At this point, they would either restrain him or send him outside, but the staff were just worrying about the man who was throwing a tantrum. Was he the hospital director’s son or something? As Eunchan stood still and looked at the man, their eyes suddenly met.
“What are you looking at? Is there a show?”
“No. I’m sorry.”
In case sparks flew his way, Eunchan quickly apologized and turned around. A nurse who recognized Eunchan approached and asked if something was wrong.
“Hello, is something the matter?”
“Ah, it’s nothing, but can I feed him something other than hospital food?”
Since he’d already fed him chicken and spent a night outside the hospital together, Eunchan asked the question with some embarrassment but still hopeful.
“It’s fine. As long as it’s not too stimulating, everything’s okay. For this patient, eating a lot is good.”
“Thank you.”
Eunchan, who bowed at the waist, immediately began walking down the corridor. Behind him, he could hear the sound of a wheelchair being pulled and the man’s voice growing distant. With that kind of temper, the people around him must really suffer. Eunchan, who’d become a caregiver before he knew it, made his assessment of the man.
……The wheelchair looked fine though. It would be nice when taking walks together too, if you put an umbrella on top it would block the sunlight. It seems like it would be more convenient when taking him around. When he pictured Miro sitting in a wheelchair, it suited him quite well.
“You’re here?”
Before Eunchan, who’d reached the hospital room, could even open the door, Miro flung the door open and burst out.
“You scared me.”
“Did I su-surprise you a lot?”
When Eunchan, who’d been lost in imagination, put his hand on his chest in surprise, Miro also placed his hand on top of Eunchan’s chest.
“Did you finish brushing your teeth?”
“Yeah. Wha-what did you ask?”
Though it was a short time of less than even 5 minutes, Miro asked what he’d been doing outside. Instead of answering, Eunchan went inside, leaned back on the sofa as if sprawling, and patted the seat next to him.
“Come sit.”
Miro, who immediately approached at the call, sat very close. Since he didn’t leave even an inch of gap, Eunchan let out an empty laugh.
“Sit a bit farther away.”
He removed the towel still hanging around his neck and pushed away the bangs tickling near his forehead to the side of his ears. The mint scent tickled his nose.
“What did you ta-talk about?”
“I asked if I could feed you something other than hospital food. Is there anything you want to eat? I think it would be good to eat something like galbitang or samgyetang.”
He wanted to feed him a soup boiled deeply with medicinal herbs. Eunchan got up toward his cell phone placed on the nightstand to search for nearby restaurants, then sat back down.
“What does Eunchan want to eat?”
“Anything is fine with me.”
“Mmm……”
As if it were a serious problem, Miro wrinkled his eyebrows and fell into thought. Eunchan looked at Miro’s thin face once, then at the nightstand once, alternating his gaze, then sighed. He couldn’t put it off any longer. It wasn’t like he was going to quit.
Having made up his mind, Eunchan soon pressed the power button on his phone.
As soon as he turned on his phone, Eunchan had to squeeze both eyes shut at the missed call notifications and text messages pouring in like a flood. Setting aside the cursing texts from the boss and Hyungsik’s texts worrying about him for the moment, Eunchan ordered two servings from a nearby samgyetang restaurant.
Not long after having the delivery ordered, the hospital room manager knocked on the door, having received the food in the lobby on their behalf. Eunchan bowed and gave thanks, then set the table. It was samgyetang with hot steam rising from it. After putting a plastic spoon in Miro’s hand, Eunchan, wearing vinyl gloves, deboned the chicken meat to make it easy to eat. However, even that was just pretending his hands were hot.
“I, I’ll do Eunchan’s too.”
“Never mind. Just eat.”
At the appearance that somehow became more pitiful than before he touched it, Eunchan answered with downcast eyes. After taking care of Miro, he pulled his portion of samgyetang toward him and roughly tore the meat with a spoon and chopsticks. New rice, jujubes, and ginkgo nuts burst out from inside the chicken.
“Eat a lo-lot.”
“You too.”
When he swallowed the warm soup down his throat, a pleasant breath was exhaled. He picked up a chicken leg, took a bite, and even put kkakdugi in his mouth. Miro, who’d been staring at Eunchan eating from the side, also picked up a chicken leg as if imitating Eunchan.
What you eat is what you gain. Eunchan recalled his life motto once again and chewed food filling his mouth. He was concentrating on his meal for a while when he suddenly thought it was too quiet next to him. Eunchan, who looked to the side, made eye contact with Miro, whose eyes were sparkling at him.
“……What are you looking at?”
“Should I gi-give you more?”
“I bought it for you to eat.”
Of course, it was delivered food and he’d bill for it separately later, but it was still a meal he’d deliberately chosen thinking of Miro’s poor health. Eunchan stopped Miro from trying to give him even his own portion. As he’d thought before, that person didn’t seem particularly interested in eating. He seemed to have no appetite or desire for sleep. At least the thing he seemed interested in was himself. Eunchan put down his spoon.
