PAO 55

Seowon, who had woken from sleep, lifted his heavy eyelids. As he blinked, he soon saw the ceiling, submerged in darkness. He had no idea how long he had slept or what time it was now. However, in his current state with his heavy body, none of that was something he could easily find out.

“Hoo….”

From the moment he opened his eyes, he felt overwhelmed. The blanket covering his body was heavy, and his throat was tight, making it difficult to even swallow his saliva. On top of that, his left hand would not move as he willed it, so it seemed he probably would not be able to get up. Just as he closed his eyes, thinking it would be better to quickly go back to sleep and replenish his energy…

“You’re awake?”

A familiar voice was heard as it shook his body. He opened his eyes again, but Junghoo’s stomach, already close, filled his entire field of vision, so he could not see his face.

“You’re thirsty, right?”

As soon as he heard Junghoo’s words, he felt an unbearable thirst. While he was sticking out his tongue to wet his lips, Junghoo’s hand slipped under his back. And as his body was lifted regardless of his own will, Seowon was finally able to meet Junghoo’s eyes.

“Can you drink?”

“Yeah.”

When Seowon nodded his head, Junghoo brought a cup of water to his lips. And as he slowly tilted it to let him drink the water, Seowon looked at the water with his eyes half-lowered. He could clearly feel everything, from the water entering his mouth to it going down his throat.

“Hah.”

He let out a deep breath at the coolness the water provided. While Seowon closed his eyes and caught his breath, Junghoo, who had placed the water cup on the bedside table, sat on the bed. He placed a pillow behind Seowon’s back and held him so that he could rest comfortably.

“Wait just a minute. I’m letting the porridge cool, so eat that and then sleep.”

“Porridge?”

At Seowon’s puzzled question, Junghoo reached out and caressed his face.

“You slept for a whole day. So eat something and then sleep.”

“A day….”

When he was told how long he had been with his eyes closed, Seowon was about to nod his head but hesitated.

“Don’t move like that. It will put a strain on your body right now.”

“You….”

Seowon looked at Junghoo, who was arranging a pillow up to his head and covering him with a blanket.

“Why?”

“Are you really Yoo Junghoo?”

He had so much he wanted to say, but that was all he managed to get out. At Seowon’s question, Junghoo’s body trembled as he laughed. Junghoo, who let out a short breath to shake off the laughter, brushed Seowon’s hair back.

“No.”

“What.”

He was the one who asked the suspicious question first, but that did not mean he would meekly accept it. He was asking him to explain why he had changed so much, but if he admitted it like that, there was nothing left to say.

Well, if Junghoo would not tell him, he just had to find out for himself.

“Stay still.”

Seowon stopped Junghoo’s movement and then slowly scanned down from his face. After seeing his much more comfortable face, the pheromones floating gently, and even the smile appearing on his lips, Seowon shook his head. He had confirmed that he was better before he collapsed anyway, but he was doing even better than he had expected.

“He lived.”

And I died.

He realized the reason he could not move his hand was because of the IV drip.

As Seowon summed it up in one phrase, Junghoo once again burst into the laughter he had barely been holding back. Now, he did not even think of trying to hold it in. He collapsed right on top of Seowon’s body, laughing, and the sound echoed so pleasantly.

“You’re heavy.”

If he had his way, he would want to smack him on the head, but his darn left hand could not even wiggle. Seowon had so little strength in his body that he only rebuked him with words.

“Are you not hurt anywhere else?”

“I hurt from head to toe.”

He was asking the obvious. Who was it that had said not to overdo it because it would strain the body.

“Should I call Yoo Taeha?”

“Is Taeha hyung some kind of on-call squad? Leave him be.”

Seowon, who had brought him for that very purpose, let it go magnanimously.

“You said you’re in pain now.”

“Yeah. I’m going to get a checkup when I go to Seoul. From head to toe, very thoroughly….”

Seowon ground his teeth, as if he would never just let it go. With the thought that if he did not cherish the body he had given up for Junghoo, who would….

He wondered how long it had been since he had such a lighthearted thought. His heart had been heavy all along, knowing that Junghoo was sick. That was why Junghoo’s clear laughter was annoying, yet also nice to hear.

“Why do you keep laughing. You acted like a crazy bastard all this time and almost disappeared as a sick crazy bastard, are you happy? Are you?”

It was something he could not bring himself to say before. It would have been a relief if he were just a crazy bastard, but the fact that he was sick had bothered him so much.

“I always wanted to tell you.”

Junghoo intertwined his fingers between Seowon’s. Then, he gently stroked the back of his hand with his thumb. It was ticklish, and Seowon wanted to smack his hand away right then and there, but barely managing to wiggle his fingers was the most he could do.

“I wanted to tell you everything about me. But that was difficult.”

Listening to Junghoo’s words, which were like a regret, Seowon tilted his head. Junghoo caressed Seowon’s face.

