Yoonjo slowly opened his eyes at the pleasant smell reaching the tip of his nose. Upon discovering a person at a distance close enough for their lips to touch, Yoonjo closed his eyes again. This dream was going on quite long. Even before sleeping, clearly….
Yoonjo, who had thought that far, opened his eyes wide. Closing his eyes and opening them. Only after repeating it about ten times did Yoonjo realize that the person in front of him was neither a ghost, a dream, nor a fantasy. It was really Ki Seonwoo.
Yoonjo, who wiggled his fingers, squeezed his eyes shut and pretended not to know while clinging closer. Then, along with a sigh, a pleasant voice flowed from Seonwoo.
“It’s hot.”
“Zzz….”
“It’s hot, Yoonjo-ya. I know you’re awake, so get off.”
Yoonjo, who slightly lifted one eye, grinned awkwardly when his eyes met Seonwoo’s and removed his limbs.
His nape was sticky, whether from sweat. Rubbing his neck with the back of his hand for no reason, Yoonjo moved his body back a bit more and used his arm as a pillow. His gaze continued to meet Seonwoo’s.
Yoonjo, who had been hesitating, placed both hands on his belly button while lying down and then bowed his body.
“Thank you for taking care of me.”
“Greeting while lying down, Yoonjo has become a complete puppy. No wait, even Dongtae greets while standing….”
He glared to refute Seonwoo’s words, but he didn’t have a satisfactory excuse. Wasn’t it Yoonjo who said he’d become a dog if he caught a cold? Yoonjo sniffled for no reason and curled his body into a ball.
“I really don’t catch colds easily…. This is really strange….”
“You have a cold, and on top of that, you went out to work with that body.”
Whether the fever was still remaining, Yoonjo’s face was slightly red. Seonwoo raised his hand and stroked Yoonjo’s forehead several times before letting out a sigh of relief. The fever that had been boiling furiously last night had already subsided. Being young was good. Seeing how he’d already recovered when he hadn’t been sick for long.
“Now that I’ve seen you’re up, I’ll go.”
“Food….”
“I’ll go in and eat something, so Yoonjo, take care of your body first. It’s miserable to be sick in summer.”
“Is that from experience?”
Seonwoo, who had been watching Yoonjo curled up with only his eyes peeking out, sat up from his spot. He gently stroked Yoonjo’s hair. Glancing at the peanut caramel wrappers piled up in the corner, he smiled awkwardly. Since he had no intention of answering the question, he deliberately turned the conversation elsewhere.
“Grandma will be coming in soon.”
“…Can’t you just stay here?”
“Why?”
“Because I think I’ll hurt less if hyung is here.”
It was nonsense, but Yoonjo spoke hurriedly, worried that Seonwoo might find his words strange.
“You know how seeing pretty things heals both body and mind? Hyung is pretty and cool… and everything…. Because you’re pretty to look at….”
It was hard to gauge why the word “pretty” didn’t drop from every single sentence. Yoonjo squirmed and gently grabbed Seonwoo’s sleeve. Then he hesitated and moved his lips.
“So…. Okay?”
“…Come here.”
Watching Seonwoo tap his thigh and speak softly, Yoonjo quickly moved his body and lay down with his head resting on his thigh.
“I feel like I’m suddenly completely better.”
“Then I can go home too.”
“Oh no! Oh no! My back suddenly hurts! My shoulders hurt too! It hurts so much I’m crying!”
Yoonjo forcibly pinched his forearm to make tears. Feeling the tears trickle out because it hurt so much, he lifted his head slightly toward Seonwoo to show him.
“Look, look. I’m in so much pain that tears came out. You’re going to leave a patient this sick alone? Hyung, you’re really cold-hearted. Patients, you see, need to be embraced with affection and care. That… experiment, you know! Between the onion that heard curses and the onion that heard good words, the good words side grew much better!”
That wasn’t it. The real result of that experiment was “the growth rate of plants only has minute differences depending on the individual and has nothing to do with the words heard,” but Seonwoo had no intention of correcting Yoonjo’s words. When he was speaking with such sparkling eyes, who would pour cold water on him? Instead, he patted Yoonjo’s forearm, which was marked red, and left a reproach.
“I won’t go. So get some sleep. It seems there’s still a bit of fever left.”
“Hyung, you really can’t go.”
“Okay.”
The easy agreement rather brought about distrust. Seonwoo had never failed to keep his word to Yoonjo until now, but for some reason, Yoonjo wanted to be stubborn. Whether it was because he was sick, or because Seonwoo was gently patting his back, or both, it was hard to distinguish.
“If hyung leaves, I’m going to stay at hyung’s house until vacation ends.”
“You’re saying you’ll become a runaway youth with your house right next door.”
“That’s why you have to stay. If I sleep and wake up and you’re not there, I’ll use the air conditioner full blast at hyung’s house…. I’ll make Dongtae so pretty that he won’t even recognize his owner and make him my dog.”
“Okay. Please do exactly that.”
