“Ahhh! I’ll walk! I can wa— *cough cough*.”
Whether Ilkyung, placed on his shoulder, thrashed around at the loud coughing sound or not, Director Ha resolutely climbed the stairs. If anyone saw, they’d think he had some luggage on his shoulder.
“Let’s be quiet. People might think you live alone.”
You do live alone! Ilkyung wanted to shout, but now whenever he opened his mouth, coughs poured out, so he couldn’t talk back.
“See, if you’d listened well, there’d be no need to carry you like this. You just had to not listen and create this mess.”
He had a million things he wanted to say back, but it was lamentable that he couldn’t. Feeling wronged, Ilkyung raised his cotton-ball-sized fist and tap-tap-tapped Director Ha’s back. To Daehoon, it was no different from a little Maltese puppy yapping.
Placed on the living room sofa, Ilkyung’s face turned bright red as he huffed. But Director Ha paid no attention and just handed Ilkyung some warm water. Ilkyung accepted the water and drank it as given, while glaring at Ha Daehoon.
“How can you carry a person like they’re luggage? I said I could walk.”
“I know. Nag, nag, nag. Stop talking and rest a bit.”
Just then, someone rang the bell. Ilkyung looked at Director Ha with big eyes.
“Wait.”
Speaking as if commanding a dog to “wait,” Daehoon headed to the entrance. Ilkyung shook his head at how long the path from the living room to the entrance was. Speaking of which, he’d felt this before too, but wouldn’t living alone in a house like this be lonely?
Whether it was because he’d eaten too much popcorn, or because he’d fallen asleep while eating popcorn, his stomach felt uncomfortably queasy. Plus his body kept running a fever…
“Dr. Ahn, please examine this friend carefully.”
With a bewildered expression, Ilkyung looked at Daehoon.
“This is Dr. Ahn, our family physician. He’s very skilled, so leave it to him.”
Ilkyung’s jaw dropped. No, I told you not to show off being a conglomerate heir, and you’re doing this now? Ilkyung was so dumbfounded he couldn’t speak.
“Hello, I’ll examine you briefly. What’s bothering you and how?”
A kindly-looking grandfather who looked like he belonged in a drama set in a rural village asked with a hearty laugh. Ilkyung wanted to say this whole situation was very uncomfortable. But having been pushed around this way and that by Director Ha Daehoon, Ilkyung just smiled weakly and replied.
“This morning my throat was just a bit ticklish and scratchy, but now, cough cough.”
As if proving his condition, coughs burst out repeatedly. Director Ha stood beside him with crossed arms, looking down at Ilkyung and clicking his tongue in disapproval. It was a sign of displeasure. When Ilkyung glanced around cautiously, the grandfather doctor smiled and said.
“Don’t mind the Young Master and continue speaking. It’s okay.”
“Ahem!”
Daehoon, addressed as Young Master, cleared his throat and raised then lowered one eyebrow. It was his behavior when something displeased him. Having clashed with Daehoon many times at the Center for various reasons, Ilkyung could guess his mood just from his expression. Ilkyung was completely on pins and needles right now.
“Keep talking.”
“Yes…”
At Daehoon’s urging, Ilkyung answered meekly and continued.
“Right now I’m running a bit of a fever too… Cough.”
“You’re coughing quite badly. Seems like a cold—may I listen to your breathing?”
When the doctor grandfather asked while putting on his stethoscope, Ilkyung nodded slightly. The grandfather used the stethoscope on Ilkyung and also examined his tonsils.
“Your throat is swollen. Don’t drink cold things just because your throat hurts.”
“I knew it from when you were chugging cola.”
While the doctor was speaking, Daehoon, standing beside him, spoke while glaring at the top of Ilkyung’s head. Still standing with crossed arms, the sense of discord was no joke. Ilkyung unnecessarily looked around cautiously.
“Young Master, don’t scold him. Make sure he drinks warm water, and since he might have trouble digesting, have him eat soft foods. And he might get chills, but if he bundles up too much, he could run a fever. I’ll set up an IV and go. Should I send the medicine to Executive Secretary Min?”
As soon as Executive Secretary Min’s name came up, Ilkyung’s eyes widened in surprise.
“No, the Executive Secretary would have left early for Family Day too, so calling him for medicine would be such an imposition! I just need the IV. I’m fine. I don’t need medicine, cough cough.”
