I warmed up the porridge, transferred it into a bowl, prepared a cup of water to take with the medicine, and went into the room.
I told him not to fall asleep. It hadn’t even been a few minutes since I stepped out, and Min Siheon already had his eyes closed, breathing softly in and out.
I set the tray down on the bedside table and raised the blinds that had been dimly drawn.
I didn’t want to forcefully wake someone who was sick, but thinking ahead, he needed to take his medicine as soon as possible. Even with the bright sunlight streaming in, Min Siheon didn’t budge.
He’s not sleeping—he didn’t pass out, did he? A chilling premonition washed over me, and I hurried to the bedside. I hadn’t even properly slipped one of my slippers on, but I didn’t hesitate to move.
Worried, I called his name, but Min Siheon still didn’t stir. A sudden sense that something was wrong struck me, and I placed my hand on his forehead.
“Hey, Min Siheon.”
At that moment, the hand that had been neatly resting on his chest moved. Then he covered my hand—still touching his forehead—and slowly opened his eyes.
“You have to call me more kindly, like ‘Siheon-ah,’ if you want me to wake up.”
“Ah!”
His eyes, suddenly so close to mine, were completely clear—no trace of sleepiness. Illuminated by the light pouring in through the open blinds, they shone like transparent glass marbles. Maybe it was the low, settled tone of his voice, but a chill crept up my spine.
Startled out of my mind, I jerked violently, and the bed shook. The movement must have rattled his pounding head, because Min Siheon frowned faintly. Well, who told him to scare me like that? And there was even hot porridge sitting on the bedside table. If I had spilled that on him, it would’ve been a disaster.
“Hey, Min Siheon!”
When I shouted with a hint of irritation, Min Siheon let out an apologetic laugh. A dimple briefly appeared on his pale face before disappearing. Watching it, I resolved to let him off just this once. You can’t spit at a smiling face. And besides…
He definitely knew that I was secretly weak when it came to him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to tease me this much. Just wait until you’re fully better. I clenched my fist.
“If you’re not going to sleep, then say you’re not going to sleep.”
“Sorry, did I scare you a lot?”
“Judging by how you’re pulling stunts like this, you must be all better. So can I go to school now?”
“No, you can’t. I’m still sick. I haven’t even eaten the porridge yet.”
As he snatched my hand off his forehead and exclaimed that, Min Siheon pushed himself upright.
The blanket that had been covering his chest slid down along his body. From just below his navel up to his waist and torso, everything was exposed.
Embarrassed by the renewed display of bare skin, I grumbled even more for no reason.
“I went through the trouble of heating it up, so don’t let it get cold again—just eat it already. The porridge place in your neighborhood is damn expensive, so don’t leave a single grain.”
“Okay.”
I dragged over a random chair nearby and sat down beside him. He didn’t seem to have much of an appetite and picked at it, but he was clearly trying his best to eat.
I spent an awkward stretch of time wondering what to do. It felt inappropriate to pull out my phone in front of someone who was sick, so I just let my gaze wander around the room.
I thought this every time I came here, but his household was really minimal. He dressed fairly brightly, yet his home seemed strangely accustomed to darkness.
Thinking back to how dim the room had been before I raised the blinds, I tried recalling the times I’d come here before.
If you were being precise, I’d never really had a reason to enter the bedroom. Most of the time, I’d just killed time in the living room on days when that damn lovey-dovey couple and In-ho were around.
Speaking of that sickening couple. I wondered if Go Heemin knew that Min Siheon was sick.
The thought lasted only a moment before I gave a small shake of my head. If he did, he wouldn’t have called me.
Go Heemin was a good guy—if Min Siheon had called him while sick, he would’ve come running without hesitation.
Could it be because of Kang Taeyoon? As always, I pictured that main-top bastard of a classmate stuck right next to Go Heemin.
Unless Go Heemin was deliberately running away, there were very few days when he was out of Kang Taeyoon’s sight.
Ah, is that why he didn’t call Go Heemin? From Min Siheon’s perspective, on a day when he wasn’t even feeling well, he probably wouldn’t want to see his rival standing next to the person he liked.
What was lacking in a guy this accomplished, anyway? Feeling like he was suffering in more ways than one, I tore open the medicine packet on the tray. I arranged the pills neatly so they’d be easy to take and lifted the cup to check if the warm water hadn’t gone cold.
In the middle of that, I felt a prickling gaze against my right cheek. The source was Min Siheon, staring at me with a spoon still in hand.
“What now?”
“You couldn’t eat lunch because of me, right? Want to eat together?”
Min Siheon scooped up a spoonful of the porridge he’d been eating and held it out toward me.
“You said you’ve got a cold. Is this some new assassination attempt?”
I felt a little bad that it wasn’t Go Heemin by his side, but I wasn’t accepting complaints like that.
When I snapped that I didn’t need it, Min Siheon lowered his head and chuckled.
Bare-chested, sniffling and sick, yet still laughing like that. Honestly, what a piece of work.
“…Would you call this a kind of conquest instinct?”
“What nonsense are you spouting while eating porridge? Did you take psychology as a general elective or something? Is an assignment due?”
After hearing me, Min Siheon made an ambiguous expression. Then he shook his head, saying it was nothing. He finished the rest of the porridge diligently and held out his hand, as if asking for the medicine.
It was within arm’s reach, yet his attitude said he wanted me to do everything from start to finish. He was already the type who liked frequent skinship, but today especially, he seemed eager to cling to me.
