#77
“Am I… too late?”
Kim Myungjun unconsciously gulped down the saliva that had pooled in his mouth, his Adam’s apple bobbing prominently.
Han Hyun-oh, looking so forlorn like this.
It was a sight that sent chills throughout his body, making him want to gouge out his own eyes if possible.
The bizarre dissonance of forcibly mixing two completely incompatible things sent a straight line of shivers from his lower back to the back of his head. At the same time, seeing someone who had always appeared so strong now looking as precarious as a glass doll filled him with concern.
It didn’t seem like a question seeking an answer. Rather, it was closer to a self-deprecating monologue. Even his gaze was dropped somewhere at his feet instead of looking at Kim Myungjun.
“Perhaps he’s confused because he just woke up? It’s not like he just fell asleep and woke up; he experienced an accident where he nearly died…”
Kim Myungjun quickly grasped that the now-conscious Eunsol had pushed Hyun-oh away. Otherwise, there would be no reason for Hyun-oh to be like this, resembling a drenched puppy.
Hyun-oh was a cold-blooded person when it came to anything not related to Eunsol, to the point where one might wonder if something other than blood flowed through his veins.
“…Yes. I should believe that.”
Fortunately, the improvised answer Kim Myungjun provided seemed quite effective. Hyun-oh brushed up the disheveled hair on his forehead and straightened his posture.
There was even a sense of determination in his stance as he stood in front of the hospital room door, like a sentry guarding the main gate of a grand palace.
‘Somehow, this doesn’t feel right.’
Although it was welcome that the sorrowful atmosphere had dissipated, Kim Myungjun was still concerned about Hyun-oh’s reaction.
He had thought that once Eunsol woke up, everything would return to normal, or rather, progress in a much better direction than before.
Since Hyun-oh had been showing signs of remorse for his actions, Kim Myungjun had anticipated progress in his relationship with Eunsol.
The Eunsol he knew was someone who held Hyun-oh in his heart. He continuously looked at only one person, to the extent that even those watching from the side occasionally felt a tingling sensation in their hearts from the poignant affection.
‘No matter how things turn out, I will support Mr. Eunsol.’
Outwardly, he was Hyun-oh’s person and in a position to receive a salary from him, but Hyun-oh had no way to control his innermost thoughts.
Anyone could see that Hyun-oh was the one at fault in this relationship.
So, even if he couldn’t openly show it, Kim Myungjun decided to be on Eunsol’s side, at least in his heart.
* * *
“…Ah.”
Kim Myungjun’s premonition hit the mark.
A meaningful syllable escaped Kim Myungjun’s lips as he saw Hyun-oh, looking even more pitiful than a week ago, driven out of the hospital room.
“…Are you alright, Chairman?”
Lately, Kim Myungjun had to engage in serious introspection about whether his role was not that of the Executive Director but rather Hyun-oh’s self-esteem recovery assistant, or something like that.
“Bring the work. I’ll handle business here.”
Hyun-oh ignored Kim Myungjun’s wavering gaze and stated only what he needed to say. Several days had passed since he was unable to enter the office space set up in a corner of Eunsol’s hospital room.
Yet, he wasn’t keen on creating a new workspace elsewhere. Even if he had to sit outside the door, he wanted to be as close to Eunsol as possible.
“Won’t you be uncomfortable? Should I at least set up a proper table and chair?”
“No need.”
Hyun-oh sat on a backless chair placed in front of the hospital room.
Since the chair was pressed against the wall, there wasn’t a particular need for a backrest, but compared to the chair he usually used, it was embarrassingly not even in the same category.
“Understood. Please wait a moment.”
Who could dissuade such stubbornness?
Kim Myungjun let out a small sigh, quiet enough that Hyun-oh couldn’t hear it, then headed to his office.
It seemed that today again, he would have to bring along an auxiliary table along with the documents. It was a size where just placing one laptop would fill the entire table.
When Kim Myungjun suggested bringing a larger one, Hyun-oh replied that it would inconvenience the medical staff passing by in front of the room.
Seeing him worry even about the size of the table to avoid causing trouble for Eunsol, Kim Myungjun had to feel the futility of life, despite not having lived that long.
‘If only he had been like this from the beginning.’
A pointed resentment rose unavoidably. If he had, Eunsol wouldn’t have fled from Hyun-oh to hide his pregnancy, and the terrible accident wouldn’t have happened.
After briefly glancing sidelong at Hyun-oh, Kim Myungjun hurriedly moved his steps, fearing that Hyun-oh might turn his head if he sensed his gaze. It was to set up the humble workspace as per Hyun-oh’s instructions.
