Chapter 91
In the end, after the morning examination, Joo Kwon-oh insisted on going through with the discharge procedures. This was because he could receive the same physical therapy in Seoul anyway, and he angrily said he couldn’t stay here any longer.
The doctor didn’t seem to be particularly against it either. He coolly allowed the discharge, just telling Kwon-oh to make sure to get regular check-ups.
I tried to persuade him to stay in the hospital as initially recommended, but when even the doctor said he could be discharged, I had nothing more to say.
Joo Kwon-oh seemed excited as he changed clothes and packed his things. He didn’t look like a sick person at all.
He efficiently packed his belongings into his bag with just one hand. Every now and then, he would laugh to himself for no apparent reason.
I don’t know why, but every time he did that, heat rushed to my face.
“Why is your lip sticking out?”
“I’m not.”
“It’s sticking out this far even now.”
After packing everything, Joo Kwon-oh teased me about my expression. I’m just a bit tense because I’m worried. I’m not pouting like a child.
“You didn’t even tell your family you’re being discharged.”
“It’s fine. They’re too busy to worry about it anyway.”
“Still, you should tell your guardian.”
“You’re my guardian, Ryu Jeong-ha.”
“Kwon-oh…”
“You heard the doctor say I could be discharged earlier. I’ll get proper check-ups in Seoul too. So cheer up, okay?”
As he gently persuaded me, I couldn’t keep insisting.
“…Okay. Did you make sure to get the prescription?”
“Of course. Let’s go now.”
Joo Kwon-oh said as he slung the bag over his uninjured shoulder. I offered to carry it, but he absolutely refused and insisted on carrying the heavy luggage himself.
We decided not to go straight to Seoul, but to first go to the busy area to buy Joo Kwon-oh’s new phone.
For the first time in my life, I witnessed someone winning a battle of wits against a phone store employee. And that someone was, of course, Joo Kwon-oh.
Apparently, using a budget phone with a self-service plan gives a vague feeling of slower internet speed. He said it was more comfortable to use an unlimited data plan from a major carrier, so he deliberately bought the phone directly from the store.
Joo Kwon-oh knew more about contract calculations and rate plans than the experts. He recited family discount benefits, credit card benefits, and cashback options without hesitation.
The store employee, who initially pushed various products and insisted on payment according to their recommendations, started to just nod quietly at some point in response to Joo Kwon-oh’s rebuttals.
After listening to Joo Kwon-oh for a few minutes, the employee brought out the paperwork and filled out the purchase contract.
I watched this scene curiously from the side. It was the complete opposite of my shopping style, as I always buy unlocked phones and just change the SIM card, not confident enough to have long conversations with carrier employees.
“Ah. Finally feels like I can live now that I have a phone. But can I recover the previous KakaoTalk messages? If they’re all gone, I’m really going to kill that bastard.”
Joo Kwon-oh muttered savagely as we left the phone store.
“I think you can. If you log in by syncing your ID, it should all come back.”
“I saved all the peach photos so that’s fine, but I’m not sure if the chat history will be recovered.”
“Are we going straight to Seoul now?”
“I think I need to stop by my family home to pack some things. And process some documents needed because of the accident.”
Joo Kwon-oh said while fiddling with his phone and glancing at me.
“Okay, then. Can I come too?”
“Are you sure? We’re not going straight to Seoul. If we leave after stopping by the house, we’ll arrive in Seoul at night.”
“It’s fine.”
“Alright. Let’s go, then.”
So we ended up going to Joo Kwon-oh’s family home where he lives with his dad and brother.
He seemed worried that I might want to go back to Seoul right away, but that wasn’t the case at all. Rather, I was secretly excited at the thought of being able to see the house where Joo Kwon-oh spent his school days.
I’m glad I followed him to Yongin after all. It was a bit reckless, but it was worth it.
The family home wasn’t far from the busy area where we bought the phone. It was about a ten-minute taxi ride away.
I had already heard that Joo Kwon-oh’s father’s business was doing well and they had moved to a better house, but it wasn’t just “a bit” better. It was a large apartment complex with good community facilities.
“Wow, nice.”
As soon as Joo Kwon-oh unlocked the door after we got off the elevator, a spacious and bright living room came into view.
“But where’s the rest of your family?”
“How could they be home at this hour? They don’t come back until dawn, so make yourself comfortable.”
“Okay. Do you have a lot to pack?”
“No, not much. Oh, want to see my room? It’s over there.”
“Yes!”
My heart fluttered at Joo Kwon-oh’s offer to show me his room. I was actually wondering how to ask permission to see it without seeming too nosy. I was grateful that Joo Kwon-oh offered first.
If it were me, I wouldn’t easily show someone my room at my family home because I wouldn’t like others entering it. But Joo Kwon-oh didn’t seem to mind at all.
