Suhwan spent all Sunday hospitalized to get rid of the remaining drug effects. Thanks to the people Hwalyeon had sent, his condition had improved considerably by the time he regained consciousness.
He wanted to be discharged immediately, but Hwalyeon wouldn’t allow it. When Seunghyun, who had come after finishing his part-time job, also objected, Suhwan ended up staying one more day at the hospital and was discharged on Tuesday.
“I’m really fine.”
“But we still can’t be sure.”
When Seunghyun spoke with a face full of concern, Suhwan couldn’t argue anymore. As they left the hospital, a car sent by Hwalyeon was waiting.
“Should we buy something on the way home?”
“……”
“Seunghyun?”
Suhwan asked in a casual tone before getting into the car, but there was no response. He turned around with a puzzled expression.
He found Seunghyun holding his phone with a startled look on his face. Suhwan asked with wide eyes.
“What’s wrong?”
“…Oh.”
Seunghyun, who had been staring at his phone screen, looked up. His eyes trembled momentarily as they met Suhwan’s.
“It’s nothing.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Seunghyun put his phone in his pocket. Seeing his clearly troubled expression, Suhwan moved closer and was about to speak again when—
Ring, ring…
A calm ringtone cut between the two. Suhwan’s eyes widened in surprise, and Seunghyun let out an annoyed sigh.
“Ha……”
He took out his phone again and rejected the call. The text briefly visible on the screen caught Suhwan’s eye.
[Hyung]
‘Hyung… it says?’
There was only one person Seunghyun would save as “Hyung” in his phone.
Lee Jaehyun. Seunghyun’s older brother and a professor at Yeonshin University, the person who would eventually develop HS’s new drug.
Suhwan finally recalled this period in the original story. Originally, Seunghyun, who had been abused by Jin Suhwan, would be rescued by the main character Ju Geonyul, recover, and then reunite with his worried family who hadn’t been able to contact him.
It was amazing how the story was somehow proceeding according to the original plot, despite how much it had been twisted because of him.
“Shouldn’t you answer that?”
When Suhwan asked in a careful tone, Seunghyun slightly frowned. For some reason, Seunghyun didn’t seem to welcome his brother’s call. Not knowing why, Suhwan blinked in confusion.
Ring, ring…
Just then, the phone rang again. Seunghyun’s face crumpled.
“Ah, really.”
Seunghyun turned away and answered the phone. An irritated voice flowed from his mouth.
“Why do you keep calling?”
Seunghyun, who had been running a hand through his hair, paused. After staying still for a moment, he asked in a small voice.
“What?”
The voice from the other end of the line sounded somewhat urgent. Suhwan anxiously stared at Seunghyun’s back.
“…Alright. I’ll come now.”
Seunghyun hung up and turned around again. His face had gone pale. Suhwan asked in a worried voice.
“What’s wrong?”
“Well……”
Seunghyun’s lips moved as if to say something, but then he closed his mouth again. After tightly closing his eyes and reopening them, he looked at Suhwan.
“I’m sorry. I think I need to go somewhere.”
“Oh……”
Where? Who are you meeting? Your brother?
There were countless questions he wanted to ask, but somehow Suhwan’s lips wouldn’t open readily. It seemed to be because of Seunghyun’s face, which looked like it might shatter at any moment. With no choice, Suhwan nodded.
“Okay. I’ll wait at home.”
“I’m really sorry.”
“I’m fine.”
Forcing a smile, Suhwan said goodbye to Seunghyun and got into the car alone. Seunghyun had adamantly refused when offered a ride partway. Did he not want to reveal his destination? Suhwan felt a little dejected.
“We’ve arrived.”
“Ah, thank you.”
After getting out of the car, Suhwan went into the house. Perhaps because he had spent a day at the hotel and then several more days at the hospital, the home he hadn’t returned to all weekend felt somewhat unfamiliar.
He opened the windows and balcony door to ventilate the place and did some light cleaning. Originally, he had planned to be discharged in the morning, but Seunghyun had insisted on coming to pick him up after his lecture, so by the time they left the hospital, the afternoon was nearly over. And after cleaning, the day was already growing dark.
“…No message yet.”
He kept waiting for Seunghyun to contact him, but there was no call or message. Come to think of it, he hadn’t asked when Seunghyun would return. Would he have to eat dinner alone? Should he try calling him?
Holding his phone and lost in thought, he suddenly realized that he rarely contacted Seunghyun first. It was always Seunghyun who reached out first.
Feeling a bit shy, Suhwan opened his message app. He had sent simple messages a few times before. He carefully typed to ask when Seunghyun might be able to come home and sent the message.
“Why isn’t he reading it?”
But even as time passed, there was no sign of Seunghyun checking the message. Watching the number 1 next to his message remain unchanged, Suhwan felt anxious.
After pacing back and forth in the living room, Suhwan finally pressed the call button. After several rings, an emotionless voice came through the receiver.
—The customer’s phone is turned off…
“Huh?”
His heart sank. Hearing that Seunghyun’s phone was off, a storm raged in Suhwan’s mind.
What happened? What if he had an accident on his way back?
No. It’s probably just that his battery died. Or maybe his phone suddenly broke.
Still… he worried that something terrible might have happened to damage his phone.
Being in the opposite situation, he could now understand how worried Seunghyun must have been when he couldn’t contact him. So this is how it felt. To feel like going crazy just because you couldn’t meet for a few hours and couldn’t make contact.
After anxiously pacing around the living room, Suhwan finally couldn’t stand it anymore and went to his room. He grabbed the jacket he had worn earlier and came back out. He planned to go out and look for Seunghyun, even though it was aimless. Suhwan was so panicked that he didn’t realize how foolish and inefficient this was.
As he approached the front door and placed his hand on the door lock, it happened.
Beep, click.
“…!”
The door opened by itself without him even pressing the lock. Suhwan looked ahead with a surprised face.
“Hyung? Where are you going?”
“Oh.”
Seunghyun was looking at Suhwan with a puzzled expression. Standing hesitantly at the door, Suhwan looked over Seunghyun’s unharmed face.
Thank goodness. Nothing happened to him. Seunghyun, who had suffered all kinds of accidents in Suhwan’s imagination until just now, came in with an awkward smile.
“Were you going out to look for me?”
“Well… yes.”
“How would you know where I am at this hour when you couldn’t even contact me?”
Seunghyun’s face, which had cracked a smile, seemed somewhat distorted. And he looked a bit tired. Seunghyun stretched out his arms at the entrance and embraced Suhwan.
“I’m sorry. I’ve been so preoccupied since the weekend that I even forgot to charge my phone.”
“I see.”
“I thought it would be better to come back quickly, but were you worried a lot?”
“Worried… yes, a lot.”
“Yeah, it’s my fault.”
Seunghyun hugged Suhwan tighter. Smelling the strong citrus scent of pheromones, Suhwan could finally feel relieved.
“Are you okay?”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
