By Zephyria 
“Exactly what happened?”
Butler Do answered as he walked alongside the attending physician who was entering the house.
“His condition deteriorated rapidly in the afternoon. He mentioned feeling dizzy, and now his body temperature has risen, and he has a fever.”
“Did he eat or drink anything unusual?”
“He had a late lunch with Director Han, and he had some tea afterward.”
The two entered the elevator. However, it was the same food he ate every time. They were menus with nothing special about them. Even as he answered, Butler Do pressed the elevator button urgently.
When the elevator doors opened on the second floor, the physician followed Butler Do with a troubled expression. He looked utterly bewildered.
And for good reason; only a few hours ago, he had come to this house, removed Seo Yi-kyung’s cast, and used an ultrasound machine to closely examine the child in his womb. Moreover, since Han Seung-jae had been watching by his side, he had focused all his attention on the check-up. He had not made a single small mistake.
Clearly, at that time, Seo Yi-kyung had a healthy complexion, and the physician had even held a conversation with him. Throughout that process, Seo Yi-kyung’s face had looked more relaxed than ever before.
Knock, knock. Butler Do knocked on the bedroom door before gripping the handle and opening it. The physician entered through the slowly opening gap of the door.
“Director Han, I apologize for being late.”
There had been something at the hospital. The physician hurriedly opened the house-call bag he was carrying. Just as Butler Do had said, an ice pack was placed on Seo Yi-kyung’s forehead. The physician quickly checked Seo Yi-kyung’s temperature first.
Butler Do watched this from a short distance away, anxiously. He had helped Seo Yi-kyung into the bedroom and settled him in, and then descended to the first floor as if following Seo Yi-kyung’s wishes, but he couldn’t concentrate on anything. If it had been anything else, he would have followed Seo Yi-kyung’s words unconditionally, but this time, he simply couldn’t.
Butler Do couldn’t think about many things. His priority was still Seo Yi-kyung.
When Butler Do reached the door of the study and knocked, Secretary Park opened the door. Butler Do spoke about Seo Yi-kyung loudly enough for Han Seung-jae to hear. Because of this, Han Seung-jae, who had been sitting at the desk, stood up and headed for the bedroom. Then, Secretary Park took a phone out of his inner pocket and contacted the physician.
“I think we need to bring the fever down first.”
The physician continued his diagnosis while looking at Seo Yi-kyung, whose breathing was uneven. The physician brought an IV needle toward Seo Yi-kyung’s arm. Not long after the cast had been removed, an IV needle was going in once again.
* * *
Click. After confirming that Seo Yi-kyung’s breathing had stabilized and the fever was gradually subsiding, the physician gently closed the door behind him. Only then did a long-held breath escape.
“Whew…”
Being in the same space alone with Han Seung-jae was torture. No matter what he did, he felt judged; no matter what he didn’t do, he felt judged. He was already frazzled because of an unpleasant incident at the hospital.
The physician stopped while walking down the stairs, put the phone to his ear, and lowered his voice.
“…What happened? Why was Dr. Kang shot?”
Kang In-oh from thoracic surgery had been rushed to the hospital after being shot in the leg and abdomen. Because of that, the inside and outside of Haseon Hospital were in an uproar. Though he had a conservative nature and lacked flexibility, his skills were outstanding. He wondered if such a man had made an enemy. Furthermore, he was on the verge of getting married.
But at the same time, the physician’s world turned dark. He had put in such desperate effort all this time. The day he could become the director of this hospital was not far off. He felt as if the shining glory of his brilliant future was crumbling like a sandcastle, slipping through his fingers. What kind of bolt from the blue was this? He also couldn’t understand why Seo Yi-kyung’s condition had deteriorated so suddenly.
“Right, if you find out anything more, give me a call.”
The physician ended the call. He trudged down to the first floor and met Butler Do. Butler Do handed the physician a piece of paper listing the ingredients in the menu Seo Yi-kyung had eaten, which he had verified with the chef.
The physician looked closely at the list. Some of the things he had mentioned to Butler Do were mixed in. They were things he had recommended to strengthen Seo Yi-kyung’s body.
There was no way to find the reason for Seo Yi-kyung’s sudden illness based on this alone. However, if he couldn’t find the cause, Han Seung-jae would reprimand him. Not only would he lose trust, but his bright future would vanish along with it.
The physician muttered.
“Give me a glass of cold water and please call the chef who prepared the food on this list.”
