“Along with psychiatry as well. Honestly, I’m more worried it might be an illness of the mind rather than the body.”
Young-wan poked Seok-ho’s chest with the index finger he had raised. Seok-ho silently stared at the door.
***
Kang-woo slowly blinked his eyes. It took quite a while for him to grasp the situation.
He remembered meeting Seok-ho on his way back home. But after that, nothing came to mind. His consciousness had completely blacked out.
Kang-woo looked around. It was Seok-ho’s room. Judging from the circumstances, it seemed he had collapsed. Fortunately, they hadn’t taken him to a hospital. As relief washed over him, faint murmuring voices drifted in through the slightly open door.
Was someone visiting?
“Ugh…”
As he lifted his head with that question in mind, a dull ache throbbed in it. When he moved his hand to press his forehead, something snagged at it. Without thinking, he tugged on it.
At the same time—crash!
Startled, Kang-woo’s eyes widened.
Hurried footsteps sounded from the living room. Soon the door swung open, and two people entered.
His eyes met Seok-ho’s. Seeing Kang-woo staring like a startled rabbit, Seok-ho relaxed his shoulders as if relieved.
“You’re awake.”
His jet-black eyes moved to the IV stand that had fallen to the floor. Kang-woo glanced at it sideways and slowly pushed himself upright.
“I pulled on it without realizing…”
“It’s fine. Don’t get up—just lie down.”
Seok-ho stepped closer and firmly pushed Kang-woo, who had half-raised his upper body, back onto the bed.
“How does your body feel?”
While Seok-ho set the IV stand upright again, the unfamiliar man also approached Kang-woo and asked about his condition. Kang-woo eyed him warily and reached out to Seok-ho beside him. When he gripped the collar of Seok-ho’s clothes tightly, both men’s gazes fell on him at once.
“Ah, I’m Seok-ho’s friend—and a doctor—so you don’t have to feel uncomfortable. I was asked to examine you, Kang-woo-ssi.”
Young-wan introduced himself in a gentle voice. Kang-woo reacted more to the words Seok-ho’s friend than to the mention of him being a doctor. Still not fully letting down his guard, he looked toward Seok-ho.
When their eyes met, Seok-ho didn’t deny it. Instead, he gave a small nod.
So he really is his friend.
The tension in Kang-woo’s hand loosened. Only after confirming the identity properly did the unease in his expression soften a little.
“How do you feel? Anywhere uncomfortable or painful?”
“…I’m okay.”
His head hurt slightly, but it was bearable. Saying that was a relief, Young-wan continued with his questions.
“Do you remember anything? Can you tell me the last point you remember?”
Kang-woo glanced briefly at Seok-ho before whispering quietly.
“I remember meeting hyung.”
He remembered up to the moment when Seok-ho had wrapped him in an embrace. But after that, he couldn’t recall anything at all. It was nothing but complete darkness.
Young-wan nodded.
“Alright, then let me check your temperature. Just a moment.”
After gently asking permission, he slid a thermometer into Kang-woo’s ear.
Beep.
A brief mechanical sound rang out, and the foreign sensation filling his ear disappeared. After checking the reading, Young-wan smiled faintly.
“Fortunately, your fever is going down. Still, lie down a little longer. There’s about thirty minutes left before the IV finishes.”
Kang-woo obediently nodded. Then, hesitating, he spoke.
“Um… Thank you. For coming all the way here to examine me.”
A doctor must have plenty of personal work to attend to. It was obvious he had taken time out of his busy schedule just for him. When Kang-woo expressed his thanks, Young-wan gave him a friendly smile and shrugged.
Soon Kang-woo’s gaze shifted to Seok-ho. Judging by the intensity of that look, it seemed he had something he wanted to say privately.
“Then I’ll go wait in the living room. You two talk comfortably.”
Reading the situation, Young-wan left the room first.
Only after the door closed did Kang-woo cautiously ask Seok-ho,
“What happened? I remember meeting you, hyung… but after that I can’t remember anything…”
“You suddenly collapsed on the street. Taking you to a hospital seemed difficult, so I brought you here first.”
He must have had no choice but to choose this method because of Kang-woo.
Seok-ho probably had a vague idea that Kang-woo was a runaway teenager. If that was the case… Did Seok-ho carry him all the way to this officetel? Kang-woo wasn’t exactly light.
Once again, he had ended up owing him.
“…I’m sorry. You must’ve had a hard time because of me, hyung.”
Kang-woo mumbled the words. He felt guilty for constantly causing trouble. Fidgeting with his clasped fingers, he lowered his gaze.
Then a large hand covered his forehead.
“It’s fine.”
The answer was unexpected. Kang-woo lifted his eyes to look at Seok-ho.
“It’s not like you wanted this to happen.”
His dry gaze and blunt tone were the same as always, yet the touch resting on him was warm.
Just like when he had held Kang-woo tightly in his arms.
A warmth filled Kang-woo’s throat. He closed his eyes and gave a small nod.
