By Zephyria The permission to go to the hospital was certainly something to be grateful for, but the time he spent by Hyung’s side felt excessively short. Moreover, it strangely sounded like he was being told to commute from his house.
“Ah… there’s a bus that goes directly from Seonam to the hospital. The intervals aren’t exactly short, so—”
“What are you talking about? We agreed to live together at my house for the time being, didn’t we?”
“…Pardon?”
“Did you not understand, or are you pretending to be dense even though you did?”
What benefit was there to acting foolish? Just then, the elevator doors opened. Kwon Tae-hee ushered Seo Jeong-won inside as if confining him, and replayed the situation from earlier. An unsettling feeling swirled within him at Seo Gyu-won’s awakening. He couldn’t shake off the humid, unpleasant, and unsettling feeling.
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Kwon Tae-hee’s attitude had been cold for days. Seo Jeong-won spent those days thinking he needed to lift his spirits. Even while worrying, he diligently went back and forth to the hospital.
Seo Gyu-won’s condition worsened with each passing day. The doctor in charge explained that it was because his organs weren’t functioning properly after being in a coma for so long. Seo Jeong-won had thought that he would be able to leave the hospital as soon as Hyung woke up, but reality was different from his imagination. Only then did Seo Jeong-won realize how absurd and ridiculous his delusion had been.
Seo Gyu-won spent most of the day asleep, but he still tried to stay awake for a little while when Seo Jeong-won was there. He didn’t do anything special. He just stared at him with eyes that were gradually becoming more clouded.
“Hyung, what’s wrong? Do you have something to say?”
“…”
“You can sleep if you’re tired.”
At the gentle voice, Seo Gyu-won blinked once. His sleepy eyes quickly became blurred. Seo Jeong-won gently tapped the back of Seo Gyu-won’s hand, which he was carefully holding, and sighed softly. He strangely wanted to stay longer today. To do that, he needed Kwon Tae-hee’s permission, but these days, he couldn’t even say that he was on good terms with him, even as a formality, so he was reluctant to call.
Just then, the driver came up to the hospital room to let him know it was time to leave. Seo Jeong-won took out his phone to delay the time he had to go back even a little.
“Um, I’ll just make a quick call. If Hyung wakes up, please tell him I’ll come back.”
The caregiver, who was knitting at the tea table by the window, nodded at the sudden voice.
“Go ahead.”
“…Yes.”
As he left the hospital room, the driver, who had been waiting in front, brightened and took the lead, but soon stopped at the sound of a small voice calling out.
“Excuse me…! Could I possibly call Executive Director?”
“Yes? Ah, please wait a moment while I check with Chief Jung.”
“Yes, thank you.”
The driver stepped back a few paces. Seo Jeong-won sat down on the waiting seat in front of the hospital room and waited for him to return. He came back quickly.
“He says he’s in a meeting right now. He said he’ll call you soon, so please wait a little longer.”
“…Yes.”
The waiting time felt long even though it wouldn’t be more than a few minutes. Unable to hide his anxiousness, he unconsciously shook his leg slightly, and then his phone vibrated.
“Ah, hello? Executive Director, this is… Jeong-won.”
—Yes, what’s wrong?
“Well… um, on the way back, if it’s okay, could I stop by the flower shop?”
—Why?
Kwon Tae-hee’s voice lowered at the words that he wouldn’t go straight home. He sighed before even hearing the reason. Seo Jeong-won felt a sense of intimidation and opened his mouth.
“The fish. The fish look like they’re going to die. I haven’t fed them, and the water must have dried up a lot in the past few days. The flower shop has been empty for too long too…”
—Ah, that’s true. Well, how about this then?
“Yes? How about…”
—I’ll go to the hospital now, so let’s stop by together and then go in.
At the unexpected answer, words reflexively popped out.
“Yes? You don’t have to, you really don’t have to…”
—Are you saying you don’t want to?
At the sharp question, Seo Jeong-won jumped up from his seat. Then, he shook his head vigorously and immediately blurted out that it wasn’t true.
“That’s not it, it’s not that Executive Director is busy, so there’s no need to go out of your way for me… Thank you for making time. It’s not that I don’t want to. Really, it’s not.”
—Wait there. It’ll take about an hour.
“Yes, please come safely.”
Kwon Tae-hee hung up without answering. Seo Jeong-won didn’t know that and kept the phone to his ear for a long time. Then, he realized that the call had ended only after checking the screen because there was so little noise. Seo Jeong-won told the driver, who was standing as if waiting for him, the news and went back into the hospital room.
“Oh, you’re back so soon? Did the call go well?”
“Yes.”
Seo Jeong-won’s gaze naturally turned to Seo Gyu-won, and the caregiver quickly added.
“Gyu-won hasn’t woken up.”
“That’s a relief.”
