By Zephyria 
“Did you sleep well, Lee A-gon?”
Opening the window to air out the room with the spring sunlight and breeze, Hae-jun spoke to Lee A-gon as he always did.
“The weather’s nice today. It’s warm from the morning.”
“…….”
“It would be really nice if you woke up on a day like today.”
He patted and straightened the bedding where he had slept and woken up. Folding the pillow and blanket and collapsing the cot turned it back into a sofa.
The casualties among the Esper troops on the day the first Gate opened were enormous. Twenty percent of the entire force died, and fifty percent were critically injured.
The Espers were taken to cooperating civilian hospitals that same day, and all were admitted. Since all the patients were Espers, from that point on, the civilian hospitals were treated the same as military hospitals.
Among them, Lee A-gon stayed in a special room. Naturally, it was a hospital room arranged through Umyung’s consideration. The interior was spacious, as if four regular rooms had been combined. The sofa that doubled as a bed for the caregiver was plush, and there was even a small attached kitchen to serve guests.
Guides who had partnered for treatment could stay with their paired Esper, and it was confirmed that their recovery was abnormally fast. After that, the military ordered Guides to actively cooperate in the treatment of Espers.
Hae-jun was, of course, assigned to Lee A-gon’s room. Since then, Hae-jun had not left Lee A-gon’s side for a single day.
“If you would just open your eyes, I could do anything for you.”
As always, Hae-jun spoke affectionately while wiping Lee A-gon’s face.
“I’ll grant you anything you want. I could even marry you.”
“Really… is that true?”
Then, Lee A-gon opened his eyes and asked that.
Hae-jun, who had been wiping Lee A-gon’s face, froze like ice.
“Huh? Please answer… me. Marriage… really…?”
Plop. Hae-jun dropped the towel he was wiping the face with and stumbled backward. Lee A-gon reached a hand toward Hae-jun. It was a request to answer quickly.
“Lee, A-gon?”
“Yes.”
He answered when his name was called. Hae-jun brought his hands together in front of him and clenched them tightly.
“Are you conscious? Really?”
“Yes.”
“Really… you’re awake?”
Lee A-gon obediently nodded his head. Oh my god. Hae-jun stumbled back again. Hot tears welled up.
“Hyung?”
“W-wait. Wait a moment. Just a moment.”
He turned his head to the side and exhaled sharply. He couldn’t believe the long-awaited moment had arrived, making it hard to breathe.
“Ah… right. I’m… hideous, right?”
Interpreting Hae-jun’s appearance in some way, Lee A-gon muttered despondently.
“What are you talking about?”
“I know. I’ve… become ugly, right? I know it too.”
With a weak motion, he touched his own face.
“I can tell… even without a mirror. I look very… hideous… right? Don’t I?”
“…….”
“But Hyung, even so…….”
Lee A-gon looked at Hae-jun with deep sorrow. His eyes were moist.
“Could you… forgive me? I won’t make a mistake… this time, so please, me…….”
His already small voice grew even fainter.
“Even though I’m hideous and ugly… but still… if you forgive me, I will you…….”
He couldn’t listen any longer. Hae-jun ran over and hugged Lee A-gon almost as if tackling him.
He could feel the living, conscious, awake Lee A-gon being bewildered. Hae-jun held Lee A-gon in his arms and burst into tears, huuuuung.
“Let’s get married!”
He could no longer bear Lee A-gon’s self-deprecating words. He wouldn’t let the man he loved most in the world belittle himself as ugly anymore.
“Marry me, Lee A-gon. Marry me.”
“H-Hyung?”
Lee A-gon’s body, held in his embrace, trembled violently.
“I’ll do anything if you want. I swore I’d do anything if you just opened your eyes.”
Hae-jun bit the neck of the man who had tormented his insides for the past three months. My Lee A-gon, whom I hate so much, hurt so much, and love so much.
“I told you, if you die, I’ll die too. So why did you try to die on your own? You’re bad. I hate you. I hate you. I love you. I really hate you.”
Huuuu. Hae-jun cried, smearing tears and snot. While crying, he repeated that he loved him and hated him, then pleaded to get married.
Lee A-gon stared at Hae-jun with a dazed face. It felt like dreaming right after waking from a long sleep.
With a stupid voice, he called, “Hyung?” and then lost his wits when Hae-jun lifted his head and looked up at him with tear-filled eyes.
“Did you just… ask me… to marry you?”
“Yeah.”
“B-but Hyung, you clearly… said you hated me… that you hated me.”
“When did I. That can’t be.”
“You did… This morning… You saw me open my eyes… and said you hated me… that it was painful.”
