of liver or something," said Mr Ahn, wrinkling his nose.
"I'm bleeding you idiot!" exclaimed Dr Yeon hotly as he went in search of the medicated mouth gel in his bathroom cabinet.
The sound panels, though more form than function, at least managed to blur out proper enunciation on most days. But Dr Yeon's exclamation reverberated quite clearly throughout the whole clinic, and sent the gaggle of medical staff huddled outside his door into a frenzy.
"Oh my god, he said he's bleeding." "All right, pay up girls. I always said Patient A is the 'one' and Dr Yeon's the 'zero.'" "Could it be that Mr Ahn is playing nurse with some thermometer and he doesn't know how to use it?" "I'm sure he knows how to use it. It's just his thermometer is too thick." "I'm glad Dr Yeon didn't carpet the floor."
The cut on Dr Yeon's lip started stinging as the events of last week played out in his mind. Across from him Mr Ahn sat like a happy seal, smiling through closed eyes with his mouth opened wide.
"I'm not falling for the same trick twice," said Dr Yeon, stone-faced.
"To be honest, I need an extraction, Dr Yeon."
Quite abruptly, Mr Ahn had become serious. This alarmed Dr Yeon, who pursed his lips, tapped his fingers on the consultation desk for a while, and then sheepishly pulled out a small new dental kit from his first drawer, freshly acquired solely for one patient's dental needs. Dr Yeon cleared his throat awkwardly and tried to pretend this was all part of his clinic's setup. It was Mr Ahn's turn to suppress a smile.
"Don't just grab my head okay? You have no idea how strong you are."
"Got it."
"I mean it. I'll be holding sharp tools all right?"
Dr Yeon thought he saw mischief sparkling in Mr Ahn's eyes. But that was Mr Ahn's default setting, so Dr Yeon ignored his suspicions and started stretching starched white linen sheets over the synthetic leather cushions of the examination table and topped it with a plush Tempur headrest. He was still calculating the budget for a dental chair, but he had some space concerns and wasn't sure if he could handle the questions the nurses were sure to ask. He didn't want any of them to volunteer as dental assistants.
After Mr Ahn had made himself comfortable, he remarked: "I swear other clinics don't make their clinic beds so comfortable."
"This is Yeon Clinic, you don't have to go elsewhere. And it's called an 'examination table'. Also, if you go to the clinic across the street, I'll kill you."
"What if I wanted to burn it down?"
"Then wait for me and we'll do it together."
"Dr Yeon Si-eun. You really are a psycho, you know that?"
Dr Yeon wanted to respond with a witticism, but seeing Mr Ahn on the makeshift bed and hearing that last line suddenly brought back memories of a particular dream. Of the many that haunted him at night, this was the oldest and by far the warmest one, but it was no less painful. With his big-brotherly embraces, Suho always tried to ward away Si-eun's sleep demons, even back when they lived together as boys barely into adulthood.
But then and now, Si-eun refused to say anything about his dreams. He was not a superstitious person, but he was deeply afraid they would manifest into reality if he talked about them. He would do anything to keep Suho safe. Even if it meant believing in nightmares and boogeymen. Or buying a dental chair.
Mr Ahn sensed Dr Yeon had retreated into himself, a sign that an old wound had opened. Was it something I said?
"Si-eun ah, you ok?"
Dr Yeon jerked back into composure. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just relax and get ready for your teeth to be plucked out." Dr Yeon snapped his rubber gloves with mock intimidation.
Dr Yeon yanked his mind into total focus. He grabbed his new tools and went to work on his Dentistry 101 guinea pig. It was amazing how much one could learn from YouTube with proper (or improper) motivation, but without actual practice the tools felt awkward to hold and he was worried he could hurt Mr Ahn with the tartar pick for real. If it turned out Mr Ahn really needed serious work, Dr Yeon was mentally prepared to refer him to the finest consultant specialist dentists in all of Seoul. He would close the clinic for the day and sit in the waiting room himself.
He's so cute — he looks just like when he tried playing video games for the first time at my birthday party, thought Mr Ahn wistfully.
Somewhere in the process of admiring the white pearls of Mr Ahn's teeth, Dr Yeon became aware of an intimate clutch. He looked down to see he had been delicately cupped by Mr Ahn's right hand. He removed his tools from Mr Ahn's mouth.