The gentle hand stroked his hair a couple of times before withdrawing.
“You must be tired. Sleep a bit more.”
Seok-ho murmured in a low voice.
At the same time, as if under a spell, all the strength drained from Kang-woo’s body and drowsiness washed over him. Before long, he fell into a deep sleep.
***
When he opened his eyes again, the house was completely quiet.
Kang-woo carefully raised his upper body and looked around the dark room. The IV needle that had been inserted in the back of his hand—and the IV bag hanging from the stand—were already gone.
How much time had passed?
He swung his legs off the bed and stood up, his body feeling noticeably lighter. After straightening the rumpled bedding, he walked toward the door. Slowly turning the doorknob, he saw Seok-ho standing in the kitchen through the opening, doing something.
“Hyung.”
Hearing the call, Seok-ho glanced back over his shoulder.
“You’re awake?”
With that brief question, he turned back around and continued moving his hands.
“What are you doing?”
“Warming up porridge.”
Ah—porridge.
Only then did Kang-woo realize that what Seok-ho had been stirring was porridge. He walked over to stand beside him.
The sight felt strangely mismatched: a large man with black tattoos covering both arms, leaning his massive frame forward while stirring with a silicone spatula.
“Did you order delivery?”
“I went out and bought it.”
“Ah… you didn’t have to go that far.”
“There’s a porridge shop right in front of the building. It’s better to pick it up than order delivery.”
“No, that’s not what I meant.”
“Then what?”
“…You didn’t have to get porridge at all.”
“You’re sick. If not porridge, what were you planning to eat? When you’re ill, you should eat something like this. If you eat something else and upset your stomach again, it’ll just cause more trouble.”
When he put it that way, Kang-woo had nothing to argue with.
Standing beside Seok-ho, he glanced around the living room.
“Where’s the professor? Did he leave?”
“The professor?”
Seok-ho let out a small snort of laughter, as if amused by the title. What was so funny?
Was it funny that Kang-woo called his friend “professor”?
Scratching his cheek awkwardly, Kang-woo answered,
“…He said he was a doctor.”
“He left a little while ago.”
Despite laughing earlier, Seok-ho replied without any teasing tone.
I see.
Kang-woo had wanted to thank him properly one more time.
At the same time, he found his own dullness almost astonishing. Young-wan must have cleaned up the room before leaving, yet Kang-woo hadn’t noticed a single sound. He must have been sleeping extremely deeply.
“Don’t stand there—sit down.”
Turning off the induction stove, Seok-ho gave the instruction.
Kang-woo obediently sat at the dining table.
The timing was perfect. He had been feeling hungry anyway. Maybe the reason he woke up was because he was starving.
Soon Seok-ho approached, holding a spoon and bowl in one hand. True to his large hands, he had filled the bowl generously with porridge.
Looking down at the unusually large serving with startled eyes, Kang-woo murmured,
“This is way too much…”
“When you’re not feeling well, you should eat more. If you can’t finish it, just leave the rest.”
In his usual blunt tone, Seok-ho set the bowl in front of him and sat down across the table.
Kang-woo lowered his head and sniffed.
It smelled delicious.
The rich, savory scent of porridge filled the air, instantly stimulating his appetite. As he looked closely at the glossy porridge, he noticed a familiar pale pink chunk.
“What kind of porridge is this?”
“Shrimp porridge.”
“Wow—that’s my favorite kind of porridge. It looks so good.”
His mouth filled with saliva. Feeling like his stomach might growl at any moment, Kang-woo hurriedly picked up the spoon.
“Thank you for the meal.”
He blew on the hot porridge—hoo, hoo—before putting it into his mouth.
The soft, thick texture of the rice blended perfectly with the springy shrimp pieces that popped lightly between his teeth, making each bite satisfying to chew.
As he chewed enthusiastically, Kang-woo glanced at Seok-ho.
“What did you eat, hyung?”
“Jjamppong.”
“Oh, you ordered delivery. Did you two eat together?”
“Yeah.”
“Then what did your friend eat?”
“Jajangmyeon.”
Resting his chin on his hand, Seok-ho answered lazily.
Despite grumbling that Seok-ho had summoned such an expensive professional only to repay him with a single bowl of jajangmyeon, Young-wan had still finished the entire bowl cleanly.
Not to mention, he didn’t forget to warn that if Seok-ho ever called him over like this again, he’d better be prepared to treat him to something much more extravagant next time.
Naturally, Seok-ho hadn’t bothered to respond.
“Eat slowly. Don’t get indigestion.”
“Yes.”
Kang-woo nodded and continued moving his spoon diligently.
Meanwhile, Seok-ho sat across from him, watching Kang-woo eat.
His glossy eyes, like glass marbles, stared intently as if determined not to miss a single movement.
It was something Kang-woo usually did.
He would often sit in front of Seok-ho during meals, chattering away while watching him eat.
But now that their positions were reversed, Kang-woo realized something anew—
Being watched like that while eating was actually quite burdensome.