At the mention of ‘this morning,’ Hae-jun’s eyes widened. He had dreamed this morning. A dream where Lee A-gon opened his eyes and looked at him.
And in the dream, Hae-jun had said hateful things to Lee A-gon. Because he was resentful that he wouldn’t open his eyes. Because he hated him. He had said those things.
“N-no. I don’t hate you. How could I possibly hate you?”
Lee A-gon made an expression of disbelief. Even though he was already crying, Hae-jun felt like crying even more.
“I hated you for leaving me alone for too long. It was painful because you wouldn’t open your eyes. How long, how long have I waited for you. How much I love… you.”
He was so breathless he couldn’t even speak properly.
“Because I love… huuuuk, because I love you, I’ll marry, marry you.”
“Is that true?”
In response to Lee A-gon’s question, Hae-jun could only nod his head jerkily. Words wouldn’t come out.
“You’ll… marry me…?”
This time too, Hae-jun nodded his head roughly. Tears and snot poured out, making his own appearance truly hideous, but he didn’t feel the least bit self-conscious.
He just wanted to look at Lee A-gon. He wanted to look at Lee A-gon, awake and looking at him like this, forever.
“But.”
Lee A-gon was confused. He clearly remembered what had happened with Hae-jun before the monsters appeared. Hae-jun had hit him and hated him. The atmosphere back then was definitely not like this.
Lee A-gon, who had been rejected by Hae-jun countless times, had low self-esteem regarding himself. He shrank back again.
Lee A-gon could guess how hideous he must look now. Just looking at his own hand resting on the white sheet told him. The bulging, lumpy veins on the skeletal back of his hand, like a tree branch, were horrifying.
If his hand was in this state, his face was obvious even without looking. Ashamed of his hideous face, Lee A-gon bowed his head deeply.
A moment later, there was a drrrruk, the sound of a chair being pushed. Lee A-gon, who had been listening intently with sharpened ears, felt Hyung leaving the hospital room.
Of course.
Lee A-gon was greatly disappointed. He thought Hyung, who didn’t want to see this face, had finally left him.
But Hyung returned not long after and sat in the chair. Holding something long and shiny in his hand.
When Lee A-gon glanced over, Hyung let go of what he was holding with a thud — it was a gold necklace with a shiny small pendant.
“Listen carefully to what I say from now on, Lee A-gon.”
At Hyung’s solemn voice, Lee A-gon nodded his head without realizing it. Hyung lightly shook the necklace, then held it up to Lee A-gon’s eye level and spoke.
“Park Hae-jun only likes Lee A-gon.”
“……?”
“Park Hae-jun only wants to be with Lee A-gon.”
“Hyung, that thing now…”
“We’re a team. Best friends.”
Hae-jun continued firmly.
“Park Hae-jun will absolutely never betray Lee A-gon!”
Lee A-gon stared at Hae-jun with wide eyes. Hae-jun put down the necklace, biting his lip.
“If you’re not reassured, I’ll do it a hundred more times. If you still can’t feel at ease, I’ll go find a hypnotist and get hypnosis too.”
“…….”
“And if, even then, you can’t feel reassured.”
Hae-jun took a deep breath.
“Then you can get me pregnant, Lee A-gon.”
At those words, implying he should try until Lee A-gon’s heart was settled whether it was possible or not, Lee A-gon’s eyes widened to their limit. Hae-jun covered his eyes with his sleeve and spoke while sniffling.
“I asked you to marry me, you fool. When on earth are you going to answer?”
The answer to the proposal had not yet come. Hae-jun collapsed, crying his eyes out.
No matter how difficult things got, he never cried. Not when his parents divorced. Not when his mother left. Not even when Professor Seok stole his screenplay.
It was Lee A-gon who made Hae-jun cry. Hae-jun always cried because of Lee A-gon.
“D-don’t cry, Hyung.”
Lee A-gon fidgeted anxiously, comforting Hae-jun. Even Lee A-gon’s voice saying that was choked with tears.
“Let’s get married. Let’s get… married. Let’s do it. Ah, Hyung. Please.”
The two held hands and cried their eyes out. Finally receiving a proposal from Hyung, Lee A-gon leaned on Hae-jun’s shoulder and cried until he couldn’t breathe. Amidst it all, Hae-jun pulled one hand back, saying this necklace was borrowed from a nurse and shouldn’t get snot on it.
As the commotion grew, a nurse opened the door and came in, discovering Lee A-gon with his eyes open. The commotion grew even louder.
A white butterfly flew in through the open window. The butterfly flew around above the heads of the flustered people, then landed on the bouquet of flowers Hae-jun had placed and leisurely fluttered its wings.
It was the beginning of spring.
<End>