After Kim Myungjun disappeared, Hyun-oh pressed his fingertips firmly against his throbbing temples.
He had taken a headache pill just an hour ago. However, the headache did not diminish; rather, it had grown in size and was rolling around in Hyun-oh’s head like pebbles.
It was then that the tightly closed door opened with a screech. As soon as the clicking sound of high heels echoed, Hyun-oh’s head swiftly turned toward the door.
“What’s this? You’re still here? I told you to go and rest, but you don’t listen.”
Coming out of the hospital room was Kang Ye-ryeong, dressed in a vibrant magenta two-piece outfit. The pointed tips of her shoes, a shade darker than her outfit, approached near enough to almost poke Hyun-oh.
“…How is Eunsol?”
Hyun-oh rubbed his face with his hands and abruptly stood up.
Actually, there was something else he wanted to ask. He wanted to know if Eunsol was still afraid of his presence.
“Now you’re calling him ‘Eunsol’ so readily. If only you had been so affectionate from the beginning.”
Kang Ye-ryeong spoke without filtering words that Kim Myungjun would only think to himself but never dare to utter.
In the past, if Hyun-oh had heard such words, he would have treated Kang Ye-ryeong as a non-entity and not even engaged with her.
“Please tell me how he is. Has he… eaten?”
But Hyun-oh was only curious about Eunsol’s condition, regardless of what Kang Ye-ryeong said to him. This was because he had to watch from the side as Eunsol had been unable to properly swallow even a spoonful of food for a long time.
He himself had barely slept or eaten for days, to the extent that the bones in his jawline, which were already distinctly defined, now prominently jutted out.
‘This is truly something to see in one’s lifetime.’
Kang Ye-ryeong crossed her arms and tapped her forearm with the tip of her long nails. Despite being the child she had painfully given birth to, Hyun-oh seemed quite unfamiliar to her these days.
It was such a dramatic change that she wondered if a different soul had entered his body.
Eventually, Kang Ye-ryeong let out a small sigh. Seeing him so weakened, she felt that she should step in to help resolve the relationship between Eunsol and Hyun-oh.
“He ate a little and fell asleep. He won’t wake up for a while. Go in…”
Tap.
“See.”
Watching her foolish son who had disappeared into the hospital room before she could finish her words, Kang Ye-ryeong shook her head from side to side.
* * *
“…Eunsol.”
Hyun-oh approached Eunsol, holding his breath. He quietly rolled the name around in his mouth. As Kang Ye-ryeong had said, his sleeping face looked peaceful, unlike when he was awake.
While that seemed fortunate, Hyun-oh’s mouth felt bitter, as if he had chewed on mugwort, causing him to involuntarily clear his throat.
A solid chest pain swelled up greatly, then slowly subsided like a receding wave.
The sweet scent that gently lingered around Eunsol pushed the throbbing headache a step back. A self-deprecating smile appeared on his previously rigid lips.
“Why have you become so thin?”
He had already been slender to begin with. Hyun-oh carefully wrapped his hand around Eunsol’s. He, too, might have felt a grittiness when putting food in his mouth, as if sand had been mixed in.
For himself, it was due to remorse toward Eunsol and regret for the past time; for Eunsol, it was because he didn’t want to see Hyun-oh.
“Even if it’s difficult, please eat your meals properly. That’s necessary for both you and the baby to be alright.”
When Eunsol was awake, Hyun-oh couldn’t speak to him like this. This was because Eunsol would show a terrified reaction whenever he saw Hyun-oh.
After fiddling with the white hand that seemed a full knuckle smaller than his own, he moved their overlapped hands and gently placed them on Eunsol’s still-thin stomach.
‘Fortunately, the fetus is developing healthily, but for omega males, there are typically several critical moments until delivery, so absolute stability is necessary.’
This was what the attending physician had told Hyun-oh on the day Eunsol woke up. He had tried to persuade Hyun-oh at length, using all sorts of examples.
It was all for the final word.
‘When he is conscious, it would be better for you to avoid approaching him as much as possible…’
For Hyun-oh, it was like a newly imposed punishment.
The attending physician’s words were simple. The diagnosis was that Eunsol experienced extreme stress whenever he saw Hyun-oh, so it was necessary to maintain distance.
‘Moreover, the symptoms the patient is currently showing are strongly related to psychological aspects.’
Symptoms.
His deep gaze fell on Eunsol’s face. Lips with a stronger pink tint than Hyun-oh’s remained firmly closed.
‘…Hyun-oh.’
It was a name he had been called all his life. Yet, when his name was called in Eunsol’s voice, it always seemed to sound special.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
