# Chapter 108
Tae Iden visited after 10 PM. Starting around 6 PM, he’d sent over 100 messages, beginning with anxious updates about delayed filming and worrying about what if Tae Igyeol fell asleep before he arrived at the hospital. After receiving the fourth message, Mo Eunje turned off his notifications completely. A badge with the number 124 appeared next to Tae Iden’s name in the message list.
“Hyung, does it hurt a lot?”
Tae Iden handed Tae Igyeol a flower basket with an expression as if he were the one in pain.
“Why did you bring flowers?”
“Hyung, you like flowers.”
“Put it over there.”
Despite Tae Igyeol’s blunt response, Tae Iden’s face was completely bright, as if he’d never been worried. Seeing with his own eyes that Tae Igyeol looked better than expected must have relieved him.
“I cleaned out all the showcases at cafes near here and gave snacks to all the 19th floor staff, asking them to take good care of you. I did well, right?”
“Why waste money when I’m getting discharged soon?”
Tae Igyeol’s prickliness wasn’t unfamiliar, as Mo Eunje had seen it since long ago. Just as Mo Eunje was accustomed to Tae Igyeol’s merciless attitude, so was Tae Iden. People often rationalized that he wasn’t being mean, just awkward at expressing himself because he disliked anything that made him feel embarrassed.
Today, however, Mo Eunje noticed Tae Iden’s ears, long like rabbit ears, drooping. So he cursed at Tae Igyeol with his eyes. Though Tae Igyeol usually couldn’t understand other messages conveyed through eyes, he recognized cursing with uncanny precision and reluctantly added:
“Yeah, you did well.”
“But Eunje hyung, are you sleeping on that sofa?”
With the sliding door open, the hospital room was clearly visible. Tae Iden peeked inside and asked after noticing the pillow and blanket on the sofa.
“Yes.”
“Why? There’s a bed in the caregiver’s room.”
“That’s for you to sleep in if you stay.”
“Really? I can sleep here tonight? I actually sent my manager away first, hoping I might be able to stay. I told him not to wait—”
“No, you can’t.”
Tae Igyeol firmly cut off Tae Iden’s excited rambling. Since he hadn’t let Tae Hyunseok or Song Yeonhwa stay, there was no way he’d let Tae Iden sleep over. Unless Tae Iden shamelessly claimed the caregiver’s room despite Tae Igyeol’s disapproval. In truth, even then, he’d likely be kicked out, but now that Tae Iden was in the middle of filming, Tae Igyeol probably wanted him to go home and sleep comfortably. Mo Eunje believed in the warmth hidden inside Tae Igyeol.
“Igyeol is worried about you. You should go home and sleep comfortably so you can focus on acting in good condition at the filming location tomorrow.”
When Tae Igyeol was about to open his mouth with an expression that suggested Mo Eunje was talking nonsense, Mo Eunje cursed at him with his eyes again. His quivering lips reluctantly closed. Since long ago, whenever Mo Eunje stopped him regarding matters involving Tae Iden, Tae Igyeol usually tolerated it well.
“Eunje hyung, you don’t need to shield him. I wasn’t planning to stay anyway. My manager is coming to pick me up around midnight after his date with his girlfriend.”
Tae Iden, who had followed Tae Igyeol around for 18 years thinking his brother was the best in the world, wasn’t hurt by this. Like Tae Igyeol, Tae Iden tended to hear only what he wanted to hear and see only what he wanted to see, and he was also skilled at interpreting and distorting things to his liking. So Mo Eunje’s cushioning role between the brothers was merely a habitual meddling.
“Hyung, did you eat eel for dinner? It wasn’t good, right? Want a late-night snack? I’ll buy it for you.”
“Order jokbang-i.”
Tae Igyeol remembered Mo Eunje’s casual mention earlier of wanting to have pigs’ feet, sea snail noodles, and a glass of soju and beer mixed. Though Mo Eunje could drink alone in front of a patient, his conscience wouldn’t let him bring alcohol into the hospital room.
“Jokbang-i? What’s that?”
“Pigs’ feet and sea snail noodles. But eat jokbang-i without alcohol. Let’s get something else.”
“What else?”
“Hmm…”
Mo Eunje tried to think of a tasty late-night snack that would be good without alcohol. But soon they’d be discharged and alone together at home, and the issues they’d been covering up would resurface. This psychological anxiety made him think only of food that went well with alcohol. Honestly, the food was just an excuse—he simply wanted to drink.
“I don’t know. Since it’s for the patient, order what the patient wants.”
“Meat. Various kinds.”
This too was based on Mo Eunje’s earlier list of foods he wanted besides jokbang-i, which included black pork, Iberico, steak, and other meat varieties. Mo Eunje knew Tae Igyeol had a good memory, but every time he felt Tae Igyeol using him as a reference point for even the smallest things, it weighed on his mind, making him anxious and unsettled.
“Eunje hyung, order various types of meat for me. I don’t know the hospital address.”
Looking at it closely, Tae Iden really didn’t know much about the world. The hospital address would come up immediately with an internet search, and actually, you didn’t even need to search—just typing the hospital name in the address search box of a delivery app would work. But from a very young age, Tae Iden was used to having everything done for him by managers and people around him, so he couldn’t do even the simplest things himself. He truly didn’t know how, not just that he wouldn’t do it.
But there was no worry about him being scammed. So what if the kid was a bit innocent, naive, and unworldly? He had Tae Hyunseok, Song Yeonhwa, and Tae Igyeol—all clear-headed, practical, and sensible—serving as strong shields with eyes wide open.
