#75
Contrary to the medical staff’s opinion that he would wake up soon, Eunsol did not regain consciousness even after a week had passed. The oxygen respirator covering more than half of his face remained in place.
Although he had left the intensive care unit, the machines connected to Eunsol’s body had not decreased, making it impossible to know when he could be discharged. This was because even though his bodily reactions and pheromone levels had returned to stable ranges, it was impossible to predict when an emergency might occur.
Moreover, Eunsol was not alone but also pregnant.
With two lives at stake rather than one, the hospital had provided Eunsol with a special room and professional medical staff working in three shifts around the clock.
‘What do you think about moving him to our hospital?’
On the day Eunsol overcame the crisis, Kang Ye-ryeong stayed by Hyun-oh’s side as he spent the night wide awake. For the first time that day, Hyun-oh felt maternal love from his birth mother.
The TH Group was leading the domestic medical field as well. Particularly, their cancer center was recognized as one of the best in the world, with increasing numbers of foreign patients each year. In addition to the cancer center, they also had top domestic medical professionals in general trauma and pheromone centers.
The hospital where Eunsol was currently admitted was the largest one closest to the accident site.
As Kang Ye-ryeong suggested, Eunsol might receive more intensive treatment if he went to a hospital operated by the TH Medical Foundation.
‘Moving him could be more dangerous. Stability is the top priority right now.’
But Hyun-oh suddenly realized that he was afraid of putting Eunsol in a car and moving him.
No one had anticipated the terrible accident that would happen to Eunsol.
Not Ryu Jeong-woo who was driving, not Eunsol who was with him, …not even Hyun-oh who had driven the two of them to flee.
‘…Alright, then. This place isn’t bad either.’
Instead of arguing with Hyun-oh’s opinion, Kang Ye-ryeong nodded. If Eunsol’s condition worsened from being moved recklessly, she wouldn’t be able to forgive herself.
Fortunately, the hospital where Eunsol was admitted had one of the top five doctors in the domestic pheromone field.
Currently, although Eunsol had broken ribs and severe bruising, the external trauma itself wasn’t serious. However, due to the unstable pheromone condition in early pregnancy, it was uncertain when shock might occur. His already vulnerable pheromone regulation system had been greatly disturbed by the impact of the accident.
Fortunately, thanks to Hyun-oh staying by Eunsol’s side every day and releasing pheromones to him, they were managing to suppress the possibility of shock as much as possible.
“What dream are you having today?”
Hyun-oh began cleaning Eunsol’s hand with a cloth dampened to a suitably warm temperature.
One of the most fearsome symptoms for patients who have been bedridden for a long time was bedsores.
Since Eunsol was unconscious, a caregiver had to stay by his side and change his body position at regular intervals without overstressing him.
In addition, the tasks required to care for someone in a comatose state flowed continuously like flowing water.
‘You will… do it yourself?’
When Hyun-oh first instructed Kim Myungjun not to arrange a separate caregiver for Eunsol, Myungjun couldn’t collect his shocked thoughts for a while, as if he had witnessed the end of the world.
This was understandable, as a man born with a destiny that never required him to lift a finger his entire life had declared that he would personally take on the arduous task of caregiving.
‘That’s right. Now go, and bring the documents over here.’
Thus, a makeshift office for Hyun-oh was set up in a corner of Eunsol’s hospital room. Since the room itself was spacious enough to be considered a hotel, bringing in a large desk and chair was no trouble at all.
One side was even equipped with a caregiver’s bed. However, compared to what Hyun-oh usually used, it was of significantly lower quality, so Kim Myungjun tried to replace it with a product similar to the line in Hyun-oh’s bedroom.
‘That’s not necessary.’
But he was met with a cold, abrupt refusal. Hyun-oh had no intention of lying down on the bed and sleeping anyway.
When he couldn’t hold out any longer and was on the verge of fainting, he would only briefly rest by crossing his arms on Eunsol’s bed and burying his head to catch his breath.
The doctor said that fortunately, Eunsol’s pheromone levels had entered the normal range, but Hyun-oh was plagued by anxiety that the lily-of-the-valley scent might completely disappear from the world at any moment.
It was a trauma.