“Look around. I’m going to check if there’s anything to eat in the kitchen.”
“Ah, wait…”
I hastily grabbed Joo Kwon-oh as he was about to leave the room. He looked down at me as if asking why.
I swallowed dryly and cautiously opened my mouth.
“Kwon-oh. Um. Can I touch the photo frame on the desk?”
“Why are you asking about that? You can rummage around and mess things up if you want.”
Joo Kwon-oh answered nonchalantly and left the room. So, with permission, I started to freely explore Joo Kwon-oh’s room.
It was an ordinary space with a desk, bookshelf, wardrobe, bed, and a study lamp for exam preparation. Objectively, there was nothing special about it, but the occasional personal items with Joo Kwon-oh’s touch made the place special.
Unable to hide my excited expression, I picked up a photo frame of Joo Kwon-oh holding a bouquet at his elementary school graduation ceremony, standing with his family. His hair was very short and round. And for an elementary school student, his eyes were very sharp.
Like a potato. A handsome potato.
He looked especially short, probably because his dad and brother were standing on either side of him.
“Cute.”
I muttered contentedly and continued exploring the room. Just then, Joo Kwon-oh, who had been in the living room, opened the door and came in.
“Done looking around? Want some fruit?”
“Ah, no. I haven’t seen anything yet…”
I shook my head vigorously in denial, and Joo Kwon-oh looked puzzled.
“What? What is there to see in this small room?”
“There’s so much to see. I’ll eat the fruit later.”
At my words, Joo Kwon-oh shrugged while checking the time.
“Hmm… I have some paperwork to deal with because of that forklift driver bastard. Is it okay if I go out for a bit?”
“You mean leave me here alone?”
“Yeah. Dad and brother won’t come home. Or do you want to come with me?”
“Ah, no. I’ll stay here. How long will you be gone?”
“Probably a little over an hour.”
“Will you be okay going alone?”
I suddenly asked, worried about the cast on his arm. Joo Kwon-oh laughed as if he’d heard something funny.
“It’s not like my legs are injured, why wouldn’t I be able to go? I’ll take a taxi, it’ll be quick. Stay here.”
“…Okay. Come back safely.”
“Call me if you need anything.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“There’s fruit in the fridge, so eat some if you’re hungry. Just wait a little bit.”
As if it was urgent, Joo Kwon-oh quickly finished speaking, grabbed a few things, and went out.
Left alone in the house, I awkwardly looked around for a moment. But the embarrassment was short-lived. I started exploring the room more thoroughly with a lighter heart.
As expected, he seemed to be very interested in fashion, with hats, belts, and shirts of different materials hanging on the clothes rack in Joo Kwon-oh’s room. I could also see workbooks and notebooks from his high school days organized on one side of the bookshelf.
I thought I’d never have a chance to visit Joo Kwon-oh’s room since his family home was in Yongin. This was truly an unexpected harvest. I also spent a long time happily observing Joo Kwon-oh’s high school name tag and piercings in the corner of his desk.
As I spent time like this, fatigue gradually crept in at some point. My eyelids grew heavier, probably because I hadn’t slept deeply in the hospital room yesterday.
I blinked slowly, checked the time, and carefully sat on Joo Kwon-oh’s bed. I hadn’t intended to lie down, but as the scent of fabric softener and Joo Kwon-oh’s body odor wafted over me, my body naturally collapsed onto the mattress.
Feeling my strength drain away languidly, I closed my eyes.
I meant to rest for a bit until Joo Kwon-oh returned, but I fell asleep.
A little while later. I was startled awake by rustling sounds from the living room. I hurriedly got up from the bed, straightened the blanket I had messed up, and slowly headed towards the door.
“Wh-who’s there?”
I was tense, wondering if another family member had come in, when Joo Kwon-oh suddenly appeared in front of the door.
“It’s me, who else?”
“Ah.”
“Did you sleep well? You didn’t even hear me come in, so I just let you sleep. You must have been tired.”
“You could have woken me up. Did you take care of everything well?”
“Yeah. I also did some grocery shopping on the way back. Since we haven’t eaten, let’s cook and eat before going to Seoul.”
“Okay. But… we could just order delivery instead of cooking ourselves.”
“We don’t often order delivery at the family home, so I don’t know which places are good.”
I went to the kitchen and checked the ingredients Joo Kwon-oh had placed on the sink. I wasn’t sure what he was planning to cook, but there were bags filled with various vegetables.
“Where’s the vegetable peeler? I’ll cut the vegetables.”
“Why you? I should do the cooking.”
Joo Kwon-oh said incredulously.
“How are you going to cook with that arm? I should do it.”
I retorted, equally incredulous. Only then did Joo Kwon-oh look down at his own arm in the cast with a dumbfounded expression.
“…Right. Shit, I forgot I injured my arm.”