Seonwoo said that and continued patting Yoonjo’s back. Before long, Yoonjo’s body relaxed softly. He wasn’t asleep. The proof was that his breathing was too quiet. Well, if he slept that much, he wouldn’t be sleepy anymore….
Whether he knew Seonwoo’s thoughts or not, Yoonjo had to make his best effort to fall asleep with his eyes squeezed shut. 10 minutes passed, 15 minutes passed, and now even his nostrils were about to dry out from the rattling fan breeze, but sleep didn’t come.
Eventually, Yoonjo, who slyly opened his eyes, turned his body to look up at Seonwoo. The look in Seonwoo’s eyes looking at him was utterly serene. Skin so pale it was almost pallid from not seeing sunlight for a long time, pretty almond-shaped eyes with a nice shape, and inside the sparkling brown eyes, Yoonjo was reflected completely. Yoonjo, who had been staring blankly at the clear color where even the texture of the iris seemed visible, said firmly.
“Let’s eat first, hyung.”
At words that didn’t deviate even an inch from expectations, Seonwoo lightly pinched Yoonjo’s bridge of his nose and gently stroked his nape, replying let’s do that.
Having eaten together a few times, sitting together at the dining table became quite familiar. Seonwoo stopped Yoonjo’s action of trying to prepare the meal, dismissing it with the words that he couldn’t make a patient work. In the hands of Seonwoo, who went out briefly and came back in, were various side dishes.
The types of side dishes neatly placed on the round small table were diverse. Among them, what stood out were the seasoned cockles, fresh kimchi, and grilled croaker on small plates. Yoonjo moved his lips while looking at the side dishes Seonwoo prepared.
“Hyung.”
“What.”
“Where did you get the seasoned cockles?”
“…I bought them.”
Well…. As if he would have made them himself. Yoonjo, who briefly thought about the mudflats behind the village, obediently nodded and received the heaping bowl of rice Seonwoo handed him. They say serving rice like this is all love…. Having stray thoughts, Yoonjo, who took a big spoonful with his spoon, raised his head, which had been bowed, at the seasoned cockles on top of the warm rice.
“Eat. Patients need to eat a lot to get better quickly.”
“Hyung, I suddenly want to be sick all year round….”
“Just eat.”
When Seonwoo, who chuckled, moved his chopsticks, Yoonjo hurriedly shoved rice into his mouth and picked up his chopsticks. He skillfully rolled up the croaker with the flesh well removed and fresh kimchi and placed it on top of Seonwoo’s rice. When Seonwoo looked at him with an expression asking what this was, Yoonjo chewed his rice thoroughly and swallowed.
“The chopsticks are new. I haven’t picked up anything yet.”
“…Right.”
That wasn’t what he was going to ask in the first place, but when Yoonjo continued to assert that the chopsticks were clean, Seonwoo readily nodded.
Then, when Yoonjo took another big spoonful of rice, Seonwoo, as if he’d been waiting, removed the croaker flesh and placed it on top. Even when Yoonjo said “uh, uh…,” Seonwoo brazenly didn’t even lift his head and ate his rice obediently.
Yoonjo, who ate the salty croaker and glossy white rice together, carefully examined Seonwoo’s clear face. Then he bluntly spoke.
“I’ve made up my mind.”
“What decision?”
At the leisurely question, Yoonjo pushed rice into his mouth even more combatively. He had to eat quickly and get better quickly. That way, he could go to the fireworks festival tonight with Seonwoo. He had to spend as much time as possible when time was available. Yoonjo, who chewed and swallowed his rice thoroughly for a while, gulped down water and showed his characteristic clean smile.
“Just, my mind is made up.”
“…I see.”
“I’m going to the fireworks festival with hyung today.”
“You said you can’t go. Because I’m too outstanding and hard to hide, that was the reason.”
“The fact that hyung is outstanding is true, but if done well, it might be possible to hide you. Wearing a hat, wearing a mask, uh… should I draw one mole under your eyes? No, two moles?”
Yoonjo, who gave a whole speech about how to hide his identity, finally stopped talking only after hearing an answer of “I understand” from Seonwoo.
Standing in front of the gate, Yoonjo nodded toward Seonwoo, who was looking down at him with concern.
“I’m really okay. And I really wanted to see that fireworks festival.”
“Can you really go? No matter how I look at it, you seem unwell….”
When he squinted one eye at the hand brushing his hair back, Seonwoo’s hand fell away. He felt disappointed for no reason. Looking at Seonwoo’s hand as if glaring at it, Yoonjo said.
“Take away my health and I’m a corpse.”
“You said you don’t catch colds.”
“Anyone would catch one in that situation.”
“I didn’t catch one. Then what, am I a ghost?”
“Hyung is a god.”
God of beauty, god of acting. No matter how he thought about it, it wasn’t a face from the human world. However, thinking of Seonwoo, who didn’t like hearing such things, Yoonjo omitted the rest and bent his arm as if showing off his muscles, then added.
“I’m completely recovered now. So let’s go. If we miss today, we can’t see it. The Han River festival is in October, but that’s too late.”
Speaking with sparkling eyes, Seonwoo laughed as if he couldn’t win.
