– I came to work and the boss hasn’t arrived yet. What about you, hyung?
“I’m heading straight to work without stopping by the office. Give this number to the boss too.”
– Okay. Hyung, so you’re not coming to the office at all today?
“Seems like it. Why? Is something up?”
– No, I just miss you.
Eunchan chuckled softly at the words that sounded like cute whining. It was true that he’d been neglecting Hyungsik while handling Miro’s affairs. Plus, they’d been through a dangerous situation together.
“Alright, I’ll stop by later or something.”
– Okay, good luck, hyung.
As they neared the hospital, Eunchan pressed the stop button and stood up. Lately, it felt like he was going to the hospital more often than the office.
Entering the hospital, Eunchan easily found the VIP-only elevator. The manager who recognized Eunchan greeted him warmly.
“Hello, Eunchan-nim. Is there anything I can help you with?”
“I came to visit someone……”
As Eunchan mentioned visiting someone, he hid his empty hands behind his back. He should have bought something to bring.
“May I ask who you’re visiting?”
“Jang Heewoo.”
Jang Miro’s younger brother, Jang Heewoo. The ward manager nodded as if she knew the person well.
“I’ll guide you there.”
“Ah, thank you.”
The manager and Eunchan, who rode the elevator together, exchanged light conversation about how nice the weather was.
“Is Miro-ssi doing well?”
“Yes, yes.”
He kissed me and made me meals and all that. Come to think of it, for a kiss, we got past it in the morning as if nothing had happened. Should I have gotten angry even belatedly? Isn’t it a bit strange that I’m so calm about kissing another man? Eunchan looked at his face reflected in the elevator mirror. The clothes Miro had chosen fit Eunchan well. They suited him so well it was almost scary.
Just how did he know my body measurements?
“This way,”
The floor they got off on was different from the ward where Miro had stayed. There were fewer staff waiting around too. They passed through a quiet corridor and reached a hospital room. The manager smiled and asked Eunchan to knock on the door.
Is coming to see him the right answer? Am I just driving a wedge between the brothers for no reason? Eunchan knocked on the door with conflicting feelings.
But what returned was silence. Eunchan looked back at the manager. The manager also looked at Eunchan with bewildered eyes.
“He must be sleeping. Heewoo-nim? Are you in there?”
The manager knocked on the door several times, but there was no response from inside. As Eunchan and the manager looked at each other with puzzled eyes, an employee approached from far away.
“What’s going on?”
“Someone came to visit Jang Heewoo-nim, but there’s no response, so he might be sleeping.”
“Ah, he was discharged yesterday evening.”
“I thought he was being discharged tomorrow?”
“The patient wanted to leave.”
From roughly assessing the situation, it seemed Jang Heewoo had been discharged quite some time ago. He didn’t know his home address or contact information separately, so how should he find him? Eunchan ran his hand through his hair with a sigh.
“Could I possibly get Jang Heewoo-ssi’s contact information?”
If he asked Miro for his brother’s contact information, he definitely wouldn’t give it.
“That’s personal information, so it would be difficult.”
“Then could I at least make one phone call, please?”
The manager hesitated for a moment, then soon nodded. He didn’t know whether Jang Heewoo would welcome him or not, but he had to try first.
After coming out to the central lobby, the manager picked up the receiver and made a call.
“Hello, this is Jeong Jinyoung, ward manager at Seongwon University Hospital. Is this Jang Heewoo-nim? Can you talk for a moment?”
Eunchan looked around, hoping he could connect with Jang Heewoo safely. The manager asked Heewoo in a polite manner if he knew Eunchan, and soon a fairly positive answer must have come back, as the manager held out the receiver to Eunchan.
“Hello?”
– What is it?
“This is Kim Eunchan. You remember me, right? Um, we met at Miro-ssi’s house……”
– So what do you want, contacting me?
It was still a prickly response. Eunchan scratched his eyebrow and chose his words carefully. How should he speak so as not to upset this man? What excuse should he give?
“Could I meet you briefly? Or at least I’d like to know your contact information.”
– Why?
“Um, …… I wanted to see if you were feeling okay.”
The way he suddenly collapsed in the house had left an impression. Eunchan opened the conversation with concern for now.
– …… Did hyung tell you to check if I’m okay?
“Huh? Ah, well. Your hyung is very worried too.”
Honestly, he didn’t know if he was worried. Even after his younger brother was carried away, Miro had smiled brightly and played around with Eunchan.
– Worried, my ass. Tell me your number, I’ll send you the address.
Once Miro’s story came up, the atmosphere improved. Eunchan quickly tried to tell him his 11-digit phone number, then soon closed his mouth again.
“Um, I just changed my phone not long ago. I don’t know my number yet? I’ll contact you.”
– You don’t even know your own number? Are you an idiot?
“…… That’s how it turned out.”
