DPGR 10

The doctor, after closing the door, offered a seat to Dojin. As Dojin sat down on the sofa, he spoke.
“What’s this about?”
“Normally, we’d speak to the patient’s guardian, but since Seo Jiho has no listed guardian…”
“Is there a problem?”
“Rather than a problem…”
What the doctor said next was unexpected.
“It’s about Seo Jiho’s speech impairment.”
“Yes?”
“According to the tests, there’s nothing physically wrong with his speech functions. He’s able to produce sound, and there’s nothing wrong with the movement of his tongue or the condition of his vocal cords.”
“…Sorry?”
“His hearing is normal, as is the language center of his brain. There’s no brain damage. The only explanation for his inability to speak is psychological.”
“……”
Physically, there was nothing wrong with his ability to speak. The issue lay in his mind.
The doctor glanced at Dojin’s now-troubled face and continued.
“He’ll likely need therapy. Our hospital doesn’t have a therapist, but I can refer you to a clinic I know if you’d like.”
“Is his mental state very unstable?”
“Hmm… I’m not a specialist in that field, so I can’t say for certain. But either way, psychiatric treatment is unavoidable. It would be best to consult a professional as soon as possible.”
“I see…”
Dojin already knew. That Jiho needed psychological treatment.
But the reason he didn’t immediately nod in agreement was something else entirely.
“He’s only just escaped that hell. Is it really okay to keep exposing him to unfamiliar environments?”
The hostages Dojin had seen before had often reacted to changing environments with high stress.
Some of them, unable to cope with that stress, had turned to self-harm.
He didn’t think Jiho would be any different. He needed to tread more carefully—just in case.
“It would be better to start therapy after Jiho’s condition stabilizes a bit more.”
“That’s fine. In the meantime, I’ll give you the business card for the clinic I mentioned.”
The doctor nodded in understanding and handed him a business card she’d prepared in advance. Dojin accepted it and tucked it into his pocket.
It wouldn’t be possible immediately, but someday—could he hear Jiho speak?
To chatter, laugh, cry…
He imagined a future where Jiho could live like any normal twenty-year-old.
It was just a thought, but it was so sweet that a smile naturally formed on his face.
“He’s opened up to me a little, at least. I won’t rush things—let’s take it slow.”

⸻

The next day, Jiho was discharged from the hospital.
His test results were better than expected, and his guiding waves had returned to a stable state.
“Please refrain from guiding until your physical strength has fully recovered. Understood? Come back for an outpatient check-up in a week. Also…”
The doctor repeated her instructions multiple times before releasing Jiho.
Seeing Jiho’s pouty expression, Dojin let out a wry smile.
He could tell that Jiho’s obsession with guiding came from trying to read his mood.
“It’s like he thinks he has to constantly prove his worth.”
But Dojin was more than willing to help Jiho even without the guiding.
At least until Jiho could stand on his own two feet, he had no intention of abandoning him—whether Jiho could guide or not.
He had been trying to explain that patiently since yesterday, but Jiho’s habit of watching his every move hadn’t changed.
Perhaps it had become second nature to be hyper-aware of others.
“That’ll get better with time, too.”
There was no other way but to build trust slowly.
Dojin gently patted Jiho’s messy hair and nodded.
“Shall we go, then?”
Nod.
Jiho would be staying at Dojin’s home. He had no other guardian, and due to side effects from guiding, he wasn’t fit for the center either.
Besides, Jiho didn’t seem willing to leave Dojin’s side anyway—there were no other options.
Dojin gave the doctor a small bow and left the hospital with Jiho.
Feeling the quiet presence following closely behind him, he instinctively slowed his pace.

⸻

At home, the first thing Dojin did was turn on the heater.
He had spent most of his time at the center due to missions and training, so it had been a while since he’d been home himself.
Even accounting for the late-autumn chill, the house—which had been empty for a while—felt cold inside.
“It’ll warm up soon. Are you cold?”
Shake shake.
Jiho shook his head, claiming he was fine—but his complexion had gone noticeably pale.
It was obvious he was forcing himself to endure the cold.
“Until the room warms up, it might be good to take a hot bath. I’ll fill the tub for you, so wait a moment.”

