How did it come to this? Confused, Yeonwoo hesitated before taking out his phone to check the screen. If it happened to be from Jonghoon, he planned to hang up pretending it was a mistake and turn off the phone completely. But the number was from the hospital.
Having fled the hospital without properly concluding things with his father the last time he was there, Yeonwoo fidgeted with his phone.
“…It’s a call from the hospital where my father is admitted.”
“Then you should answer it. I’ll bring you a drink.”
Perhaps as a gesture to let him have a private conversation, Munbeom stood up from his seat. After confirming that Munbeom had disappeared inside, Yeonwoo looked down at his phone again. After taking a deep breath, he pressed the call button and held it to his ear.
As soon as he answered the phone, the other person was silent. Having a sense of who it might be, Yeonwoo carefully moved his lips.
“…Dad?”
There was no response, but it was definitely his father.
Holding the phone with both hands, Yeonwoo looked into empty space and took a deep breath. Then, with a deliberately cheerful voice, he rambled on.
“I don’t know if you heard from the doctor, but I caught a cold. That’s why I was like that. I guess I was being too careless, thinking I was young. So I’m taking a break from my part-time job and trying to eat properly, so…”
But Yeonwoo fell silent when he suddenly heard crying.
The stifled crying was sorrowful and pitiful. Yes, pitiful. How did he and his father, two people who were just trying their best to live, end up like this? With his eyes getting teary, Yeonwoo took a deep breath and whispered softly.
“…Don’t cry. I’m fine. I’m okay.”
Because he was still young, things would work out somehow.
In reality, it was bleak, and he didn’t know what to do, but he couldn’t be honest about that with his father. Yeonwoo could only repeat that he was fine, as if talking to himself. Just then, Younghwa carefully called out, “Yeonwoo.”
[Dad has something to tell you, but he doesn’t know how to say it.]
“Tell me next time. When Dad feels like talking, tell me then. It’s okay.”
He thought his father was acting this way because he felt immensely guilty. What his father needed right now was stability. His waking hours were already short, so it seemed such a waste to spend them just crying.
“Don’t cry. Wipe your tears and go exercise. You need to move around a lot when you’re awake to prevent bedsores. I heard those are really painful when they develop. And if there’s anything you want to eat, tell Junseok, and…”
Yeonwoo spoke with more vigor.
“I’m really fine. You don’t need to worry about me.”
How wonderful it would be if simply saying everything was fine, that it would truly be fine, could solve all problems. Younghwa couldn’t speak properly and just kept crying, repeatedly calling out, “Yeonwoo.” Father was usually a quiet and calm person, so Yeonwoo couldn’t understand why he was crying like this. He was more worried because his father wasn’t the type to cry, and then a familiar voice was heard from the other end of the phone.
Along with the words “Please give me the phone,” a deep voice flowed through.
[Yeonwoo, your father really wanted to talk to you, so I couldn’t stop him.]
“How could you stop that? It’s fine. I’m sorry for causing worry.”
[What’s there to be sorry about? But Yeonwoo, are you okay?]
“…Of course.”
In response to Junseok’s concern, Yeonwoo forgot he was on a call and nodded vigorously. Then he realized that his sudden collapse must have been a very serious matter for these two.
If only he had taken better care of his health.
Or at least, if he had gotten birth control pills prescribed to suit his body from the beginning.
Perhaps the most important issue for him to resolve now was birth control pills. But with his mind so complicated, he naturally pushed his own problems to the back.
At that time, the doctor had said it would be good to discuss contraception with his partner. For the sake of his own body, he needed to have a proper discussion with his partner…
Unless the rut and heat periods overlapped, the chances of pregnancy were extremely low. Nevertheless, seeing Munbeom use condoms, Yeonwoo naturally thought of birth control pills. He wanted to be careful. If he were to get pregnant, it would be, well, regrettable.
Suddenly, he became confused about who he should be apologizing to.
Was it Munbeom, or…
Myself?
“…”
After ending the call, Yeonwoo fiddled with his phone and then looked up. He lightly patted his cheeks with his hands, and when he turned around, he thought he could hear the sound of a knife on a cutting board somewhere in the quiet. His legs moved, drawn by the delicious smell that touched his nose as something was boiling and frying.