Ilkyung rattled off like rapid-fire rap, then poured out coughs again. Director Ha quickly pressed warm water into Ilkyung’s hand. Meanwhile, the doctor grandfather was silently preparing the IV.
“Executive Secretary Min is there for such things. There’s nothing to worry about.”
“Cough, no, I mean, I’m really nothing…”
Director Ha suddenly uncrossed his arms and bent his upper body toward Ilkyung. At the suddenly close distance, Ilkyung stiffened in surprise, and Daehoon whispered quietly.
“What are you saying when we’re dating?”
“Ah…”
Ilkyung stared at Daehoon with his mouth hanging open like an idiot. Then Daehoon smiled smoothly. It was the first time seeing such a smile, so Ilkyung just stared without saying anything.
“I’ll set up the IV. Where should I go?”
At the doctor grandfather’s question, Daehoon naturally stood Ilkyung up and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. Ilkyung flinched and stiffened, but remembering what Daehoon had just said while looking him straight in the eye—”we’re dating”—he decided to cooperate as naturally as possible.
*’Right, let’s be natural. This act will be over in just three weeks.’*
Ilkyung entrusted his body to Daehoon and went where he was led. But the place Daehoon led him to wasn’t that room from last time. So was that room a room where guests stayed? But with Director Ha Daehoon’s personality, it didn’t seem like he’d let anyone into his house…
“Ilkyung-ssi, lie down. Get comfortable.”
Ilkyung awkwardly lay down as instructed. But inwardly he wondered if it was okay to brazenly lie down like this in Director Ha Daehoon’s bedroom on a bed that wouldn’t budge even if several people rolled around on it. He even folded his hands neatly on his stomach, “like Snow White lying demurely in her coffin.” Then Director Ha sat on the edge of the bed and chuckled.
“No, usually you roll around just fine, so why are you acting so prim and proper today? That’s not like you, Ilkyung-ssi.”
Director Ha personally rolled up his sleeve to expose his wrist, then lightly brushed the wrist with his thumb. It was where he’d been injured before. Feeling chills for no reason, when Ilkyung tried to pull his wrist away, Director Ha put strength into the hand holding it.
“Stay still. Okay?”
The low voice pierced through his ears. Ilkyung just blinked his eyes quietly like a doll under a spell.
**6. Stress, the Root of All Illness**
Ilkyung blinked his eyes open and closed, focusing on the scenery of the dimly lit room. It seemed he’d fallen asleep without even knowing when. Ilkyung tried to get up and raised his body halfway when something caught—thunk.
“Ah!”
The IV was still attached. Ilkyung usually slept quite roughly, but it seemed he’d slept docilely with the IV line plugged in.
“That’s fascinating.”
“What’s fascinating?”
“Gasp!”
Ilkyung looked toward where he sensed a presence and pressed down on his startled heart with his hand. He’d almost died of shock. Not crossing the River of Jordan from a cold, but almost seeing the Grim Reaper from shock. A long shadow was cast at the doorway.
“Did you sleep well?”
“Yes. But when did I fall asleep?”
“Could it be that for Ilkyung-ssi, the problem wasn’t yesterday’s dousing, but accumulated fatigue? Haven’t you been sleeping well recently?”
Ilkyung shook his head. He fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, so there’s no way… there is, you bastard! It’s because of you. Ilkyung’s gaze toward Daehoon changed to a resentful look.
Even when he occasionally bickered with Director Ha over work, it wasn’t this bad. But he’d been threatened, there was the meat restaurant dinner incident, and yesterday he got drenched. It had really been eventful. Could Ilkyung, who’d grown up receiving only love, who’d lived only smoothly, really have the capacity to endure all those things? Naturally, stress had filled him to the top of his head, and because of that, he’d gotten sick. So the cause of the cold was none other than Director Ha Daehoon.
“Come out and let’s have some porridge.”
“I need to go home.”
“I contacted them saying you can’t go in.”
“Who did you contact?”
Ilkyung’s eyes grew as big as lanterns.
“Esper Woo Minkyung contacted me, so I told her.”
“What?”
“Why are you so surprised? I just told her that Assistant Manager Woo had cold symptoms so I took him to the hospital, and it would take time because he was getting an IV. Esper Woo Minkyung knew about yesterday’s incident too.”
