I bought ibuprofen-based painkillers and hangover medicine at the pharmacy. He said there was no nausea, but just in case, I bought stomach medicine too, and stopped by a convenience store on the way to purchase ion drinks.
I came back home almost running and panting for breath to see Lee Jiwoo sprawled in the middle of the living room babbling incoherently.
“God, Buddha… Save me, please… Ah, I’ll live virtuously… Mom, Dad… Please… Allah…”
I really am seeing all kinds of things, but I felt sympathetic because it didn’t seem like someone else’s problem. I went straight to the kitchen, warmed water to lukewarm and held it out to Lee Jiwoo.
“Get up and take this.”
“Sob sob… Seoun, if I die…”
“You won’t die. Stop whining and drink the water first.”
He sobbed and took a sip of water as I instructed. Then he looked at me with a pitiful expression and said.
“If I drink alcohol again…”
“Right, you’ll be a dog bastard instead of a human bastard. And become a eunuch too.”
What drunkards say is all the same anyway. I placed the unwrapped pills one by one on Lee Jiwoo’s palm.
“Take them slowly, one at a time.”
“The pills are too big.”
“Just close your eyes tight and swallow.”
The painkiller pills especially were so big that I used to get them stuck in my throat sometimes when I took them before. He whined a few more times, then took a big mouthful of water and put the pill in his mouth. Then he raised his neck high up to the sky. I reflexively grabbed his hair and made him face straight ahead.
“Swallow. Gulp.”
Lee Jiwoo stuck out his lips with a frightened expression. Water started flowing little by little through the gap in his lips. Really, what the… Fuck. Ugh.
“You said your head hurts. Swallow it, quickly. Even if it gets stuck in your throat, it’ll go down quickly if you eat a few spoonfuls of rice, so swallow it first. Gulp.”
I wiped his mouth and chin with the back of my hand and said threateningly.
“Gulp!”
When I shouted in frustration, Lee Jiwoo finally gulped and swallowed the pill. Fortunately, it didn’t seem to get stuck in his throat as he took the other medicines well after that.
“Wait, when did you even wake up and when did you wash?”
I put Lee Jiwoo back under the blanket to lie down and muttered in bewilderment. He definitely must have washed noisily, so why didn’t I hear that sound? Looking closely, he didn’t just wash his face but shampooed his hair and took a complete shower.
He was even wearing my clothes that I’d washed the day before yesterday and hung on the drying rack. He’s really a ridiculous bastard.
“I just wish my head would shatter…”
Lee Jiwoo mumbled as he turned to lie on his side. I lightly pressed around his temples and said.
“Come on, quickly. You took the medicine, so if you sleep well and wake up, you’ll be fine now.”
“Sob…”
He whined and made crying sounds for about 20 more minutes before becoming quiet. Still, it was fortunate the medicine took effect quickly. I confirmed Lee Jiwoo was completely asleep and went to the bathroom.
As expected, there was a water disaster. I roughly cleaned up while washing myself and came out. Just in case, I’d left an ion drink by the bedside, and while I was washing, he must have sipped at it because it was about half empty.
I slowly took care of the household chores I’d put off because I was sick. Around when I was almost finished, a call came from Seogong. I sat on a dining chair and answered the phone.
“Hello.”
-Hyung, are you up?
“Yeah, how’s your body?”
-That’s what I was calling to ask. How are you, hyung? I went to the hospital again today.
“I’m all better. I’m completely fine, so I woke up earlier and was cleaning the house a bit. Did you eat breakfast?”
I changed into outdoor clothes while talking on the phone. Lee Jiwoo was so completely knocked out that he wouldn’t know even if someone carried him away. I continued talking about this and that with Seogong and grabbed my wallet to go outside.
“I’ll come around lunchtime with the landlady. Is there anything I should buy for you?”
-Nothing like that. The doctor said I just need to do light walking exercise and watch my diet. And I told you, right? My recovery ability is amazing. Youth really is everything. The ajeossi in the next bed was super envious of me too.
Seogong seemed really excited since he was being discharged tomorrow.
-You don’t have to come today if you’re busy, hyung. You’re coming tomorrow anyway. Even if you come, you can’t stay long, so it’s a waste of transportation fees going back and forth.
“I’m not busy. And it’s okay since I’m resting until today.”