Inside the living room, in a separate, independent space, was the kitchen. And Munbeom was doing something in the kitchen. With his shirt rolled up below his elbows, he was thinly slicing what looked like radish kimchi. Beside him, soup was boiling in what looked like an earthen pot, and something was also being fried in a large frying pan. Not thinking that he might be preparing it for him, Yeonwoo stepped back.
“…I should be going now.”
Perhaps another guest was scheduled to arrive. Whoever it was, seeing Munbeom personally cooking, they must not be just casual acquaintances. Just then, Munbeom, with one eyebrow raised, called to Yeonwoo and pointed to the dining table behind him.
“I’ll be done soon. Please sit down first.”
“…What?”
“Aren’t you hungry?”
Lowering his head, Munbeom continued slicing the radish kimchi and said,
“I also skipped lunch, so I’m a bit peckish. That’s why I started doing this instead of just pouring drinks.”
“…”
Only then did Yeonwoo realize that what was being prepared was Munbeom’s meal. Perhaps he thought it would be awkward to eat alone, so he was planning to share with Yeonwoo. But soon Yeonwoo realized that the food being prepared was too much for one person. From the beginning, he had been preparing food for two.
Rather than asking why he was doing this, Yeonwoo thought it would be better to help with the meal preparation. He went to the sink and turned on the water. Munbeom stopped cutting when he saw Yeonwoo washing his hands inside. After washing his hands thoroughly by interlocking his fingers, Yeonwoo turned off the water and looked up at Munbeom. His face, which had appeared thoughtless, soon took on an expression as if he had realized something.
“Um, I was going to help set the table. But is it not okay to wash my hands here?”
He had heard that some people are uncomfortable with washing hands in the sink. He had never met such people before, but somehow, Munbeom seemed like he might dislike it.
Yeonwoo was about to wipe his wet hands on his clothes, but before he could, his wrist was caught. Firmly gripping Yeonwoo’s hand so it couldn’t move, Munbeom wiped Yeonwoo’s hands with a dry towel that was placed on the sink.
“I wash my hands here too.”
“…”
“Anyway, I just need to heat up and cook what’s already here. There’s nothing to prepare. So please sit comfortably. It’ll be ready soon.”
Yeonwoo looked at the large hands that were meticulously wiping the moisture from his hands. Carefully applying pressure with his fingertips, Yeonwoo held his hand and whispered softly.
“If we do it together, it’ll be quicker, right?”
Immediately releasing his hand, Yeonwoo looked up at Munbeom. In response, Munbeom asked him to take out some dishes and showed him where the cutlery holder was.
While Yeonwoo set the spoons and scooped rice, Munbeom transferred the radish kimchi to a bowl and placed the fried fish on a plate. With the soybean paste stew in the center and several side dishes added, it looked quite impressive. Thinking that this was how he ate at home, Yeonwoo looked at Munbeom sitting across from him.
“It tastes fine to me, but I’m not sure if it will be to your liking.”
“…It looks delicious.”
Even the rice, with each grain shiny and glossy, looked delicious on its own. The stew also had many ingredients, and the fish was large and appetizing. The side dishes included soy-braised meat, stir-fried anchovies with nuts, cucumber kimchi, and marinated crab. Even one side dish would be enough, but seeing them all together made his mouth water.
“Please eat.”
“You should eat first…”
At those words, one of Munbeom’s eyebrows went up. Then, with a short “Ah,” Munbeom picked up his chopsticks and carefully separated a large piece of fish meat and placed it on top of Yeonwoo’s rice. Yeonwoo, who had planned to scoop his rice after Munbeom had started eating, blinked.
“That’s right. Table manners dictate that the elder should pick up their spoon first. I had forgotten that for a moment.”
Putting down his chopsticks and picking up his spoon, Munbeom hummed thoughtfully.
“So all this time, Yeonwoo has been waiting for me to eat first…”
He began to say something but then closed his mouth and soon said, “No, it’s nothing.”
And then, as he scooped rice into his mouth, his expression was quite serious. Yeonwoo looked at the thick piece of fish meat placed in the middle of his rice, then raised his head again and carefully began, “Um.”
“It’s because this is my first time eating a meal at the Executive Director’s house.”
“…”
“It’s not because you’re older that I was waiting for you to eat first.”
Munbeom had tried to say something but stopped, though Yeonwoo could roughly guess what he was trying to say and wanted to clear up the misunderstanding. It was the first time he had come to Munbeom’s house and was eating a meal prepared by him, so he couldn’t start eating before him. That was all there was to it.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
