# Chapter 78
“But are you so sick that you can’t even eat porridge by yourself? Are you hiding how sick you really are because you’re worried Auntie might worry? Should we go to the hospital now?”
“Noooo. I just pretended to be sicker to make Tae Igyeol wait on me. I’m fine, Auntie.”
“Well, when else are you going to make him serve you if not now? Keep pretending to be sick for a few more days even after you’ve recovered and use him as your hands and feet.”
“What a great example you’re setting as an adult who should be a role model.”
Tae Igyeol had returned at some point, carrying a tumbler with a straw and a medicine box. He shot a sideways glance at Song Yeonhwa, who was sitting on the edge of the bed.
“Please step outside.”
“Huh?”
“I need to give him his medicine, so please step outside for a moment.”
Song Yeonhwa rose with a bewildered expression, caught off guard. Tae Igyeol, unfazed, sat down in the spot where she had been, facing Mo Eunje.
“I asked for dexibuprofen because acetaminophen and ibuprofen don’t work well for you. Take two of the body ache pills and one fever reducer for now, and we’ll see if you need more later.”
“Is it okay to take these two together?”
“Yeah. Take one at a time. They might get stuck in your throat.”
Tae Igyeol unwrapped one fever reducer and handed it to Mo Eunje, then held the straw up to his mouth.
“I’m not a child. Why one at a time? I want to take them all at once. Give me everything.”
“Stop being difficult and take them one at a time.”
Under Tae Igyeol’s threat, Mo Eunje had no choice but to take them one by one despite his dissatisfied expression.
Song Yeonhwa watched the two with a curious expression, standing with her arms crossed. She couldn’t help but think that perhaps she had known too little about her eldest son.
“Mom. Didn’t you have something to tell Eunje?”
Tae Igyeol, after giving Mo Eunje each pill one by one and finally letting him drink water, looked up and asked Song Yeonhwa. Wondering what it was about, Mo Eunje also looked at Song Yeonhwa.
“Me? To Eunje?”
“…”
“Oh my. Look at me. I completely forgot about that.”
Song Yeonhwa, who had been alternating strange looks between Tae Igyeol and Mo Eunje, clapped her hands once lightly as if she had just remembered.
“Eunje, I’m sorry, but could we postpone looking at houses for a while?”
“Huh? Why? Are you busy, Auntie?”
“There’s a big project coming up in June, and the office is in emergency mode. I’d like to pay more attention to helping you, but unfortunately, the schedule worked out that way.”
Song Yeonhwa had changed her tune from just yesterday, when she had said that she had nothing special in June and would focus on finding Mo Eunje a house. Seeing her apologetic expression, which seemed awkwardly out of character, it appeared that a major project had suddenly been scheduled.
“It’s okay, Auntie. Your work comes first. I’ll try to sweet-talk the landlord and stay here a bit longer.”
“If you have the energy to sweet-talk, use it to recover.”
“Igyeol said I can just stay.”
While responding glibly, Mo Eunje found it a bit strange. Normally in situations like this, Tae Igyeol would say something like “Just try sweet-talking, I’ll throw you out right away.” He must be taking it easy on Mo Eunje because he was sick.
Still, it was fortunate. When he sealed away his first love at eighteen, he had comforted himself by saying not to be too greedy. He had rationalized that he could stay by Tae Igyeol’s side as his closest friend and feel the happiness appropriate to that role, so he was sufficiently satisfied just sharing time together. But now, by luck, he had unintentionally gained an extension period.
“Being sick, that was honestly my first thought. What will I do when I’m sick and living alone… But thanks to you, Auntie, I can make Tae Igyeol wait on me a bit longer.”
“That’s right. Since Igyeol earns good money, ask him to buy you lots of delicious things, go on trips when the weather is nice. Don’t just shut yourself up writing your new work. You need to have fun while you’re young.”
“Yes, I will. But Auntie, I’m so sleepy…”
“I’ve kept a sick child up for too long. Lie down quickly. Make sure to eat the ginseng chicken porridge with pine mushrooms I brought for lunch later.”
“Igyeol will feed me.”
Mo Eunje murmured as he lay down. Song Yeonhwa was about to habitually tell Tae Igyeol to take good care of him, but she closed her mouth. Watching silently, she realized there was no need to add anything more, as Tae Igyeol was already taking extraordinarily attentive care of Mo Eunje, like a parent caring for a young child.
“Sleep well, Eunje. I’ll be going now.”
“Thanks for coming, Auntie. I’ll enjoy the ginseng chicken porridge with pine mushrooms. Thank you.”
Mo Eunje’s words gradually slowed, and his voice became progressively quieter, so that from “ginseng chicken porridge” on, it was barely audible. He was grateful for the peaceful and affectionate relationship he could enjoy. If he had attempted to pursue his first love out of selfishness, he wouldn’t have been able to enjoy this kind of relationship now. He had never regretted that decision once. Among the countless choices he had made in his life, he thought it was the best one as he closed his eyes and drifted into a deep sleep.