"Took you forever to get into position," said Mr Ahn, grinning.
"That's really distracting, you know?" Dr Yeon replied, waving a metal pick in Mr Ahn's face.
"I can tell from your firm response. Looks like you do like getting grabbed by the head."
"Do you want your teeth examined or what?"
"I said I needed an extraction, not an examination."
"And what does our honored client want to extract?"
"I want an extraction of caramel, salted like the sea."
"Oh my god. Are you serious?"
"Yes I am. Go vanilla go!"
Dr Yeon's ears turned pink and a small chuckle, rare as unicorns, sang out from his lips. Suho's improvised mantras didn't dispel desire — they did the exact opposite — but they banished all of Si-eun's heavy thoughts from their sunny presence. I will guard him as long as I breathe, Dr Yeon swore in the quietest part of his mind.
I will make him this happy all his life. This psycho really has the purest smile, thought Mr Ahn.
"Hey. You know, I haven't showered yet."
"Oh, organic ice cream for me then."
"That's disgusting."
"You'll never be disgusting to hyung."
Somehow this cheesy line went straight to Dr Yeon's heart.
"Thanks, but I'm showering and so are you. Listen to your doctor." Dr Yeon grabbed Mr Ahn's hand. Mr Ahn put up no resistance and happily trotted to the bathroom.
4.
In their post-dessert bliss, they remained as a single entity snuggling under the soft running water.
Then Dr Yeon spoke: "Suho-ya."
"Mmm?" He rarely calls me so tenderly, thought Mr Ahn.
"Why don't you ever tell me when you are not coming to the clinic?"
"Of course I don't. You make it sound like my illnesses are planned."
"Yeah yeah whatever, King of Toof Achy. Anyway, I'm glad you came."
"Oh I'm not done coming. Just give my boy five minutes to recharge."
"Yah Ahn Suho... How is it you still have your teenage appetite?"
"Because you make me so hungry."
"Oh shut up."
One night, not long after Suho had boasted of his serving size, Si-eun, in an uncharacteristically petty moment, put some measuring tape to good use as soon as he was sure Suho was out cold and snoring. The results confirmed that Suho had a remarkable animal instinct for sensing distance, right down to the inch. Meanwhile, Suho was consuming so much internal strength to keep from laughing that he was about to break into a sweat. He had made it a point to tease Si-eun about finding the 'correct angle' ever since.
They continued their embrace, unwilling to part. Then Mr Ahn spoke: "Why do you treat all my illnesses so seriously?"
"Because... I...I'm so scared the day will come when you are not lying."
Mr Ahn had nothing to say to this. Besides, the truth was deeper and cuter than that. On days when Dr Yeon was simply too busy to give him more than a light peck on the cheek, Mr Ahn would still leave satisfied, and skipped home humming bright tunes.
Really, he never lets me have the last word. But Mr Ahn tried regardless:
"Si-eun ah, I'm here. I'm here and I'll always be here."
His back turned to Suho, Si-eun let the gratitude in his eyes brim over and mix with the warm waters of the shower, as a wave of the kindest deja vu washed over him.
5.
Outside, the trainee nurse tapped her foot nervously as she struggled to remain smiley-faced at the growing string of angry, rich patients. Several of them had already let loose deliberately audible sighs at her direction.
Bloody dammit! Someone let those two know there is not enough waiting space on that sofa!
Running Commentary
Jennie: Ate dinner straight from the cauldron on my train ride home, so I wasn't hungry at all when I got back. Asuka, seriously, have you ever thought about posting on fanfiction sites like Archive of Our Own? I know I'm archiving on my blog, but feels like only folks from hot summer countries are secretly reading it.
I. A Man's Growth When Dr Yeon was high school Si-eun or college Si-eun, he had that signature 'blank' stare, and if Suho said 'let's bike to the Han River' he'd just go 'okay... since Suho wants to...' and trail after him without thinking. A man's growth... now he's a proper professional who even pretends to be annoyed, so cute that if Dr Yeon were right next to me I'd suck his cheeks.
II. Starter Pack Reading this made me think about Si-eun's weapon 'starter pack' evolution... pen... scissors... dumbbell... fire extinguisher. Even in Iraq, bullies probably approached that pretty face, thinking he was easy prey, but backed off seeing Si-eun's gaze and whatever he was gripping.
