FLPR 1.4

‘Or would I?’ He thought. He wouldn’t be able to see Woohyun while he was hospitalized, or until he recovered. And after that, Woohyun would be busy with work, and he’d be getting married. They lived in different worlds. It was a wonder they’d stayed in touch this long. If he accepted this offer, he’d earn good money and be able to stay by Woohyun’s side constantly. And no one knew how long Woohyun’s recovery would take. Besides, once Woohyun recovered, they were bound to drift apart regardless of what Doyul chose. If their separation was inevitable, accepting this offer seemed like the better option.

‘I couldn’t let go of him for years, even though I tried. Maybe this is my chance to do everything I’ve always wanted to do for him. Maybe then I’ll finally be able to move on.’ It was a flimsy excuse, but he didn’t want to let this opportunity slip away. With a determined look, Doyul said,

“I’ll do it.”

Hyobin smiled. Beside her, Woohyun beamed, his face alight with joy. Hyobin said encouragingly,

“Good decision.”

Sooyeon took out a pen and handed it to Doyul. Doyul took the pen and looked at Hyobin.

“Just sign where indicated.”

“Okay.”

Doyul signed the contract without hesitation. As he did, Hyobin explained,

“I’ll give you three days to wrap up your current commitments. In three days, you and Woohyun will move to the house in the countryside. Secretary Lee will make the arrangements. You won’t have to worry about cooking or cleaning. Just focus on taking care of Woohyun.”

“Alright. I understand.”

No cooking or cleaning! The conditions were even better than he’d expected. Such a generous salary and no chores. He thought of his current boss, who begrudged him every break he took, despite paying minimum wage. Doyul finished signing and handed the contract back to Sooyeon, who tucked it into his briefcase.

Doyul looked at Woohyun’s arm with concern.

“Um… is it okay to travel in three days? Hyung’s arm is in a cast…”

“It’s coming off tomorrow, so don’t worry.”

‘Tomorrow?’ Doyul was relieved that Woohyun’s injuries weren’t as serious as he’d feared.

“Okay!”

“Then I’ll leave Woohyun in your care.”

With those words, Hyobin stood up. Now that the biggest problem had been resolved, she needed to attend to other matters. She smiled at Woohyun.

“I’ll be back tonight. Be good and play nicely with Doyul, okay?”

“Okay! Bye, Mom!” Woohyun replied cheerfully. Doyul made a mental note to research how to entertain kindergarteners. Woohyun might be a grown man physically, but mentally, he was a child. Turning to face Woohyun, Doyul said,

“So, we’ll be living together in three days. I look forward to it!”

Woohyun grinned and hugged him. Doyul was startled by the sudden embrace, but he hugged him back. Hugging people seemed to be a habit from Woohyun’s childhood. Doyul caught a whiff of Woohyun’s scent and had to resist the urge to nuzzle closer. Would he ever get used to being hugged by Woohyun like this? He could hear Woohyun giggling. He’s older and taller than me, but he’s so cute it’s unfair.

Doyul resolved to do everything he could for Woohyun. Even if Woohyun ended up despising him after regaining his memory, for now, Doyul wanted to shower him with affection, to let him feel how deeply he cared.

After a long moment, Doyul became aware of Sooyeon’s pointed stare and reluctantly released Woohyun. Embarrassed, he cleared his throat and patted Woohyun’s back.

“Hyung, I have a question.”

Woohyun sat up and looked at him expectantly. It was a question that had just occurred to him, but he felt he needed to ask. Woohyun was supposed to be mentally a child. So how had he managed to send a text with the correct hospital and room number? The message had also been rather formal, not something a child would typically write.

“The text with the hospital information… You sent it, right? How did you do that?”

“There was a phone on my bed, so I sent it.”

That didn’t explain anything. Seeing Doyul’s confused expression, Sooyeon interjected,

“Allow me to explain.” His expression was grim.