The short conversation quickly ended. The caregiver went back to knitting, and Seo Jeong-won sat next to the bed again and looked at Seo Gyu-won as before. Then, he took his neatly placed hand again and gently stroked his dry hand.
“When I look at you, it’s like Jeong-won is the Hyung. And Gyu-won is the younger brother.”
“Yes? Ah…”
“Perhaps these words are a bit uncomfortable? I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s not uncomfortable. It’s okay.”
After that, the conversation continued intermittently, but no topic was dragged on for long. Because he was trying so hard to find something hopeful, he had nothing to say.
Seo Jeong-won smiled bitterly and stared at Seo Gyu-won again. His eyelids fluttered as if he was dreaming something. His smooth brow also furrowed. Seo Jeong-won quietly reached out and gently smoothed it out, moving his fingers along the shape of his eyebrows.
At the affectionate touch, the caregiver sighed. Her heart, feeling sorry for him, was expressed without restraint. An awkward silence followed. Only the sound of the humidifier emitting moisture occasionally rang out. Seo Jeong-won was stroking Seo Gyu-won’s neatly manicured nails, wondering how he could spend a little more time with Hyung, when the hospital room door opened. Both the caregiver and Seo Jeong-won turned their heads towards the source of the sound.
“Oh, my. Hello.”
The caregiver was the first to greet him. She smiled brightly and welcomed Kwon Tae-hee’s visit.
“…Did you have a good trip?”
“Yes, lunch?”
“I haven’t eaten yet, the time is a bit awkward… What about Executive Director?”
“Me neither.”
Kwon Tae-hee, who had come closer, lightly embraced Seo Jeong-won’s shoulders. He also pressed his lips to the side of his head as if it were a greeting. The caregiver watched the two of them quietly, wondering if she should excuse herself for a moment.
“Shall we go now?”
“Ah, Hyung is… still sleeping. If he wakes up—”
“Wouldn’t it be too late then?”
“I’m just feeling uneasy today… I think it would be good to see him wake up.”
Even at the voice that was more of a plea than a request, Kwon Tae-hee’s reaction was lukewarm. He glanced at Seo Gyu-won lying on the bed with a nonchalant gaze and then made eye contact with Seo Jeong-won again. He looked at him as if gauging something, then grabbed the caregiver who was moving to avoid the situation and handed her a card.
“If you haven’t eaten, please go and have a meal.”
“Yes…? Ah, yes. Thank you.”
The caregiver took the card and put it in her pocket even though she had already eaten lunch. She winked at Seo Jeong-won as if giving him a signal and quickly left the hospital room.
The only people in the space, which was filled with uncomfortable silence, were the two of them and Seo Gyu-won, who was lying down. Kwon Tae-hee didn’t sit down in a suitable place, but instead pulled Seo Jeong-won, who was standing by the bed. His indifferent attitude changed to a gentle one, as it had always been.
“What have you been doing until now without eating lunch?”
“…I slept in and ate breakfast late.”
“I should have woken you up before I left.”
The voice whispering in his ear as if full of affection was endlessly ticklish. Seo Jeong-won shrugged his shoulders but didn’t push Kwon Tae-hee away. Rather, he moved his stiff hand and subtly grabbed the hem of his jacket.
“I thought you were angry. You kept…”
“That’s right. I was in a bad mood for a while.”
“…”
“It’s strange. It’s hard to keep getting angry when I see Jeong-won.”
Kwon Tae-hee, who naturally raised Seo Jeong-won’s head, kissed him as he was. He bit and released the chapped and dry ends of his lips, licking them without deepening the kiss, and soon pushed his tongue into the gap that had opened.
“Ha… um, just a moment. Not here—”
“Open your mouth wider.”
The wet flesh rubbed against each other, making wet sounds. Seo Jeong-won’s cheeks quickly flushed hot. Kwon Tae-hee leisurely enjoyed watching him tremble even when he only licked the inside of his mouth, then grabbed the back of his neck and tilted Seo Jeong-won’s head back further. He put his tongue all the way to the root of his tongue into his wide-open mouth, sucking and licking every corner of the mucous membrane, and snatched the tongue that was constantly trying to escape.
“Heu…!”
Then, a clattering noise, as if something had been touched, pierced his ears. Surprised, Seo Jeong-won pushed Kwon Tae-hee away strongly. He cut off the saliva that was connected like silver thread and rubbed the wet mouth with the back of his hand.
Kwon Tae-hee’s eyes, which had been fixed on his face that had been flushed red, moved as if drawing a line. The Intravenous drip shook. It was the sound caused by Seo Jeong-won touching the stand as he was pushed back.
Kwon Tae-hee carefully gauged whether Seo Gyu-won had woken up. Fortunately, Seo Gyu-won, who was lying on the bed, was still and without any small movements. His heart rate seemed to rise a little, but it was difficult to see that he had woken up.