“Can I go home and sleep?”
Though Miro wouldn’t allow him to go back home, Eunchan brought it up just in case.
“Sleep here…… I, I’m still in pain……”
Miro, who raised his bandaged hand to show him, smiled shyly. It’s not like being together would help. That person must be quite lonely, Eunchan thought.
“Then I’ll go to the convenience store later. I don’t have a toothbrush.”
“I’ll prepare it for you!”
Miro spoke to Eunchan as if telling him not to worry and picked up the receiver placed on the nightstand. Eunchan tilted his head as he watched Miro quickly state his requirements to someone, as if ordering delivery food.
“Miro-ssi.”
“Y-yes?”
After finishing the call, Miro cautiously approached the sofa while reading Eunchan’s expression. Eunchan opened his mouth as he watched Miro approaching.
“Tell me about yourself, Miro-ssi.”
“My, my story?”
“Yes.”
Exactly how old he was, what he did for work. Where his parents were, and whether he really lived alone. Eunchan was beginning to get curious about Miro. Actually, it was a belated Q&A session. Even though he didn’t demand private information from clients, there was a high possibility the stalker was someone related to Miro, so it was good to know.
“I don’t have any……”
“Last time you said you were older than me. Do you know my age?”
He’d been secretly bothered by how Miro had answered that way when they’d never properly introduced themselves to each other.
“I just thought you looked yo-younger than me……”
“……Is that so? How old are you, Miro-ssi? What do you do for work? Do you live alone in that house?”
Questions he’d only been thinking about internally suddenly began pouring out of his mouth. Though Miro could have been uncomfortable with Eunchan’s barrage of questions, whether he was thoughtless or just had a good personality—or perhaps he was happy that Eunchan was asking questions—he just giggled.
“Don’t just laugh, talk.”
“I’m th-thirty-one. I’m ta-taking a break from work, and, and……”
“I asked if you live alone.”
“Not alone though……”
Miro’s house had few traces of human presence, like a model house. Eunchan was surprised by Miro’s answer that he wasn’t alone and asked back.
“You’re not alone? Ah, don’t tell me you have family?”
“No though……”
“Why do you have so many secrets?”
The person is strange too. Eunchan swallowed the rest of his words and looked at Miro. Miro, who sat quietly beside Eunchan with both hands neatly placed on his knees, kept a smile on his face. He really is pretty though, Eunchan thought.
“If Eu-Eunchan asks, I’ll te-tell you everything!”
“Never mind. You keep stuttering too.”
He felt like he’d told Miro countless times to call him Eunchan-ssi, but it was useless. Having more or less given up by now, Eunchan rubbed the back of his neck.
“When I was yo-young…… I have a yo-younger sibling we se-separated from.”
“A younger sibling?”
“Yeah…… I o-only have one.”
I should have stopped when he said he wouldn’t talk. Seeing him say they separated when young, the sibling probably wasn’t of this world anymore. Eunchan hurriedly checked Miro’s complexion in the suddenly darkened atmosphere.
“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”
“Pre-pretty. Had a good pe-personality too! Kind, and, and smart.”
Folding his fingers one by one, Miro listed the sibling’s good points. Eunchan relaxed at Miro’s seemingly bright demeanor.
“Must be pretty if they resembled you.”
Seemed to be a younger sister, and if she resembled Miro, she’d obviously have been beautiful. Eunchan yawned lazily and stretched.
“Yeah. Very pretty.”
“I see.”
Not wanting to be in an uncomfortable situation by talking about painful memories of family, Eunchan looked around for another topic of conversation. Miro’s head moved along with Eunchan’s gaze as it swept around the hospital room.
“Excuse me. I’ve brought the items you requested.”
Fortunately, thanks to a visitor who arrived at just the right time, Eunchan didn’t have to make the effort. A man who seemed to be someone Miro had called separately rather than a hospital staff member came in with a light bow, holding several shopping bags.
“I’ll leave these here. Then I’ll be going now.”
“Ah!”
The man who’d set down the shopping bags in the corner of the hospital room turned around and exited quickly, having completed his purpose in less than a minute. Unlike Eunchan, who just sat dazedly on the sofa without managing to return the greeting, Miro walked toward the shopping bags the man had left behind with a smile on his face.
“Who, who was that?”
“You said you di-didn’t have cl-clothes, Eunchan-ssi, so I ca-called him.”
Now that he thought about it, the logos drawn on the shopping bags the man had brought were all expensive clothing brands.
“I was going to buy some at a convenience store.”
Actually, he hadn’t even planned to buy any. He was only staying one night anyway, so it would have been fine to sleep in the clothes he was wearing. He wasn’t the type to be that fastidious about cleanliness. His plan had been to roughly brush his teeth, wash his face, and sleep on the sofa, but Miro, thinking who knows what, had sent someone to raid a department store.
“Try it on.”
After rummaging through the shopping bags for a while, selecting clothes he liked, Miro found something to his liking and called Eunchan, who was still sitting.
“I don’t want to.”
“……Do you no-not like it? Then ho-how about this?”
