The terrible night passed.
The act of suppressing the person who was flailing in terror and sucking his tongue continued. Park Hae-jun forced up the head of Lee A-gon, who cowered in fear against his chest seeing who knows what, and kissed him. Like a foolish fairy tale protagonist trying to save a dying person with a kiss, he endlessly repeated the kissing.
Nevertheless, when Lee A-gon’s body temperature began to rise again, Park Hae-jun collapsed onto the bed and turned his back on Lee A-gon. When he heard the wailing sound from behind, he covered his ears with both hands and shook his head weakly.
Ability user and helper. A game born as a matched pair, but where one side is forever “it.”
‘Why were we born like this? Why must I forcibly kiss you when you’re in pain?’
‘Does this act really heal you?’
It was unbelievable, but he had to believe it. There was no other answer.
“I’ll make you better.”
Park Hae-jun raised himself again. He had to save this man with a kiss.
“I’ll save you.”
So kiss.
Let’s kiss, Lee A-gon.
Young beast crying tears. Poor Lee A-gon. Park Hae-jun sucked on his tongue and tears, repeatedly telling himself. That he would make him better. That he would save him. That he should not be afraid and go to sleep.
He whispered to Lee A-gon.
The visiting doctor arrived only when the sun began to rise. Park Hae-jun, looking like he was about to collapse, greeted the doctor. Lee A-gon, who had been in such pain all night, had finally fallen asleep. His fever had subsided, and he was breathing properly.
The doctor checked Lee A-gon’s vitals. Park Hae-jun expected him to give some incredible medicine that would immediately improve Lee A-gon’s condition. He thought the doctor would explain to him in a firm tone what the nightmarish situation from last night had been. But the doctor just attached an IV to Lee A-gon’s hand and then turned around as if he was done.
“There are signs of dehydration, but otherwise he looks fine. Make sure he gets enough fluids, and remove the IV in about three hours when it’s finished. Just rub it with an alcohol swab.”
“Is that it?”
The doctor was about to leave after saying just that. Park Hae-jun blocked the doctor’s path and asked in disbelief.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“When he’s so sick, shouldn’t you do something more?”
The doctor made an expression of incomprehension. It was absurd. Of course he should do something more. The boy had been in so much pain all night!
“What is that IV?”
“Glucose.”
“You came all the way here just to set up that one thing?”
The doctor, who had been staring blankly, nodded his head and went down the stairs. Park Hae-jun was angry. He’s a doctor. Shouldn’t he be doing something more? The boy was in so much pain last night.
“Wait, doctor. Just wait a moment.”
As he was about to follow him down, the house phone rang. It would be Secretary Yang. Park Hae-jun glared at the doctor’s back as he picked up the receiver. And before Secretary Yang could say anything, he quickly poured out his words.
“Secretary Yang? This doctor is strange. I think you need to send someone else.”
—What did Dr. Kim do?
“He just set up one IV and is trying to leave!”
Park Hae-jun earnestly explained to Secretary Yang how Lee A-gon had been the night before. How high his fever was. How much he suffered. And he passionately expressed how irresponsible the doctor was to leave such a patient.
—Mr. Park Hae-jun, calm down.
“That person just set up an IV. Just glucose. The kid could have died, and now…!”
—This might be your first time seeing this, but we’ve seen it countless times.
“…”
—We also initially kept Lee A-gon overnight after providing care and then admitted him to a rehabilitation center. Then Lee A-gon would recover his health and repeatedly use his ability to escape the facility without permission.
“Ability?”
—I mean the ESP ability.
“…”
—Mr. Park Haejun?
“Yes.”
Park Hae-jun cleared his throat once.
—Can you not hear well?
“No. Go ahead.”
Park Hae-jun’s body slid down to the floor. Suddenly, as if someone had thrown a cup of water in his face, he came to his senses.
He knows. Lee A-gon is an ability user. Of course, that was a fact he had known from the beginning. Even last night, hadn’t he thought about why this guy was born as an ability user and suffering so much? He just hadn’t thought that he could “really” use his abilities.
Because of the intensity of their first meeting and the foolish behavior he had observed since then, Park Hae-jun had somehow come to see him not as an ability user but as Lee A-gon the individual, mistaking his strange behaviors as Lee A-gon’s original nature.
—Lee A-gon has lived in that house since he was fourteen. It was a measure to hide the side effects of his awakening from everyone. We didn’t know either, but it seems he was already using drugs at that time. It seems you found what he had hidden.
“…”
—Mr. Park Hae-jun, this is a good thing.
“How is this a good thing?”
The fact that this wasn’t the first time Lee A-gon had been confined in this house, and that he had found and used drugs he had hidden before. Which of these was supposed to be a good thing?
—That house has already been searched multiple times to find drugs. We even brought in drug-sniffing dogs. Don’t you understand? The fact that he found the drugs that were so well hidden means he remembered where he had hidden them.
Secretary Yang seemed to laugh on the other end of the phone.
—The assistance is working.
Park Hae-jun held the receiver with a dazed face, saying nothing.
—You are doing well, Mr. Park Hae-jun. The last time he was hospitalized, it took three months for his condition to improve this much. This is very fast.