I knew that in the end, I’d give in just because he was sick. Sighing, I handed him the opened medicine and the glass of water.
“Once you’re better, you’re getting nothing—not even broth.”
“That’s scary. Maybe I shouldn’t get better, then. Should I just keep this cold forever?”
“Stop talking nonsense.”
“Haha, sorry.”
“If you’re done, just rest. Since you took your medicine, lie down in a bit. I’ll clean this up and come back.”
“You can just leave it.”
“If you hit it in your sleep, it’ll break. I’ll tidy it up quickly and be back.”
It seemed like I’d finished everything I needed to do. Leaving Min Siheon leaning against the headboard, I stepped out to clear the empty bowl and tray.
Just as I was about to start washing the dishes, the phone in my pocket vibrated.
Judging by the long, continuous buzz, it had to be one of the guys I usually hung out with. Sure enough, the name on the screen was Go Heemin.
[Go Heemin]
Honestly, I’d expected it to be Yoo In-ho. It wasn’t common for Go Heemin to call first, so something about it felt oddly unfamiliar.
After pressing the call button, I wedged the phone between my shoulder and cheek and started washing the dishes. Close to my ear, I could hear the low murmur of voices.
“Hey, Heemin. Why’re you calling?”
—Jungwoo, did you ditch all your afternoon classes today? I ran into In-ho earlier and he said you didn’t show up for Foundations. You’re not here either, so I called.
“Ah… yeah, it kind of just happened.”
I actually had both a basic general education class and a required general education lecture scheduled for this afternoon. I took the former with Yoo In-ho, and the latter with Go Heemin and Kang Taeyoon.
For the basic one, there were always plenty of people who slipped out or had someone else check attendance for them, so I guess they didn’t think much of it. But when I didn’t show up for the class after that either, maybe he got worried.
While I was racking my brain for an excuse, my hands kept moving busily in the sink. Maybe he could hear the sound of water too, because Go Heemin asked:
—What’s that water sound… Jungwoo, where are you right now? Are you working a part-time job or something?
“A part-time job? No, I’m at Min S—”
I was about to say I was at Min Siheon’s place. Then it hit me that Kang Taeyoon was in the same class as Go Heemin right now.
If I told him Min Siheon was sick, Heemin would definitely run over after the lecture ended.
Up to that point, that would actually be fine. The problem was the baggage that would tag along.
Kang Taeyoon—Min Siheon’s rival, and the last person he’d want to see while sick.
Which was better? Calling over the person he liked, or facing the existence that would make his insides churn? My thoughts tangled messily in my head.
To be honest, I was already exhausted at the thought of getting caught in the middle.
—Where are you?
When I trailed off mid-sentence, Go Heemin must have sensed something strange. He repeated the question, and before I knew it, I lied.
—What is it? What’s going on? You hiding something from us?
“Hiding what? I’m not hiding anything. The weather’s just so nice today that I wandered off somewhere else.”
—…You, Cha Jungwoo?
“I’m not that much of a model student, you know.”
Why am I even making excuses like this? If you think about it, this wasn’t Min Siheon’s opinion.
He’d been whining about being sick—maybe, rival or not, he’d prefer having the person he loved right in front of him.
But my gut was screaming at me not to call Go Heemin right now. Unlike my rational thoughts, my mouth just kept rambling on its own.
“I just felt like roaming around and enjoying the weather today. If you see Yoo In-ho later, tell him not to tease me. I’ll attend classes properly starting tomorrow, so don’t worry too much.”
—It’s not like we really need to worry about you, but… (So where is he, then?) Jungwoo, where are you? I don’t know, he won’t tell me.
At that moment, the heavy, low voice I heard from beside him made my heart slam down hard. The one asking where I was—it was Kang Taeyoon.
Thud, thud. My heart pounded violently. All I could think was that Min Siheon must not find out that even at a time like this, when he was sick, Go Heemin was together with Kang Taeyoon.
“I’ve got something I need to finish up. I’ll call you back later.”
—Huh? Uh, wait? Hey, Cha Jungwoo! Wa—!
“I’m hanging up.”
I quickly rinsed my hands and tapped the phone wedged between my shoulder and cheek. Through the abruptly disconnected call, it felt like the blurred images of the two of them flashed through my mind.
…Fuck, what am I even doing? Being next to someone sick must have infected me with something too.
Hit by a wave of self-awareness, I finished tidying up the dishes and returned to the bedroom.
Dragging my feet listlessly, I saw Min Siheon with his eyes closed, bathed in the pouring sunlight.
Unlike before, when he’d been lying down, he was still leaning against the headboard. His arms were crossed, his head slightly bowed. I approached the window and lowered the blinds.
It was well past afternoon and nearing evening, but maybe because the days were getting longer, the sky outside was still fairly bright.
Only my heart, unlike the weather, felt heavy and sunken.
Looking around the room as darkness crept back in, I turned on the lamp sitting on the bedside table. The orange glow flickered over Min Siheon’s face as I placed a hand on his forehead to check his temperature.
The medicine must have worked—his forehead was lukewarm. Thinking he should be fine now, I shook his shoulder.
“Hey, Siheon-ah. It’s okay to lie down and sleep now. Min Siheon. …Huh!”
In that instant, my vision flipped, and my body collided with something soft. When I regained my senses and looked around, I found myself lying on Min Siheon’s bed.