“When I confessed to you… I was about to go through my presentation.”

“No wonder you confessed out of the blue.”

It was in the 3rd year of middle school. He had already known about Junghoo’s feelings for him, but he had confessed that he liked him quite seriously. Seowon, whose sleepiness had now completely vanished, recalled the past.

The kid who used to follow him around saying he liked him when they were young had grown up tall and was subtly following him around saying he liked him. It might be one and the same, but at least it was not to the point where he looked like a weirdo. After confessing like that, he said he would wait for his answer and then left. He disappeared.

“I was going to tell you that I had now presented and become an alpha…. But that didn’t go well.”

Junghoo let out a heavy breath.

“I couldn’t have a normal presentation. A pheromone rut happened and it was a whole mess. Then, finding out that someone had been affected by my pheromones and collapsed… I couldn’t go to you.”

“Back then, I wasn’t even an Omega, so why.”

“Just. Because it’s you.”

Junghoo let out a long breath.

“I was afraid you would get hurt, so I planned to show up after finishing my treatment.”

“Tsk. And that’s how several years passed.”

Since Junghoo had vanished overnight without him knowing any of the circumstances, the disappointment from that time still remained. Junghoo, who caught a glimpse of that emotion, gave a bittersweet smile.

“I didn’t know it would take this long either.”

Even then, he had not fully recovered and had come looking for Seowon, wanting to see him one last time, so what more was there to say.

“The porridge should be cool by now.”

Saying to wait just a moment, Junghoo went outside, and Seowon let out a long sigh. His own situation, which he had forgotten while talking just now, came into view.

“Is it a relief that it ended with just this much?”

The fact that he was in pain was no exaggeration, so there was not a single place that did not throb, but at least he did not feel any major problems. He found himself absurd for thinking this was a relief, but it was not wrong either.

As he raised his eyes to check how much of the IV fluid had gone in, the door opened and someone came in. He thought it was Junghoo, but it was another person.

“May I come in?”

It was Yoo Taeha.

“Oh, come in.”

Seowon hastily tried to sit up, but his arms gave out from lack of strength, revealing his frustrated feelings.

“There’s no need to get up. I came because I heard you woke up, not to tell you to get up.”

Yoo Taeha naturally circled the bed and hung one more IV bag on the stand.

“To think I’d end up using this on you instead of Junghoo. Anyway, it’s a nutritional supplement, so lie down until you finish this.”

Yoo Taeha, who had finished the treatment, looked down at Seowon and said.

“No, wait. You can’t get up, can you.”

“Hyung….”

To talk like that when he knew why he had ended up this way. Seowon pouted his lips as if he were thoroughly disappointed. At that expression, Yoo Taeha smiled slightly and perched on the edge of the bed. He patted Seowon’s head as if he were proud.

“Thank you.”

“I don’t know if it’s completely gone yet. He needs to be examined, too.”

Seowon expressed that it was too early to receive thanks, but he did not push Yoo Taeha’s hand away. He did not have the strength to, but he also did it because he had inwardly realized that Junghoo had gotten quite, very much better.

“I will be sure to repay this debt.”

“Originally, I was going to get it all from Junghoo, but if you say so, hyung… I’ll accept it.”

Because right now, he could joke around with a light heart. Seowon smiled a relaxed smile and conversed with Yoo Taeha.

Then, Seowon fell asleep without realizing it, and Yoo Taeha saw Junghoo standing by the door.

“The porridge has gotten cold.”

Junghoo, who had intended to go in after their conversation ended, looked at the porridge on the tray. He had even woken him up so he would eat and sleep, but Yoo Taeha had put him back to sleep.

“He’ll be getting plenty of glucose, so he won’t collapse from hunger.”

Yoo Taeha stood up as if to say what a worrywart, and walked past Junghoo.

“You’re going to stay here, right?”

It was a question that seemed to ask if Junghoo’s examination was not a priority over Seowon’s treatment. Junghoo, who had placed the cold porridge on the bedside table, wiped the cold sweat that had formed on Seowon’s face with his hand.

“I’m not going.”

“Don’t be like that. It looks like it’ll be a while before Seowon wakes up, so how about getting even a simple treatment?”

“I have to watch him for a long time.”

“….”

Even though Yoo Taeha was at a loss for words, Junghoo was busy only looking at Seowon.

“I have to look at sleeping Seowon’s face. Every minute, every second is precious.”

“That’s an incurable disease, that is….”

His pheromones seemed to have stabilized for the most part, but his crazy behavior towards Seowon had not improved at all.

“Do as you please. But I’ll be nearby just in case it gets dangerous.”

“Have a good trip.”

Just as Yoo Taeha gave up on everything and was about to go to the next room, Junghoo turned to look at him for the first time.

“A good trip? What, should I go grocery shopping or something?”

“Father must have come here.”

“You quick-witted bastard.”