“I’m currently managing Mr. Min’s phone. We can’t risk anyone finding out about his condition, so I’ve been responding to all incoming messages. I had to step out briefly to take an urgent call, and I left Mr. Min’s phone on the nightstand. That’s when he must have contacted you.”

“I was surprised by how formal the message was.”

“Children often mimic the adults around them. He must have overheard me giving the room number to someone else and memorized it.”

That made sense. Children imitated adults. Doyul had grown up with his grandfather, and he’d picked up his grandfather’s way of speaking. His teachers used to tease him for sounding like an old man. Woohyun was surrounded by people who used formal language, so it wasn’t surprising that he’d copied them.

But hadn’t Sooyeon just said they couldn’t let anyone know about Woohyun’s condition? He’d said Woohyun knew his location because he’d overheard him giving the room number to someone else. Doyul voiced his confusion.

“But… you said you were keeping his condition a secret?”

Sooyeon’s expression turned somber.

“That was before we fully understood the extent of his condition.”

“A Noona and some other grownups came, but they left quickly,” Woohyun added. Sooyeon’s face darkened further. Doyul had a feeling he’d touched a nerve. Sooyeon sighed, looked up at the ceiling, then back at Doyul.

“That was his fiancée.”

“Oh… so the engagement is…”

“She broke it off.”

“Oh…”

Sooyeon looked as though he’d been reprimanded by Hyobin for that. Doyul avoided looking at him directly. It wasn’t his place to offer comfort. Woohyun seemed indifferent to the broken engagement. He must have loved her a lot to have been engaged to her. As far as Doyul knew, Woohyun had never dated anyone else besides his fiancée. He’d once wondered if it was an arranged marriage, but that was ridiculous. He’d dismissed it as foolish jealousy. He had to accept that Woohyun loved someone else.

A pain of sadness shot through Doyul’s chest. He understood the fiancée’s decision, but he also felt sorry for Woohyun. No parents would allow their daughter to marry someone in his condition.

Doyul took Woohyun’s hand and squeezed it gently.

“You’ll find someone even better, Hyung.”

“Someone better?” Woohyun tilted his head. Doyul nodded earnestly.

“Yes, someone better. Someone who adores you, someone successful and kind, and incredibly handsome!”

“Okay!” Woohyun simply smiled. Looking at his innocent, happy face, Doyul finally understood why people sighed with pity when they looked at him.

Back home from the hospital, Doyul surveyed his small apartment. A wry smile touched his

lips as he compared it to the spaciousness of Woohyun’s hospital room. In three days, he’d be leaving this place and moving to the countryside. He needed to pack, but he felt overwhelmed, unsure where to even begin. He opened the refrigerator.

Inside, he found kimchi, a half-eaten can of tuna, some beer, and eggs. He could stir-fry the kimchi and tuna for a beer snack, and the eggs could be easily fried. There were some other dried side dishes, but they were long past their expiration dates. After a quick inventory, he closed the refrigerator and opened the freezer. It contained only ice packs, ice, and some ice cream. He’d been most worried about dealing with leftover food, but it turned out to be less of a problem than anticipated.

He closed the freezer and rummaged through his drawers. The only things worth taking were his bank book and the house deed. There was nothing else a thief would bother stealing. Doyul checked his bank balance, chuckled wryly, and lay down on the floor. His meager earnings were constantly drained by student loan payments and living expenses. His account balance was far from healthy.

“Goodbye to this place, too.”

He’d lived in this rundown apartment for a long time. He’d never imagined he’d leave. Now that his departure was imminent, a strange feeling washed over him. He wasn’t sad, exactly, but he felt a lump forming in his throat. He couldn’t tell if it was the thought of leaving his home, or the fear of the drastic change in his life.

He wasn’t exactly leaving behind a thriving career, and logically, accepting the job was the best decision, yet he felt unsettled. He decided to chalk it up to the sheer volume of events that had occurred in a single day. It was all a bit overwhelming.

“It’ll be alright,” he murmured, reassuring himself.