“…”
—I ask for your continued efforts. Please don’t worry about Lee A-gon’s health. This is something we’ve experienced many times before. Well then.
Once again, Secretary Yang finished what he had to say and hung up. Park Hae-jun stared at the phone making a dial tone with a bewildered face.
Even by evening, Lee A-gon hadn’t regained consciousness.
His temperature was 37.7 degrees, indicating a mild fever. Fortunately, everything else was normal. His breathing was a bit rapid, but within the normal range, and his cold sweats had stopped.
“Lee A-gon, let’s eat and sleep.”
Park Hae-jun shook Lee A-gon’s shoulder. Lee A-gon had eaten one bowl of porridge yesterday morning. Since then, he had been sick without eating anything, so Park Hae-jun needed to feed him something.
“Lee A-gon. Lee A-gon. “
After shaking Lee A-gon a few more times, Park Hae-jun sighed and gave up. The sunlight outside was fading. The terribly difficult day was coming to an end.
Park Hae-jun pushed aside the bowl of porridge he had brought to feed Lee A-gon and placed his palm on Lee A-gon’s chest. Beneath his palm, he could feel the heart beating. It meant he was alive. That heartbeat felt so good that Park Hae-jun couldn’t take his hand off Lee A-gon’s chest for a while.
“So the assistance was effective.”
Park Hae-jun muttered as if talking to himself. The sunset shining between the curtains created a bright orange band. That band made Lee A-gon’s cheeks look flushed, which was pleasing to see.
Though the power was weak, the assistance he had been providing had been effective. Learning this was the only good thing about this situation. Now Park Hae-jun could assist Lee A-gon with more confidence.
When he gripped and pressed Lee A-gon’s jaw joint, his mouth opened. Park Hae-jun inserted his tongue through the gap. And he sucked on Lee A-gon’s tongue deeply and wetly.
The bright orange sunlight had now turned wine-colored. Until then, Park Hae-jun continued to suck on Lee A-gon’s tongue, which tasted of blood, and rubbed his lips. That was the only weapon he had. Park Hae-jun had to bring back Lee A-gon’s consciousness with this insignificant weapon.
The sunset faded and darkness fell. Just as Park Hae-jun, short of breath, was about to pull back his lips, Lee A-gon pulled on Park Hae-jun’s tongue with a very faint strength. It was so weak that Park Hae-jun thought he was imagining it, but immediately Lee A-gon pursed his lips and held onto Park Hae-jun.
Thin, white fingers crawled up through the air and grabbed Park Hae-jun’s arm. Gulp, Lee A-gon sucked in Park Hae-jun’s tongue and saliva like holy water and finally opened his eyes.
Park Hae-jun, on the verge of tears, said, “Lee A-gon. Hello?”
A tear that had been welling up fell with those words and gathered at the tip of his chin. Park Hae-jun quickly wiped away the tear.
Lee A-gon had revived. Last night, Park Hae-jun had wished for all his strength to go to Lee A-gon. Whether it was assistance or whatever, he wanted it all to go to him. He wanted him to live because of it.
Lee A-gon really did come back to life. Like Sleeping Beauty in the forest, like Snow White who had swallowed poison, he opened his eyes after receiving Park Hae-jun’s kiss.
With tears flowing down his lips, Park Hae-jun gently smiled and stroked Lee A-gon’s cheek.
‘Lee A-gon, who woke up like a princess with a kiss. Too thin, too sick, my drug addict princess Lee A-gon.’
He had so much he wanted to say when Lee A-gon woke up, but what actually flowed from his lips were words of reproach.
“Why did you do that?”
“…”
“Why on earth did you do that, Lee A-gon? “
Even in the darkness, Lee A-gon’s white face was visible. So pale that he looked sickly.
“Didn’t you know this would happen?”
“You’re a drug addict. Don’t you even know what a proper dose is? Are you stupid?”
“Do you want to die?”
“Why did you do it? Why on earth… Do you know how shocked I was? You really…”
Park Hae-jun lightly grabbed Lee A-gon’s collar and then let go. A sigh escaped him. He was so thankful that Lee A-gon had woken up, and also so angry.
The words he had murmured last night about making him better, about saving him, were actually a commitment to himself. It was because he was too scared not to say such things.
“Kid, at least give me an explanation.”
Thud, Park Hae-jun hit Lee A-gon’s chest and shed another tear. He was surprised at his own behavior. He didn’t cry often. Even when the incident with Professor Seok happened, he hadn’t cried. But for some reason, now he felt like he would burst if someone just scratched him lightly. He felt like a very sensitive person.
“Park Hae-jun hyung.”
If Lee A-gon hadn’t spoken at that moment, Park Hae-jun would have really burst into tears. Park Hae-jun stared at Lee A-gon with eyes brimming with tears. Lee A-gon wiped away his tears and said in a very small voice: Park Hae-jun hyung. He definitely did.
“…Lee A-gon?”
Lee A-gon, who had been looking up at Park Hae-jun with gentle eyes, closed his eyes again.
“Hey. Did you just… Lee A-gon?”
The sound of more comfortable, steady breathing could be heard. Lee A-gon had thrown a bomb and fallen asleep. Park Hae-jun stared blankly at that face, frozen with an expression as if he had seen a ghost.