In the end, Dojin dragged a blanket from the room and wrapped it snugly around Jiho’s body. Then, he strode into the bathroom and turned on the hot water.

A short while later, a small scuffle broke out between Dojin, who insisted on helping with the bath, and Jiho, who adamantly refused.

Naturally, the winner was Jiho.
Dojin had no choice but to watch, face flushed, as Jiho rushed into the bathroom.

“If only he were really a child—it would’ve been easier.”
Twenty was such an in-between age.
Still awkward and shy, but old enough to be embarrassed by too much help.
If Jiho had truly been a teenager, Dojin could have helped him more directly without hesitation.
At the very least, he wouldn’t be this anxious about whether Jiho might collapse while bathing.

“…Still, he’s an adult. I just have to watch from a distance.”

Thinking that, Dojin reluctantly turned away. He had mountains of other things to take care of.

He busied himself unpacking the belongings they brought from the hospital and took a few containers of frozen soup from the freezer. Then, he contacted his Alpha team members and headed into the dressing room to find some clothes Jiho could wear.

He regretted not picking up a few clothes on his way back—but it was too late for that now.

“Hmm…”
After rummaging around for a while, Dojin finally pulled out a plain t-shirt, some pants, and a new set of underwear. He narrowed his eyes in thought.
Even though they were the smallest sizes he had, they still looked way too big for Jiho’s petite frame.

Should he go out and buy something now?

A sigh slipped from his lips. If only I’d been a little more thoughtful.

But he didn’t have time to dwell on it—the sound of the bathroom door opening caught his attention.

Quickly gathering the clothes, Dojin stepped out of the dressing room.

From the slightly open bathroom door, Jiho peeked his head out, eyes wide and glancing around.
As expected, Jiho was bare-skinned from what little Dojin could see, and he blushed, quickly handing over the clothes and underwear.

“There weren’t any clothes that would fit you properly. This is the smallest I have—would you like to try them on?”

Jiho looked at the clothes and gave a small nod. His quiet response made Dojin feel a pang of guilt.

And a few minutes later…

“Ah… damn it…”
Dojin let out a groan and wiped his face at the sight of Jiho walking out of the bathroom.

The oversized t-shirt hung loosely on Jiho’s slender body, slipping downward.
The sleeves, which had been clumsily rolled up, drooped back down, completely covering his thin fingers.

Droplets of water rolled down from his pronounced collarbones, soaking the neckline.
His cheeks were flushed pink from the warm bath, and his damp skin and hair shimmered softly.

None of it was particularly intentional or flashy—but strangely, it all caught the eye.

But what truly froze Dojin’s gaze was Jiho’s pale legs, peeking out from beneath the hem of the t-shirt.

“Why isn’t he wearing the pants…?”

Jiho was holding up his underwear waistband with one hand, and the sweatpants Dojin had given him in the other.

Even if the t-shirt covered half of his thighs… still, this was too much.

When Dojin, face now burning, looked at the pants in Jiho’s hand, Jiho opened his mouth hesitantly.

“…They’re too big?”

…Nod.

Jiho gave a small nod, and Dojin frowned.

Well, of course—if even the underwear was slipping off unless he held it up, there was no way the pants would fit.
Aside from the loose waist, the length was probably far too long to be practical even if rolled up.

Still… to come out looking like that…

Dojin once again regretted not buying clothes earlier and muttered an apology.

“I’m sorry. I should’ve thought ahead. I didn’t even consider clothing…”

Fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—Jiho quickly shook his head, as if saying it was okay, while murmuring reassurances.
Dojin gave him a bittersweet smile and expressed his gratitude.

“Let’s dry your hair first. As for the underwear and other clothes… I’ll order some online.”

…Nod.

Jiho nodded and followed behind him.
His steps were awkward as the oversized underwear kept slipping down, but not to the point where he couldn’t walk.

Dojin glanced sideways at Jiho’s awkward waddle, the oversized undergarments causing his movements to look clumsy.

His gaze kept drifting toward Jiho’s pale, exposed legs—until he finally forced himself to look away.