“Are we having a feast?”
“You, you must be very hungry, right? I’m sorry.”
There was curry, but that wasn’t the main dish. Fish, beef, and what’s that—lobster? He’d only said he was hungry once, but all kinds of food had been prepared.
“Was all this just cooked?”
“Someone co, comes to the house. Someone who cooks…”
Since he even pulled out a chair for him, he couldn’t not sit. Spoon and chopsticks, and rice piled high. When Eunchan sat down, Miro also immediately pulled out a chair and sat right next to him.
“I’ll eat well.”
“Yees.”
Eunchan scooped up a big spoonful and brought it straight to his mouth. Once the rice went in, he became even hungrier. As he was scanning with his eyes which side dish to eat, meat suddenly entered his rice bowl.
“?”
“Eat a, a lot.”
Without even bringing over his own rice, at the sight of him serving during the meal, Eunchan let out a sigh.
“You should eat too.”
“Just wa, watching you eat makes me full.”
Are you my grandmother? At his behavior like his grandmother when she was alive, Eunchan shook his head. To see his grandmother’s image in a stranger.
“What are you saying? Just eat.”
He scooped rice with the spoon and brought it to Miro’s mouth. He thought he might dislike it since it was the spoon he’d been using, but unexpectedly, Miro readily accepted the rice and smiled brightly.
“…You eat well.”
Though it was funny to share rice while a feast was laid out, it didn’t feel bad. Rather, it felt like a meal shared among family. Eunchan smiled slightly and put the meat Miro offered into his mouth. It chewed softly and had a non-irritating seasoned taste. It’s delicious. When Eunchan said so, Miro also nodded his head.
Thanks to the many side dishes, he ended up only eating a few bites of his favorite curry before the meal ended. Because of Miro scooping more rice for him once in the middle, his stomach felt like it would burst. Eunchan held out the water he’d been drinking to Miro.
“Drink water.”
Unlike his appearance, he didn’t seem to be the type who was unexpectedly picky about cleanliness, as Miro accepted the glass without hesitation and quickly emptied it. It was cool as if the air conditioner had been turned on, and thanks to the brightly lit lights, the house looked cozy. Now that his stomach was full, the world must finally look positive. Eunchan rubbed his closing eyes and looked for a clock.
“There’s no clock?”
“Yeah.”
No matter how much he turned his head, unable to see a clock, Eunchan looked for his phone. Then, soon realizing he’d put it in his patient gown, he got up from his seat.
“Where are, are you going?”
“My phone.”
Hyungsik might have contacted me. Eunchan walked out to the hallway, thinking of the clothes he’d taken off in the shower room. Miro followed behind Eunchan with quick steps.
Soon he found his phone inside the patient gown left outside the shower room. Having somehow run out of battery, only his face reflected on the black screen and it wouldn’t turn on. Eunchan sighed and looked at Miro.
“Do you have a charger?”
“Well…”
Miro, who had been chewing his lips, gave an uncertain answer. Even if he had one, if the models were different, it couldn’t be charged. He’d eaten and washed up. Should I start heading home now? While going down, I’ll check if the shop buildings have CCTV too.
When Eunchan, who had been thinking for a moment, picked up his phone and showed signs of leaving, Miro hurriedly blocked his way.
“You’re leaving?”
“Miro-ssi should go back to the hospital too.”
The nurse’s voice shouting that he still needed to rest remained in his ears. By the way, it would be nice if he could lend me some clothes.
“It’s ra, raining outside.”
“Rain?”
In the quiet atmosphere inside the house, he hadn’t known the weather outside. Not just the weather, but he couldn’t gauge how much time had passed either. Eunchan moved his feet to the wide living room to see the window. As Miro said, a downpour was falling.
“I didn’t even know it was coming.”
The raindrops were large and fierce. Though it should make a loud sound, the firmly closed window blocked both wind and noise solidly. At the sky that had become dark at some point and the pouring torrential rain, his energy drained away.
“Aren’t you sleepy?”
“I guess so.”
Miro asked at good timing. I want to go home quickly and lie down on the bed. Eunchan didn’t cover the yawn that burst out.
“There’s a bed on the second floor…”
“No. It’s okay.”
Perhaps because the clothes he was wearing now happened to be pajamas, he felt more drowsy. Still, it wasn’t enough to sleep in a stranger’s bedroom, so Eunchan refused immediately.
“There’s no sofa either.”
If only there was a sofa in the living room, he could have lain down and caught some sleep. Eunchan scanned the empty living room with regretful eyes.
“Wa, wait just a moment!”
Then Miro tightly gripped Eunchan’s arm, shouted to wait, and rushed up to the second floor in a flurry. Eunchan looked at the back of hurried Miro’s head questioningly, then soon sat down on the floor. Cold air rose from the hard marble floor. However, once he sat down, now he wanted to lie down.
After hearing a thud sound once, the homeowner came back down. Holding blankets and pillows in his hands. Eunchan blankly looked up at the luggage Miro had brought.