“I don’t like any of them. You wear them.”
Even to Eunchan’s untrained eye, the clothes looked expensive. If his boss had been beside him, he would have said, ‘You crazy bastard, hurry up and put it on,’ but knowing there’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world, Eunchan firmly refused.
“Won’t you please wear it?”
Did that guy get stars embedded in his eyes? Dejected by Eunchan’s cold attitude, Miro dropped his broad shoulders and began to whine. The blue short-sleeved shirt Miro held in his hand crumpled according to Miro’s grip strength, and tears glittered at the corners of his eyes.
“Why are you buying me clothes?”
“I thought it wo-would look good on you.”
“Never mind. I don’t casually accept things from others.”
“But you’re not a str-stranger, we……”
“You wear them.”
Clothes also shine only when they’re properly hung on a hanger. Not wanting to end up in a ridiculous state all wrinkled, Eunchan now used both hands to make an X shape.
“……”
“Don’t act pitiful.”
Clutching the clothes with tags still attached, Miro looked at Eunchan with sorrowful eyes. Seeing Miro in a patient gown and bandages, he really did look pitiful. Eunchan spoke even more firmly to hide his wavering heart.
“Just once……”
Miro tilted his head and pleaded with Eunchan. Miro knew all too well how to use his face. Eunchan made eye contact with Miro and eventually raised both hands. Right, it’s not like they’ll wear out just from putting them on. When he even granted requests from dead people, wouldn’t a living person’s request be easier?
Eunchan eventually rationalized it in his mind and picked up the clothes Miro was clutching.
“I’m just going to try it on.”
“Okay!”
He roughly put his arms through it over the T-shirt he was wearing. It was unfortunate he couldn’t see himself without a mirror, but since it was for Miro’s sake anyway, seeing only Miro’s reaction was enough.
“Wow,”
At the sight of Miro clapping, Eunchan spun around once like a model. Miro kept praising him with a dazed look, saying ‘It suits you well,’ ‘Very cool,’ ‘Pretty.’ He wasn’t the type to buy clothes often, and even as a child, he couldn’t wear new clothes.
Clothes obtained from somewhere, shabby T-shirts bought as bargains at the market. Though he wasn’t particularly greedy for clothes, trying on the new clothes Miro handed him made him feel strange. His feeling of ‘Should I even be wearing something like this?’ gradually began to change with Miro’s shower of compliments.
Eunchan tried on every piece of clothing Miro handed him. He changed into pants and T-shirts in the bathroom and came out, and struck poses wearing knits and cardigans that would only be worn in winter. Each time, Miro knelt in front of Eunchan, arranging the hem or removing dust from the clothes, tidying his appearance.
It was when he put on a thick coat with a muffler that Eunchan came to his senses thinking ‘This isn’t it,’ but realized it was already too late. Miro arranged the muffler Eunchan was wearing with a happy face. After tying it prettily in a ribbon shape, Miro walked around Eunchan once and soon clapped again.
“Cool!”
“……Isn’t this winter clothing?”
“Bu-but it’s pretty……”
The ribbon around his neck felt stuffy, but it was too prettily tied to untie it with his own hands—it would be a waste. Eunchan leaned back on the sofa with an exhausted look and let out a big sigh.
“I want to stop trying things on now.”
Though he’d found comfortable clothes to wear and sleep in, he’d ended up doing a fashion show in the middle of the night. Miro busily gathered all the clothes Eunchan had worn and organized them carefully.
“These are Eu-Eunchan’s.”
Like a parent preparing their child’s school uniform, Miro packed Eunchan’s clothes. Looking at Miro, Eunchan somehow thought of the word ‘guardian.’ He’s treating me exactly like a younger sibling. Though their relationship was employer and employee, Miro casually crossed that line.
“Don’t take care of me. I’ll get attached.”
Though he spoke quietly, Miro heard and smiled shyly. Even Grandmother never bought this many clothes. Eunchan unwound the muffler and approached Miro.
“Let’s wash up and sleep now.”
He tied the thick muffler around Miro’s white, long neck. Having been quite absorbed in dressing him up, his pale cheeks now had a rosy tint.
“To-together?”
“I’ll sleep on the sofa.”
“Then I, I’ll also sleep on the sofa……”
Stopping his organizing and getting up from his seat, Miro hurriedly grabbed his share of blankets and pillow from the bed. Knowing well that Miro was stubborn in strange ways, Eunchan quickly stopped Miro’s actions.
“Fine. Let’s sleep together.”
He was clearly being firm and doing well, but the end always turned out the way Miro wanted. He didn’t know if he was easily swept along or if Miro had a talent for sweeping people along. Eunchan fanned himself with his hand as his body heated up, then realized he’d been continuing to wear the winter coat.
“I’ll or-organize it.”
Having finished tidying the bed, Miro said with sparkling eyes that he’d help Eunchan undress. It’s because of that face. Looking at Miro’s bright face, Eunchan covered his forehead. Being weak to looks wasn’t a sin, but somehow he felt self-loathing that he seemed too easy.