-You’re resting today too? Hyung, were you actually just fired? Or is the Pig Dream boss really a bodhisattva? How can he give you such an advance and let you skip work so easily?
At Seogong’s surprised words, I felt guilty for no reason. Worried I might make a slip of the tongue while lying and saying this and that, I changed the subject entirely.
“What should I do about your diet? I looked it up online and it says you should eat small amounts frequently. Like porridge or mashed tofu, something soft.”
-Ah, talking about food makes me want to eat like 2 ramens with cheongyang peppers and bean sprouts packed in. If I put a big piece of kimchi on top of the noodles and eat it together…
“……”
-I want to eat chicken too. I want to chew pizza with boneless chicken feet on top. I want to grill pork belly and eat it wrapped in lettuce. I want to eat jajangmyeon with green onion kimchi on top together with sweet and sour pork. I want to eat rice soaked in jjamppong soup. I want to eat well-simmered kimchi stew with white rice. I want to eat sweet and savory ribs with doenjang-jjigae.
All the way to the mart, Seogong talked non-stop about the foods he wanted to eat. Unfortunately, spicy and salty foods especially were absolutely forbidden for a while, so naturally there was nothing he could eat.
At the mart, I put ingredients for making porridge and things that were soft and easily digestible in the cart. Just in case, I should buy just a little and shop frequently.
After ending the call and finishing shopping, when I returned home, Lee Jiwoo, who must have woken up in the meantime, lifted just his head from under the blanket to look at me.
“Where did you go?”
“The mart. Is your headache a bit better?”
“Yeah.”
Though the pain had improved a lot, Lee Jiwoo still seemed out of it, as if it was still hard. I organized the food ingredients in the kitchen and pondered what would be good for a hangover soup.
Considering yesterday’s text and drinking himself into a stupor like this, it was probably because it was his parents’ death anniversary. Since it’s too sensitive to talk about personal matters, he probably just babbled useless things like he came because he missed me.
His parents passing away early, and drinking and groveling on their death anniversary—I felt a sense of kinship somehow and it made me feel bad.
When I glanced at the living room, Lee Jiwoo had his eyes closed as if trying to sleep again. Or maybe he was just closing his eyes. The ion drink was already all gone, with nothing left.
I decided to make bean sprout soup, the easiest hangover soup. It was the same as what I made when we ate gimbap last time. Just adding a bit more tofu to it.
Just in case he wouldn’t eat rice, I also blended tomatoes with lots of honey.
I was cooking for a while when Lee Jiwoo, who must have gotten up at some point, was hovering behind me. I glanced at him and said.
“I’m not putting anything you can’t eat.”
“I know.”
Just a moment ago he was whining that the pill was too big to swallow, but he seemed fine except for his voice being a bit hoarse. At that level, he’ll probably fully recover once he eats.
“Please put the spoons on the table.”
Lee Jiwoo did as I asked without complaint. A simple breakfast was set, and as expected, Lee Jiwoo started inhaling the bean sprout soup. Watching him eat so well, I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Is it livable now?”
Even thick-skinned and tactless Lee Jiwoo seemed embarrassed at this point and hesitated before nodding.
“When you drink, make sure to eat snacks with it. You’re already in a bad mood, but if you suffer from a hangover the next day, you’ll feel twice as bad.”
At my words, Lee Jiwoo tilted his head.
“I was in a bad mood?”
“Didn’t you drink because you were in a bad mood?”
“No. I just drank because I missed you.”
Again, that nonsense again. It was obviously a lie, but I didn’t bother pointing it out and let it slide.
“Anyway, make sure to eat snacks. Drink lots of water too.”
“You know this stuff really well. Like the painkillers earlier too. Are you some kind of alcohol doctor?”
Talking about alcohol doctor, you stupid bastard… I smiled brightly.
“Yes, I’m a doctor. I even got my degree about two years ago. So listen to what the doctor says.”
“Yes, Dr. Heo. Is tomato juice good for hangovers too?”
“Yes. It’s good for you, so chug it down in one shot.”
At my words, Lee Jiwoo stopped eating and emptied the whole glass of tomato juice. He seemed to keep listening well since earlier, which felt strange somehow.
Is it because he feels sorry? Or grateful? I didn’t know the reason, but it was a good sign.
As always, Lee Jiwoo ate all the food I made without leaving a single grain of rice.
