By Zephyria 
How much longer had he slept after that?
He suddenly opened his eyes, and the stifling ache remained, as if his body were being pressed down by a heavy pile of blankets. The first thing he saw before him was Tiffany, lying curled up in a ball. With a weak smile, he stroked the creature’s back once and tossed and turned.
“……”
As Choi Hong-seo turned over, he saw Manager Kang. He was sitting in a chair beside the bed, with a book resting on his lap. Lee Hae-sung’s instructions had clearly been explicit.
“Please stay lying down. How are you feeling?”
As Hong-seo tried to push himself up to sit, Manager Kang stepped forward and gently pressed down on his shoulder.
“Uncl… where is Hyung?”
“He has gone to work and is currently attending to his duties. I will check your temperature.”
Manager Kang answered dryly while turning on the thermometer he had prepared on the nightstand.
After asking for permission and measuring the temperature via the ear, Manager Kang checked the numbers on the device.
“It is still on the high side, but it has improved since this morning. Shall I prepare a meal that is easy to eat? Please have a few spoonfuls, take your medicine, and then go back to sleep.”
“I don’t have much of an appetite…”
“As you know, if you do not eat, my position becomes very awkward.”
As always, there was no change in Manager Kang’s expression. However, Hong-seo knew that the statement about being “awkward” was true. He also knew exactly who would make Manager Kang’s position awkward simply because a sick Choi Hong-seo hadn’t eaten. He couldn’t help but feel a sense of responsibility.
“Then, I’ll eat a little.”
“A wise decision. It is already prepared, so I will bring it shortly.”
Manager Kang handed a glass of lukewarm barley tea to Hong-seo, who said he was thirsty, and left the bedroom. Leaning back against the pillow, Hong-seo sipped the tea and stroked Tiffany, who lay beside him. His body felt heavy, but perhaps because the fever had dropped slightly, he felt better than before. He thought it was a good decision to have insisted that Lee Hae-sung go to work.
As Hong-seo brought the barley tea to his lips, his gaze suddenly lingered on one spot.
Across from the bed, several frames were decorated atop a heavy dresser. It was a small gallery displaying the new memories the two of them had built together. Lee Hae-sung had also placed photos from the time he was ‘Choi Hong-seo’ there. He didn’t care at all what Manager Kang or the other employees who entered the room might think.
‘No matter who comes in to manage the room, this is a bedroom for just the two of us. There is no need to deny you even here.’
While kissing the forehead of a worried Hong-seo, he had said so in a firm voice.
Among the various frames, the one they cherished most was a square frame that served as a sturdy backdrop at the very back.
A purple linen handkerchief with yellow stripes only along the edges.
It was Lee Hae-sung’s handkerchief—the one Choi Hong-seo had dropped in the ‘Sanzu River’ of the ‘Bardo,’ and which ‘they’ had returned to him like a gift.
To the two of them, it was a piece of evidence. Proof that the experience, which no one else would believe, had actually happened.
At the same time, it was a promise. A promise that no more unexplained spots would appear on Choi Hong-seo’s body, and that he would no longer suffer from burning fevers or loss of consciousness due to the mismatch between soul and body.
Whenever he looked at that handkerchief in the frame, he felt an indescribably deep bond with the other. An intense bond that blooms only in a relationship sharing a secret that cannot be told to anyone and would not be believed by anyone.
Manager Kang returned with the shrimp porridge that Hong-seo liked and unfolded a bed table to make eating easier.
“It may be inconvenient, but may I take a few photos of you eating?”
“What? Ah… yes, that’s fine.”
Why would he want to take photos of a sick person eating porridge? He could guess the reason easily. It was to report back to Lee Hae-sung.
With the same serious face as always, Manager Kang took photos from various angles and checked them; the sight was almost like a scene from a comedy. Feeling a laugh coming on, Hong-seo tried his best to focus only on eating the porridge.
“I’m sorry for bothering you in so many ways.”
“Not at all. If it weren’t for you, Mr. Hyeon-seo, the Vice Chairman wouldn’t have gone to work today either. I am grateful to you for persuading him.”
After Lee Hae-sung gave Choi Hong-seo the new name ‘Hyeon-seo,’ all of his employees began calling the ‘Vice Chairman’s VIP’ Mr. Hyeon-seo.
This was a welcome change for Hong-seo. Setting aside the emotion of being Lee Hae-sung’s VIP, he enjoyed being called by a name rather than a code by the people of this house.
Having finished the photography, Manager Kang sat back in the chair and watched to see how much more porridge Hong-seo would eat.
Normally, that taciturn and dignified gaze would have been uncomfortable, but today, he felt it was the perfect opportunity. Perhaps because he was still recovering, courage welled up inside him.