“Aren’t you hungry? Is it not tasty?”
“It’s delicious.”
“I’m going home after eating this. What are you going to do, Miro-ssi?”
“Eu-Eunchan is going home.”
“Yes. It’s been a long time since I’ve been home.”
Still, he should go home for at least a day, shouldn’t he? Go and shake out the blankets and run the vacuum. He had a lot to do.
“Okay. Go home.”
“Really?”
He’d been prepared for an argument, but what came back was Miro’s easy agreement. At the unexpected reaction, Eunchan asked back in surprise.
“Yeah. Let’s go together.”
“What? You’re going too? To my house?”
“Yes.”
The glassy pupils staring at him were somehow frightening. Eunchan clicked his tongue while gesturing at Miro’s bandaged hands.
“Where are you going like that?”
At dawn, Miro had to receive additional IV fluids. Precious blood, hard to obtain—he couldn’t spirit the patient away here and there. And he didn’t want to either. Eunchan shook his head and persuaded Miro once again.
“Just stay here. I’ll come after work is done.”
It would probably end late, but he wanted to finish it on the same day as much as possible. He wasn’t expecting much of a harvest anyway. Eunchan placed kkakdugi on top of Miro’s spoon.
“I’ll wa-wait at Eunchan’s ho-home.”
“I don’t want that.”
“Why……”
Compared to the hospital room he was in now, his place was very crude and shabby. It wasn’t shameful, but he didn’t want to let others into his own space where he could rest comfortably alone. When Eunchan expressed his refusal and turned his head, Miro grabbed Eunchan’s wrist as if pleading.
“A patient should be in the hospital, where would you go? I don’t want to get scolded again.”
Do you know how preciously you’re treated in this hospital? Unable to say the rest and swallowing it, Eunchan frowned.
“Who scolded Eunchan?”
“Of course I’d get scolded. Taking the patient out overnight, not feeding him.”
Though he didn’t know why that would be something for him to get scolded for, he decided to let it go since he’d agreed to nurse Miro by his side anyway.
“I’ll make sure that never happens again.”
“……Never mind. Those people were all right.”
Thinking he might get the hospital staff disciplined, Eunchan quickly waved his hands. Miro kept stroking Eunchan’s cheek and hair and began to interrogate him about hospital matters.
“Who did you talk to a lot? The lobby staff?”
“Not much.”
“Because they wanted to get close? Maybe they wanted to try ta-talking to our Eu-Eunchan? Why did they do that when I wa-wasn’t there……”
“It’s their job, so that’s why. Why are you thinking strange thoughts about that?”
Being able to stretch one’s thoughts that far was, in a way, an ability too. Eunchan sighed and tapped Miro’s hand.
“I’ll come right away as soon as it’s over. Eat well and rest.”
“……”
Though he didn’t seem pleased, when Eunchan began to actively placate him, Miro nodded his head slightly.
“Then I’ll al-also go with……”
“Hurry up and finish eating.”
He thought Miro had given up since he nodded, but now he was saying he’d go on the business trip together too. Eunchan continued his meal, hearing Miro’s whining in one ear and letting it out the other. That person is ruined. He’s the type who digs into your embrace as much as you step back. Eunchan gave up on placating Miro.
Even after Miro finished his meal, he clung to his pant leg and whined, so Eunchan could only step outside the hospital at 10 PM. The shopping bag in his hand was so heavy. He’d said he wouldn’t accept them, but because of Miro saying he’d throw them away if he didn’t take them, and the staff who came to collect the clothes to really throw away, Eunchan had no choice but to pack the clothes. However, with too many items, Eunchan only selected and packed a few outfits he could wear right away and left them with Miro. Just in case he really threw them away, he also earnestly asked him not to throw them away, saying he’d take them next time.
Since he’d received the clothes anyway, he shouldn’t be stingy and should wear them to get his money’s worth. Though it was a simple client and employee relationship, it was too late to draw the line again now—they’d crossed it so many times that the line had lost its meaning. Looking at Miro, he had the financial resources where accepting these wouldn’t be a blow, and there was also the grace of making the retainer fee 1 million won, so this much seemed okay. Eunchan mentally created a ledger with Miro and then took the bus going home.
Sitting in the back seat, he checked the texts and contacts he’d been putting off.
[You fucking bastard are you determined to ruin business?]
[Hyung, the boss is really angry, what happened???]
After deleting the boss’s cursing texts one by one, he called Hyungsik. After a brief ringtone, Hyungsik’s drowsy voice was heard.
— ……Hyung?
“Were you sleeping?”
— Ah, I was sleeping for a bit. Hyung, where are you?
“I’m on my way home now. What happened with work?”
It was a bit embarrassing to belatedly ask his younger brother about the situation. So Eunchan threw the question at Hyungsik in a deliberately casual tone.
— I don’t really know…… But the boss was smiling? He didn’t curse you much either. He did it again when we took the express bus back up though.
“Sorry. Something urgent came up. Seems like it was resolved well? Alright, get some rest.”