That moment when Eunsol’s breath had stopped became a repetitive loop, continually circling through Hyun-oh’s mind like notes on a score.
Even if he closed his eyes, Hyun-oh would wake up startled from his sleep.
Only after confirming the warmth still present in his hand and seeing the subtle rise and fall of Eunsol’s chest with his own eyes would his halted breathing flow again.
“…Even in your dreams, do I only speak harsh words to you?”
His roughly cracked voice was so consumed with guilt that it could be described as that of a criminal confessing his sins.
Reflecting on the time spent with Eunsol, everything was riddled with regret.
Not once… had he offered a warm word.
Even though he knew what Eunsol wanted from him was just a handful of affectionate glances, one gentle touch, one heartfelt word.
“I wanted to see your smiling face directed at me too…”
Childishly, that was true.
Eunsol was someone who readily gave his beautiful smile to Kang Ye-ryeong, Ryu Jeong-woo, and even the household staff, Kim Myungjun, and passing employees.
Yet such a person’s face would sink into sadness at the sight of Hyun-oh.
At first, though he showed slight fear, what dominated his tiny face was curiosity and blind interest, something Hyun-oh had never received before.
“I always blamed you.”
As time accumulated, bound by one-sided attachment between them, Eunsol would barely raise a formal smile to his lips when looking at Hyun-oh.
Even such a change, Hyun-oh attributed to Eunsol’s particularly sensitive temperament.
…Despite everything being his own fault.
Because it had fallen into his arms without effort, he thought it would last forever. Only after Eunsol left his side of his own will did the realization suddenly come.
That Eunsol’s heart was not eternal either.
Arrogantly, he had believed the things he thought he would possess for life were like a sand castle washed away by the incoming tide in the blink of an eye—a realization that came too late.
“You can curse at me when you wake up. You can hit me until you feel better.”
Hyun-oh lifted Eunsol’s hand and pressed his lips to the slender fingertips.
What if the trembling of those fingertips hadn’t returned in the car then? What if Eunsol’s breath had been cut off miserably without receiving proper treatment?
Hyun-oh couldn’t be confident that he would have maintained his sanity.
Dwelling on past events is a foolish act. He had lived his life believing that.
“If I could… I want to gather up all the time that has flowed away.”
They say there’s nothing money can’t accomplish in this world, but even for Hyun-oh, that was difficult.
Yet Hyun-oh was currently standing with his back to a cliff, to the extent that he voiced such fanciful thoughts he would normally scoff at.
“It was my fault. So please… don’t harm yourself anymore.”
With Eunsol’s personality, he would probably blame himself for the accident too. Even without seeing it, the situation at that time seemed to be vividly recreated before his eyes.
How frightening it must have been. The only person by Eunsol’s side then was struggling between life and death, bleeding from his head.
It would have been better if he had lost consciousness immediately after the accident. Hyun-oh couldn’t shake the thought that Eunsol had closed his eyes while struggling with guilt.
Even his current failure to open his eyes seemed like Eunsol was imposing punishment on himself. As if he was seeking his own sanctuary, reluctant to face the reality that awaited him when he opened his eyes.
In your dreams, are you still crying like in reality, or are you at peace there, at least?
While silently monologuing thoughts that wouldn’t be heard, Hyun-oh buried his lips on the soft palm following the fingertips.
As he closed his eyes tightly and took a long breath, Eunsol’s unique body scent was drawn deep into his lungs.
The darkened area around his eyes relaxed a little.
After taking a brief moment of rest, Hyun-oh immediately opened his eyes and fixed his gaze on Eunsol. Though his presence wasn’t dim, the anxious feeling that Eunsol might disappear at any moment grew again in size.
“…Eunsol.”
The unfamiliar address was awkward for both the listener and the speaker.
But Hyun-oh was continuously striving to acquire a gentler tone by talking to the sleeping Eunsol every day.
Though it sometimes felt like his tongue stiffened each time he spoke due to unfamiliarity, he practiced repeatedly to make his pronunciation as round as possible.
“I was wrong. So please… open your eyes now.”
He desperately hoped his plea would seep into Eunsol’s dreams. It was as Hyun-oh was gently caressing the small hand, enveloping it to add warmth.
The space between Eunsol’s smoothly stretched brows subtly narrowed.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