Butler Do said he understood and turned around. Similarly, the physician approached the sofa and sat down. It looked like it would be a very grueling night.
* * *
It was nearly midnight.
Seo Yi-kyung moved his hand with difficulty. The IV line dangling from his arm swayed. As Seo Yi-kyung habitually brought his hand to his eyes, the ice pack on his forehead rustled and slid down onto the pillow.
Seo Yi-kyung placed his hand over his eyelids, which were difficult to open. It wasn’t just his eyes that were uncomfortable. The hand he lifted felt equally heavy.
Just then, the sound of low footsteps reached Seo Yi-kyung’s ears. There was a weight to them, and a constant speed and resonance followed. A long arm reached out and picked up the ice pack that had been pushed aside by Seo Yi-kyung’s hand.
“Are you feeling a bit more awake?”
Seo Yi-kyung lowered the hand that had been covering his eyes. He struggled to lift his eyelids. It was Han Seung-jae’s voice, which he could recognize even without looking.
Slowly, Seo Yi-kyung’s eyelids parted. Long eyelash shadows flickered beneath his eyes. In his hazy vision, Seo Yi-kyung took in the sight of Han Seung-jae looking down at him. A few dim lights were illuminating the dark room.
Han Seung-jae placed the ice pack on the nightstand. Beside it sat a bowl of porridge with a cover on it.
“….”
Seo Yi-kyung felt Han Seung-jae’s movements were slow. The area around his eyes, which had just been touched by fingertips, felt stinging, and he was still hot due to the slight fever spreading through his entire body.
For a moment, Seo Yi-kyung didn’t realize why he was lying in bed. But soon, the images of Butler Do entering and leading him to the bedroom unfolded before his eyes like afterimages. After that, it seemed Han Seung-jae had entered the room and touched his forehead.
It seemed Butler Do had eventually gone to find Han Seung-jae and told him about his condition. However, even after seeing Han Seung-jae, Seo Yi-kyung had simply closed his eyes. At that time, he truly didn’t have the strength to move a single finger. If Butler Do hadn’t come, Seo Yi-kyung would have likely remained collapsed right there indefinitely.
“Seung-jae.”
Seo Yi-kyung’s voice calling Han Seung-jae was faint. The inside of his mouth was parched and dry. It was even worse because he had been running a fever and sweating. His back, touching the bed, was also damp.
“Can you drink some water?”
Seo Yi-kyung gave a barely perceptible nod. Han Seung-jae removed the cover from the glass on the nightstand and lifted it. Watching his arm move, Seo Yi-kyung pushed himself up. In the end, however, he was only able to sit up in bed with Han Seung-jae’s help.
Leaning his back against the headboard of the bed, Seo Yi-kyung held the glass with both hands and brought it to his lips. Watching Seo Yi-kyung drink the lukewarm water in small sips, Han Seung-jae perched on the chair next to the bed.
After moistening his dry throat, Seo Yi-kyung slowly lowered the glass. His gaze fell upon the IV line attached to his arm. At that moment, Han Seung-jae reached out to touch Seo Yi-kyung’s forehead. As the large hand approached his face, Seo Yi-kyung instinctively flinched his shoulders and pulled his upper body back.
However, Seo Yi-kyung’s back was already against the headboard. There was nowhere to retreat. And there was no way Han Seung-jae wouldn’t notice that Seo Yi-kyung had tried to avoid his hand.
A strange silence flowed between the two.
Han Seung-jae tilted his head slightly. The lamp on the nightstand half-illuminated Han Seung-jae’s handsome features. A peculiar glint appeared in his cold eyes.
Seo Yi-kyung parted his dry lips.
“I was surprised.”
I was, the trailing words failed to become sound and scattered away. When Seo Yi-kyung didn’t speak despite the wait, Han Seung-jae spoke.
“No matter how I look at it, you have a face that looks like it has something it wants to say to me.”
“….”
Seo Yi-kyung’s fingertips curled, scratching the glass. Han Seung-jae added heartlessly.
“Do you think I did it?”
Seo Yi-kyung’s gaze, which had been directed downward, slowly shifted to the side. This was because he couldn’t guess what Han Seung-jae was talking about. Simply, Seo Yi-kyung couldn’t handle the way his heart was racing.
Scanning Seo Yi-kyung’s pale face with indifferent eyes, Han Seung-jae spoke.
“Min Ra-hyeon.”