“You don’t need to do this.”
“Sleep.”
He carefully spread out the blanket and arranged the spot. After even placing the pillow, Miro took Eunchan’s hand and led him. Whether it was a winter blanket, it was fluffy like a mattress. When he adjusted and laid his head on the pillow, Miro was looking down at him with a very satisfied, flushed face. Could he have been planning to make me sleep here? At this point, suspicion about the homeowner slowly arose.
“You made me wear pajamas on purpose.”
“Shall I si, sing you a lullaby?”
Like he did at the hospital, Miro carefully reached his hand over Eunchan’s shoulder and gently patted. Eunchan grabbed Miro’s wrist.
“Take off your shoes and come. Sleep together.”
Let’s close our eyes for about 30 minutes and get up. He brought a large blanket, so it was enough for both to spread out and lie down. Miro hesitated but lay down next to Eunchan. Because they shared the only pillow, the distance was close. It was a house where not even the commonly heard sound of a clock’s second hand could be heard. Therefore, the sound of rain tapping the window was welcome.
“But.”
“Yees.”
“Do you live alone?”
Lying side by side, his mouth started to open for no reason. Eunchan pointed to the wide, empty house and asked Miro.
“Yes.”
“Family?”
“One person.”
Miro answered, extending his index finger to make a 1.
“Eu, Eunchan-ssi?”
“I don’t have any.”
The answer came immediately. Eunchan lay on his side and met eyes with Miro who had been continuously staring at him.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
His only family were his mother and grandmother. He didn’t know if his father was dead or alive and didn’t care. So Eunchan answered firmly.
“…Really?”
“Why? First time seeing someone without family?”
To Miro asking again, Eunchan retorted in a somewhat cold tone. Must be nice for you, having even one person.
“That can’t be…”
“Ah, was that one person perhaps family?”
It was Miro who had answered “one person” to the question about having family or friends in the hospital room.
“……”
“Mom? Dad? Younger sibling? Are they far away? You don’t live together?”
“I, I don’t know.”
What? Why is he upset? At Miro’s face that suddenly looked depressed, Eunchan couldn’t get his bearings.
“You don’t want to talk about it? Then I won’t.”
His relationship with his family must not be very good. He knew better than anyone that not everyone has a harmonious family. Eunchan instead turned his back from Miro and lay down. Crossing his arms and closing his eyes, he felt like he’d fall asleep soon.
“Look this way and sleep.”
Then he felt tapping on his back from behind. Eunchan ended up smiling without realizing it.
“Why?”
“Just…”
At the uncertain tone, Eunchan pretended to be reluctant and turned to look at Miro and lay down. A white face. It looked like there was no vitality.
“Let’s go back to the hospital later.”
“Yes.”
“Aren’t the clothes uncomfortable? Change.”
Since it’s his house, he must have many comfortable clothes, yet the homeowner gave pajamas to the guest and is wearing the guest’s clothes. Eunchan frowned looking at his shirt that looked small.
“No. I, I like it.”
Rather, Miro smiled, buttoning up tightly as if he didn’t want to take it off even more. The crescent-shaped curve of his eyes was pretty. Eunchan reached out his hand without realizing and touched Miro’s eyelashes.
“You must hear a lot that you’re pretty.”
“Am I pretty?”
“……”
Since he asked with a sparkling face, Eunchan just covered Miro’s eyes with his palm.
“Sleep well.”
“Eu, Eunchan too.”
He’s dropping the honorifics. At the natural informal speech, Eunchan let out an empty laugh but didn’t remove the hand covering Miro’s eyes. Even as Miro’s soft hair tickled the back of his hand, and his thin breath touched the inside of his wrist, Eunchan slowly closed his eyes, imagining the warmth beside him. Somehow, he felt like he’d have a good dream.
* * *
Eunchan woke up from sleep at the touch stroking his forehead. At the loving touch that felt like when his mother put him to sleep when she was alive, like when his grandmother held him, Eunchan smiled and rubbed his head against the hand as if telling it to stroke more. He felt the hand hesitate for a moment, but it soon gently rubbed the area near his forehead.
“Grandmother…”
Even until becoming a high school student, though it would be gross after growing up, grandmother always called Eunchan her cute puppy. Even in lacking circumstances, Eunchan was okay because he had grandmother. It was also thanks to grandmother that he could grow up in tremendous love.
After she passed away, she didn’t appear in his dreams even once, so what’s going on? Afraid grandmother would disappear if he opened his eyes, Eunchan kept his eyes tightly shut and groped around to grab grandmother’s waist.
Whether she’d been doing weight training in the afterlife, he felt grandmother’s thick upper body. She must be living healthily there. That’s a relief. She only suffered when she was alive before leaving. Eunchan continued his thoughts following the stream of consciousness and fell into deep sleep.
And Miro also looked at Eunchan throughout the night with deeply sunken eyes.