Could you memorize a phone number you received in the morning? Eunchan suppressed his rising anger and asked the manager for a pen and paper. He hurriedly wrote down the number that was quickly recited.
“I’ll text you.”
The call ended with Eunchan’s words. I guess he threw away all phone etiquette. Eunchan smiled and returned the receiver to the manager.
“Thank you.”
“Not at all. Are you leaving right away?”
As he was putting away the paper with the number, the manager stopped Eunchan.
“Yes, why…?”
“Since you’re here, I thought it would be good if you had a consultation before leaving. You happen to be at the hospital.”
“Me? I’m having a consultation?”
He’d had a healthy body that had never been seriously ill. He’d thought he was fine both mentally and physically. Eunchan asked the manager with surprised eyes.
“No. A consultation for Miro-ssi. Psychiatry.”
Come to think of it, he remembered having that conversation with the neurosurgeon. He said he took medication too. Eunchan checked the time.
“Where should I go?”
It worked out well since he had nothing to tell the younger brother anyway. If the younger brother wasn’t a stalker, it would be fine for them to get along well. Of course, the fact that the younger brother was trash remained unchanged, but still…… No wait, family can be worse than strangers. Even he and his father had cut ties and were living separately, so siblings, well.
Eunchan pushed aside his wavering feelings and followed the manager.
There was a waiting line, but Eunchan could meet the doctor right away without waiting. The examination room had a gentle and warm atmosphere. As he sat on the soft sofa and sipped the tea that had been served, a doctor wearing a gown soon entered the examination room.
“Hello, I’m Park Hyuna.”
“Ah, hello, I’m Kim Eunchan.”
“It’s a warm day, isn’t it? The sunlight is nice too. On days like this, I want to put off all my work and go on a picnic somewhere.”
Even though it wasn’t him getting examined, Eunchan somehow felt tense and sat with his back straight, listening attentively to the doctor’s words.
“Yes. It is.”
“Relax. It’s not like we’re going to talk about anything serious.”
“Haha……”
Miro’s psychiatric doctor smiled and refreshed the atmosphere. Eunchan placed his hands from his knees onto the desk and released some tension from his body.
“What kind of relationship do you have with Miro-ssi?”
As soon as he relaxed, at the question that went straight to the core, Eunchan couldn’t answer and hesitated. It was a problem Eunchan had been continuously pondering as well. Though it was a relationship bound by contract, they’d become too intimate for that.
“We’re somewhat close……”
“If you don’t want to say, you don’t have to. It’s okay.”
“Yes.”
When Eunchan showed signs of tension at the casually asked question, the doctor waved her hand and soothed Eunchan. After checking the chart on the table, the doctor began asking questions that Eunchan could answer easily.
“Is Miro-ssi eating well these days?”
“Yes, he’s eating well.”
Though he was a light eater, that didn’t mean there were many foods he avoided. And Miro was more sensitive about Eunchan’s three meals a day than Eunchan himself was. He acted as if it was a big deal if a mealtime was missed.
“What about sleep? Does he sleep well even without medication?”
“Did he originally have to take medication to sleep?”
“His insomnia was severe.”
During the time living with Miro, Eunchan had never once seen Miro take medication. He’d assumed he probably took it when he was away. Moreover, once Miro fell asleep, he would sleep deeply. He just disliked sleeping alone. The homeowner who had given him a room disliked sleeping alone, so Eunchan absolutely had to share a bed with Miro.
“I didn’t know. I’ve never seen him take medication. He seemed to sleep well without medication too.”
“In Miro-ssi’s case, his medication dependency was quite high. If you couldn’t see it, it seems like his condition has improved a lot.”
“Does he have depression?”
“It’s a bit different. In Miro-ssi’s case, he has some autistic tendencies and is rather dull to emotional stimulation.”
“What does that mean?”
Eunchan just blinked, not understanding.
“To put it simply, Miro-ssi doesn’t understand other people’s emotions well.”
“You mean he has no emotions?”
“It’s not that he has none at all, but it can be explained that way too.”
Isn’t that what you call a psychopath? Eunchan held his breath and looked at the doctor. He didn’t seem like that at all though? Miro had cried from loneliness and been happy receiving gifts. He’d disliked others and smiled at Eunchan too.
“That can’t be. He didn’t seem like that at all.”
“How does Miro-ssi behave toward you, Eunchan-ssi?”
“Just like normal people, he likes things and gets happy and……”
“Haven’t you ever suspected that Miro-ssi’s emotions are deliberately calculated and fabricated?”
Why would Miro, for what reason, calculate his emotions? Eunchan shook his head and frowned.
“There’s no reason for that. It didn’t seem like it either.”
Reddened eyes, heated breath, cautious contact. Was the kiss they shared yesterday all calculated behavior? If so, why would he live alone in a secluded house instead of acting?