Tae Igyeol pulled down the blanket that Mo Eunje had pulled up to his neck to around his chest and arranged the bedding. He didn’t care that Song Yeonhwa was clearly watching. After checking Mo Eunje’s forehead once, he decided he should make an ice pack and ushered Song Yeonhwa out of the bedroom. After turning off the light and closing the door quietly, he met eyes with Song Yeonhwa, who was staring at him with peculiar eyes, as if looking at an alien.
“What?”
“Are you really my son?”
“What are you trying to say?”
“…Never mind.”
Song Yeonhwa had a lot she wanted to say, but since she couldn’t organize how to say it, she just kept her mouth shut. She thought that even if it wasn’t conventional, it was good that they took care of each other well, and there was nothing unusual about that. However, just as she was about to head toward the living room, Tae Igyeol spoke in a stern and resolute voice.
“From now on, please call before coming. Don’t just barge in like today.”
“So now this villa is yours, is that it?”
“Even if it’s not about that, family should maintain courtesy.”
“I can’t believe what I’m hearing. Mom’s leaving.”
“Goodbye.”
It was a rather dry parting for a mother and son. Tae Igyeol headed to the kitchen and Song Yeonhwa to the entrance, each cynically going their separate ways.
3-2
Around lunchtime, Tae Igyeol woke Mo Eunje up to feed him the ginseng chicken porridge with pine mushrooms. Mo Eunje ate the porridge and took the medicine Tae Igyeol had prepared in a daze, then fell back into a frighteningly deep sleep.
He had no idea how the day had passed, sleeping continuously, intoxicated by fever and medication, and when he opened his eyes, it was already evening. He seemed to have glimpsed Tae Igyeol a few times while half-asleep, but he couldn’t tell if it was a dream or reality.
“Ugh…”
As he tried to sit up, something fell from his forehead. It was an ice pack. It seemed that the image of Tae Igyeol he thought he’d seen in his dream was actually real. The ice still maintained its cubical shape and was cold, suggesting it had been replaced not long ago.
A soft mood light spread through the room, which was otherwise darkened by blackout curtains. Knowing that Mo Eunje disliked darkness, Tae Igyeol must have turned it on. Thanks to this, when he opened his eyes, it wasn’t too dark, giving him a sense of security.
Struggling to raise his upper body, Mo Eunje sat up leaning against the headboard and first assessed his own condition. He was completely soaked in sweat from how much he had perspired while sleeping. His body, drenched in sweat, felt uncomfortable. Though his condition seemed better than in the morning, his whole body still ached, and he still had a low-grade fever. His throat, which had been fine before, now hurt dryly as if swollen, making it uncomfortable to swallow.
“When did you wake up?”
His eyes met with Tae Igyeol’s, who was quietly opening the door and entering.
“Just now.”
Coming closer, Tae Igyeol sat on the edge of the bed and felt Mo Eunje’s forehead. Just his cool body temperature seemed to clear Mo Eunje’s head.
“You still have a fever.”
“Seems so. My mind is foggy.”
The hand that had checked his forehead now arranged his disheveled hair.
“It’s been so long since you’ve been this sick that I’m not used to it.”
“Yeah… You’re going through a lot of trouble.”
“This isn’t trouble. The one going through trouble is the person who’s sick.”
“Yes, you’re right. I am going through a lot of trouble.”
Mo Eunje laughed weakly. The last time he had been this sick was when he had overexerted himself while preparing for his debut and taking Kwon Jiyeon’s classes, ending up in the emergency room. No, even then, he had only lost consciousness briefly that day and recovered quickly. While he had experienced indigestion or caught colds several times, he couldn’t remember when he had last been bedridden with such a foggy mind like now.
“I want to shower.”
“You won’t die from not washing for one day.”
Mo Eunje couldn’t help but laugh, wondering if these words really came from Tae Igyeol, who could be described as having obsessive-compulsive disorder. Come to think of it, even though Mo Eunje must have looked awful, soaked in sweat, Tae Igyeol had casually placed his hand on his forehead and arranged his messy hair. Realizing this, embarrassment flooded him even amid his sickness. The fact that he was now conscious of something he hadn’t cared about before might be because he was reminded of his first love, which he had completely sealed away.
“I feel too uncomfortable. I think I’ll feel refreshed after washing.”
“Sigh… such stubbornness. Can you get up?”
“Yes. I feel better after sleeping so much.”
It was burdensome just to maintain his own body, but if he told the truth, it was obvious that Tae Igyeol wouldn’t let him wash, so he pretended to be as fine as possible.
“Will you carry me to the bathroom?”
“No. I can go by myself. As you can see, my legs are fine.”
There had been times when Tae Igyeol, tired of trying to wake Mo Eunje when he had a morning schedule and couldn’t get up, occasionally carried him over his shoulder to the bathroom. After carrying him and setting him on the shelf next to the sink, he would put a toothbrush with toothpaste in Mo Eunje’s mouth, forcing him to come to his senses and wash up. That was the easiest and most convenient way to get to the bathroom, but in his current state, being carried over a shoulder with his body folded in half would likely make him dizzy.