“Manager…”
“Yes.”
“May I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“I… want to give Hyung a gift. But I don’t have much sense when it comes to those things.”
“You already give him gifts quite often.”
“I want to give him something other than a tie. Could you give me some advice?”
“I believe the Vice Chairman will be happy regardless of what you give him, Mr. Hyeon-seo.”
“T-that’s true. That is true… but if possible, I want to give him something that truly fits Hyung’s taste.”
Hong-seo had also expected that Lee Hae-sung would be happy with whatever he gave. However, the fact that it looked that way to others—even to Manager Kang—made him embarrassed, and his gaze fixed onto the porridge bowl.
“How about couple looks?”
“Couple… looks?”
At the completely unexpected suggestion, Hong-seo unconsciously looked up at Manager Kang.
“I think something like the hooded sweatshirts that you enjoy wearing, Hyeon-seo, would be good.”
“It’s very different from Hyung’s usual taste… would he really like it?”
“I believe he would be extremely pleased.”
With an expressionless face that was no different from usual, Manager Kang emphasized this in a confident tone. When it came to Lee Hae-sung’s tastes, Manager Kang’s word was absolute. With a pale face, Hong-seo beamed a bright smile.
“I’m glad I asked you, Manager. Thank you.”
It was the most informal smile Hong-seo had ever given to Manager Kang, whom he had always found difficult to approach. The corners of Manager Kang’s mouth seemed to move slightly—just very slightly.
■
‘Jessica’ was quiet on Sunday evening.
It was even more so because of the pitter-patter of the falling rain. There were only one or two regulars occupying the bar seats, and the table seats were empty. It was almost worrying in terms of business.
Choi Hong-seo, Park Dong-ha, and Goo Yong-jae, who had finished a filling dinner of hot pot at a nearby restaurant, had just moved to ‘Jessica’ for a post-meal drink.
“Hyung, are you really okay? Shouldn’t you be heading home?”
Even as they took their seats at the innermost window spot they often frequented, Park Dong-ha looked uneasy.
“I’m perfectly fine. Didn’t you see me eating well earlier? It’s been a while since we met, it would be a shame to part ways already.”
Park Dong-ha and Yong-jae also knew that Choi Hong-seo had been sick all day yesterday.
Until around lunch today, Lee Hae-sung had been subtly pressuring Hong-seo, suggesting he cancel the appointment and rest more at home. However, the fever had already returned to normal last night, and his condition had fully recovered. Since it was an appointment the three of them had struggled to coordinate, he couldn’t cancel it. Unable to break Hong-seo’s stubbornness, Hae-sung had even contacted the other two separately, asking them to take good care of him so he wouldn’t overdo it, as Hyeon-seo had been very sick until yesterday.
“It’s just that I said those things on Friday, so I’m worried Hyung is overexerting himself…”
Friday. At the after-party for the L brand event, Park Dong-ha had threatened that if he skipped the gathering this time, he would be expelled. Seeing the expression of the boy who worried that a sick person might be pushing himself because of a joke he’d made, Hong-seo couldn’t help but laugh. He ruffled the boy’s hair and gave his shoulder a light shove.
“Do you really think I’d endure being sick and act just because I’m scared of Park Dong-ha?”
Only then did Park Dong-ha’s expression brighten a bit.
“I slept all day yesterday, so I’m completely fine. I slept so much that my condition is actually better than usual. You know Hae-sung Hyung is… a bit overprotective.”
“Hae-sung Hyung? Did you just say Hae-sung Hyung?”
Curiosity sparkled simultaneously in the eyes of Park Dong-ha and Yong-jae at the changed honorific.
“Is that so surprising? He’s older than me, so he’s Hyung.”
“Don’t play innocent. You’ve been calling him ‘Ahjussi’ until now.”
“I did call him Hyung occasionally in places you guys don’t know… and now, I’ve truly graduated from ‘Ahjussi.’”
“Ooh… looks like he’s serious this time?”
Seeing Choi Hong-seo’s quite determined expression, Park Dong-ha and Yong-jae looked at each other and found it amusing. Meanwhile, a staff member approached and left the menus, and Yong-jae spoke while gesturing for the two opposite him to choose first.
“Hyung, still, please don’t drink alcohol. If we let Hyung drink, we’ll really… be scolded by that person.”
As if ‘that person’ were lying in ambush somewhere watching them, Yong-jae lowered his large frame and lowered his voice while scanning the surroundings. Feeling sorry for Yong-jae, Hong-seo spread the menu in the center of the table.
“Alright, I’ll drink juice. You guys order whatever you want. You guys went shopping with me, so I’ll pay here too.”
The boys let out a strange sound—whether it was a jeer or a cheer—and dove into the menu.