“Hyung, order a lot. Really a lot. I didn’t even eat dinner so I could eat with you guys. Let me know how much it is, and I’ll transfer the money right away. I got a raise for this appearance, so I’m rich now.”
Thankfully, Song Yeonhwa had taught him how to use smart banking in advance.
“Rich or not, open your delivery app.”
Mo Eunje was the type to teach someone how to fish rather than kindly catching it for them. Like an obedient child, Tae Iden followed Mo Eunje’s instructions and opened the delivery app on his phone.
“Click on the address at the top.”
“I clicked it.”
“Search for the hospital name.”
“…Oh! Hyung, you’re a genius?”
“Genius, my foot. Now search for meat.”
Mo Eunje put his head together with Tae Iden, who was saying silly things, and checked the review photos from several restaurants. These days, with so many review events, rather than ordering from places with high review scores and many delivery orders, it was better to check the actual photos of delivered food uploaded in reviews to avoid disappointment.
“Hyung, let’s order from here. It looks really delicious.”
“Yeah, this menu.”
They selected a set menu that included black pork belly and neck meat, Iberico charcoal seasoned meat, Black Angus skirt steak, tenderloin steak, and grilled vegetables like onions, garlic, mushrooms, and bell peppers. When Tae Iden put three extra-large sets (specified as serving three people each) in the cart, Mo Eunje removed one. Since he and Tae Igyeol had already eaten dinner, two extra-large sets would be enough.
“Add something that can serve as rice, and let’s get one pork kimchi stew too.”
“Then I’ll get doenjang rice.”
“Write my phone number in the message and leave a note asking them to call five minutes before arriving at the lobby.”
Mo Eunje checked until the end to make sure Tae Iden was following instructions, and only lifted his head after Tae Iden had successfully completed the payment. He immediately made eye contact with Tae Igyeol. Since their eyes met as soon as he looked up, it meant Tae Igyeol had been watching him the whole time.
“…”
Suddenly, Mo Eunje felt his breath catch. The closer Tae Igyeol’s discharge date approached, the deeper Mo Eunje’s worries grew. It was like a peace before an unavoidable storm.
&&
On the morning of the discharge day, Mo Eunje helped Tae Igyeol brush his teeth and wash his face, and fed him breakfast, just as he had done every morning and evening. While the attending physician informed Tae Igyeol about precautions and scheduled outpatient treatment, Mo Eunje packed up their belongings one by one. He considered listening to the instructions together, but since Tae Hyunseok was there visiting for the discharge day, he decided against it. He had written a list of the things he’d brought in his phone’s notepad, which made packing easier.
“Uncle, do you need to go to the company?”
“Yes. I’d like to take him home, but I happen to have a meeting in 30 minutes. Let’s ask Eunje to help Igyeol.”
“What’s there to ask? We’re going to the same house anyway. Thanks to Uncle’s allowance, I’ve been eating plenty.”
“Whenever you want to buy something but don’t want to spend your own money, feel free to call your uncle.”
“I don’t know what I would have done without you, Uncle.”
Though he was joking around, Mo Eunje hadn’t asked adults for money first since his debut. Having spent all the last allowance he received from his parents upon high school graduation on a European backpacking trip in the summer of his twentieth year, before his debut, he would make snacks when adults drank at home or occasionally act cute to get pocket money, but even that was tight, so he would cling to Tae Igyeol.
Tae Igyeol, who had taken an interest in stock investments early on, would sit heavily with the adults and drink together, even when Mo Eunje was busy making kimchi-based snacks in the kitchen. Honestly, Mo Eunje had been envious.
The Tae family was brilliant when it came to making money. Tae Hyunseok through the entertainment business, Song Yeonhwa through real estate investment and business, Tae Igyeol through stock investments, and Tae Iden through his acting career—they had all accumulated wealth that left nothing to be desired. Given that gifts were also possible, it would be enough to last three generations even if they just ate and played. Mo Eunje had also grown up in an affluent environment, but as the son of professional parents and now a novelist himself, the dimension of wealth was different.
“By the way, Igyeol, your mother said she would teach you a lesson if you don’t properly pay Eunje for taking care of you.”
“Would he accept it even if I gave it? I’ll take care of it.”
“I agreed to pay you at 20,000 won per hour, so tell Aunt not to worry, and Uncle should go quickly now. You’ll be late for your meeting.”
As Tae Igyeol’s expression soured, Mo Eunje pushed Tae Hyunseok’s back with a smiling face. Tae Igyeol had a nasty temper and was so independent by nature that he hated anyone interfering with his business, even family.
Parents should be allowed to nag out of concern, but Tae Igyeol consistently ignored such attempts, causing Song Yeonhwa endless frustration. Yet this same person would constantly nag others about his excessive obsession with cleanliness and neatness. Sending him off to Ritz Ville early to prevent mutual stress could indeed be called a wise decision.
After sending off Tae Hyunseok, Mo Eunje helped Tae Igyeol change into casual clothes. It was clear that the atmosphere would be different once they returned home, and his avoidant tendencies were already kicking in, making him want to run away. But looking at Tae Igyeol’s arm, he thought, where could he go and leave this behind? For the time being, despite the discomfort and frustration, Tae Igyeol would need his help frequently while living with the cast.
This meant that even if Mo Eunje wanted to avoid Tae Igyeol, he couldn’t.