III. Is It Okay to Be This Happy Did this feeling deepen during those 6 years living together in Suho's grandma's old house? 'Is it okay to be this happy?' 'Is it okay to be this joyful?' Lying together on the creaky old floor with that ancient rattling fan, even while napping, Si-eun would suddenly wake up, look at sleeping Suho's face and think, 'If something happens to Suho again, I won't be able to bear it.' These nightmares would be really sticky. Very vivid and sticky, becoming clearer over time. All PTSD is like this, I suppose.
IV. Smoking in Iraq It's both fortunate and sad that Si-eun's coping mechanism is still 'studying.' Imagine if it were alcohol or cigarettes. But I did imagine college Si-eun accidentally learning to smoke. Only smoking when Suho's away, then becoming a heavy smoker as a military doctor in Iraq... that'd be kind of sexy too.
V. Anguk in October In your deluluverse I can almost smell that air from Suho's windbreaker. When you come to Seoul, if you come in October, definitely visit near Anguk Station and walk around Gyeongbokgung at dawn. You'll feel this scent all over your body. As I mentioned before, 'scent' is what refuses to let us go the longest.
VI. Why Is His Name Even Suho Why is his name even 'Suho'? I love Director Yoo's character interpretation that Suho moves only for Si-eun — in some ways, our delulu arc is less delulu than the original lol. Externally, Suho lost many neurons from the head injury, but internally, Si-eun was more damaged. You could say one person's pain was split between two.
VII. Si-eun Doesn't Know The fact that Suho knows about Si-eun's sleep talking, that Si-eun still calls Beomseok's name — and Si-eun doesn't know that Suho knows — destroys my heart. I think even if Suho talked about it, he wouldn't mention the deepest details. And suddenly imagining what faces Baku and Gotak would make if they heard this cringey morning dialogue — I almost fell off my chair laughing. Those lines are whispers of love that only Suho and Si-eun could say to each other. If Baku or Gotak had said that... Suho would've kicked them away in disgust while sleeping lol.
VIII. Dr Yeon's Mood Today: Cloudy Mr Ahn holds the nurses' fate in his hands. When Mr Ahn doesn't come, they'd exchange messages in their KakaoTalk chat like 'Dr Yeon's mood today: cloudy.' The part about drinking strong coffee overlapped so much with my office life. And — is this an homage to Si-eun's pen 'clicking'? I'm melting at your wit again.
IX. Christmas Gift Set He's welcome AND handsome... What kind of Christmas gift set is this, early-thirties Mr Ahn. His face probably got even more handsome. I have one more thing to confess at church this Sunday, Father... I thought of two tangled puppies moving from the stuffy examination room to the black leather sofa.
X. Boy and Spice and Yesterday These cheeky nurses would probably think it's fortunate that Mr Ahn has a 'partner' rather than a 'pretty girlfriend' since they can't have him anyway. Honestly, shouldn't the nurses be paying Dr Yeon a salary? Making them this entertained — no need for movie theaters. And OMG — I just mentioned the black leather sofa. It would've been hard for them to play around on the flat examination room bed all night. 'he smelled headily of boy and spice and yesterday' — of all your phrases, I absolutely cannot get over this one. Wearing a doctor's coat but still being a boy when with Suho. It's so much like an old couple starting to date again in their early thirties. The Yeonnies already had a KakaoTalk group chat name — getting this kind of entertainment at work isn't easy. It's like a free lunch.
Who is Jennie?
Bricklayer. Local correspondent for the Yeon Clinic deluluverse. A sous chef who checks whether the soup actually tastes like Seoul. A specialist who designs this kitchen to hold more than Suho's coma — philosophy, history, society, culture, stacked one recipe at a time.
Who is Asuka?
Head nurse and main chef of the Yeon Clinic. A Scheherazade who sings the Song of Achilles she found shelved next to a book on Zen Buddhist masters. Fluent in several languages, conversant in single malts and the precise emotional damage of Weak Hero Class 1. Signs off as ASL. (Always starch linen.)
This free ebook will ruin you. In the best way. A character analysis of Si-eun, Su-ho and Beom-seok that goes beyond what subtitles can carry. Take it — it's free → DOWNLOAD HERE
This post was originally published on Jennie's blog in the autumn of 2025. The original blog has since moved to Blogger due to hosting changes — welcome to the new home.
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