FLPR 2.2

Doyul, momentarily distracted by the plush comfort of the bed, quickly collected himself. Sooyeon began explaining his duties in a calm, even tone.

“A regular schedule is essential for Mr. Min’s recovery. You’ll wake up at 8 a.m. and have breakfast. Mr. Min will have lessons in the morning, followed by lunch at 12:30 p.m. After lunch, he’ll have some free time for exercise, drawing, or crafts. After dinner, please help him write in his diary. Bedtime is before midnight.”

Doyul listened attentively. Aside from the lack of formal schooling, the schedule sounded remarkably similar to that of a first- or second-grader. It was certainly a healthier and more structured routine than his own, mostly of going to work.

“Every Friday, you’ll submit a brief report on Mr. Min’s progress. I’ll give you the email address later. And please contact me immediately if anything unusual happens.”

“Okay.”

“To help with Mr. Min’s memory recovery, it’s important to talk to him about things you’ve done together.”

“I will.”

Doyul wondered what he should talk about. He also questioned whether reminiscing would help Woohyun regain his memories. He didn’t know, but if it would help, he was willing to try.

Sooyeon checked his watch.

“It’s getting late. Let’s go downstairs for dinner.”

“Alright.”

Doyul had been hungry since he’d stepped inside the house and smelled the delicious smell of food. He’d tried to hide his hunger, not wanting to appear greedy.

They followed Sooyeon to the dining room, where a table full of food awaited them. Woohyun, having changed his clothes, was already seated. Doyul’s mouth watered as he took in the spread: various seasoned vegetables, steamed fish, soybean paste stew, and multi-grain rice. It had been a long time since he’d seen such a home-cooked meal. His stomach rumbled. He sat next to Woohyun and picked up his spoon.

‘Is it okay to start eating?’ He glanced at Sooyeon and Yujung. Yujung, sensing his hesitation, smiled.

“I thought something light would be better after such a long drive. Please, eat.”

Her words were music to Doyul’s ears. Unable to contain his excitement, he said,

“Thank you! This looks delicious! ”

“Thank you,” Woohyun echoed, picking up his spoon.

The food was even more delicious than it smelled. Doyul wanted to eat everything, but he controlled himself, not wanting to appear piggy. He was impressed. He could eat this kind of food every day and never get tired of it.

“I’m so tired,” Doyul mumbled, collapsing onto his bed. After lunch, he’d explored the surrounding area. All he could see were rice fields and mountains. It seemed like a sparsely populated area. He’d thought it best to familiarize himself with the surroundings, so he’d walked around for a bit. He’d even found a convenience store about a ten-minute walk away.

When he returned to the house, Sooyeon had given him a tablet, explaining that it contained educational programs tailored to early elementary school students. Sooyeon assured him the material wouldn’t be too difficult. The thought of teaching filled Doyul with fear. He’d never taught anyone before.

“Do you think I can do this? ” he’d asked anxiously.

“It’s alright if you struggle a bit. Mr. Min is very intelligent.”

Doyul wanted to point out the absurdity of that reassurance, but he refrained from speaking.

After Sooyeon explained how to use the programs, they had dinner, and Doyul took a shower. It was almost 10 p.m. Sooyeon had returned to Seoul after dinner, saying he had some business to attend to. Doyul sank into the soft mattress, drifting off to sleep.

Knock, knock.

“Who is it? ”Doyul mumbled sleepily. The door opened, and Woohyun peeked inside. Doyul sat up, instantly awake.

“What is it? ”

“I’m scared to sleep alone. Can I sleep with you, Doyul? ”

Doyul’s mind raced. ‘Will I get any sleep tonight? ‘ He knew his heart would be pounding if Woohyun slept next to him. But Woohyun’s comfort was more important than his own. He couldn’t refuse him. He scooted over to the edge of the bed and patted the empty space.

“Of course. Come on in.”

“Okay!”

Woohyun came into the room and climbed into bed next to him. Doyul tilted his head, catching the strong scent of Woohyun’s shampoo. He noticed some unrinsed suds on the back of Woohyun’s neck and gently wiped them away.

“Did you shower by yourself? ”

“Yeah!”

Doyul looked him over. He’d clearly used plenty of soap, but he hadn’t rinsed thoroughly.

“Did you shower by yourself at the hospital, too? ”

“Yeah! Secretary Lee would dry my face, hair, and neck with a towel after I showered.”

It seemed he needed help with showering. Doyul’s heart skipped a beat as he considered the implications. He’d never seen Woohyun naked. If he helped him shower, he’d have to see him undressed. He wasn’t sure he could handle that without betraying his feelings. ‘Maybe I can just help him rinse off after he showers? ‘ He shook his head. Woohyun needed to learn how to shower properly to avoid skin irritation. This was purely for practical reasons, no personal motives whatsoever.

“Um… how about I help you shower tomorrow? ”

“Shower together?“ Woohyun’s eyes widened. Doyul felt a blush creeping up his neck. He sounded like a pervert.

“Yes. You need to rinse all the soap off.”

“Okay! Yay! ”

Doyul told himself it was just another part of his caregiver duties. Hiding his flustered emotions, he pulled the blanket up to Woohyun’s chest.

“We have to wake up early tomorrow, so we need to sleep. Let’s go to sleep now.”

“Goodnight, Doyul.” Woohyun snuggled closer, practically melting into Doyul’s arms. Doyul thought he’d never be able to fall asleep, but exhaustion won out. He closed his eyes and drifted off into a deep slumber.

* * *

‘What’s going on? ’

For some reason, Doyul found himself sitting across from Woohyun, who appeared to be in middle school. Doyul was holding the tablet Sooyeon had given him, and a notebook lay open on the desk. He realized it must be lesson time. He cleared his throat, turned on the tablet, and launched the educational program.

“We’re going to study math today,” he said.
“I’m good at math.”
Doyul knew that. Woohyun had always excelled at math, effortlessly scoring perfect marks even with minimal effort. He used to confidently declare that math was easy once you understood the formulas. Doyul felt a nervous flutter in his stomach.

‘First- and second-grade math shouldn’t be too difficult’ he thought. ‘Multiplication and division—that’s difficult’ He tried to reassure himself. The program finished loading, and Doyul stared at the screen, dumbfounded.

“Huh?”
“What are we learning today? Cubic functions? Calculus? ”
A bead of sweat trickled down Doyul’s spine. The screen displayed a cubic function. That was definitely not first- or second-grade math. And Doyul had always been terrible at math. He’d often doze off in class, completely lost. He stammered,
“Um… we’re going to learn about… cubic functions.”
“Wow! I love those! Are you going to explain it? ”

Doyul’s mouth went dry. The only teaching experience he had was showing new hires how to stock shelves at the pub. No one ever asked him about academics. His friends were all equally average students, so they never bothered asking each other for help. Doyul felt a wave of panic.

Woohyun, growing impatient with Doyul’s silence, snatched the tablet from his hands.
“What’s wrong? This is easy.”
Doyul wanted to ask if he was serious. Woohyun quickly scribbled down the problem and the solution in the notebook. Then, he circled the answer and showed it to Doyul.
“Wow… good job.” Doyul had no idea if it was correct, but he assumed Woohyun, being Woohyun, must be right. Woohyun handed him the notebook.
“Your turn.”
“My turn? ” Doyul’s voice trembled. Woohyun nodded matter-of-factly.
“You said you were going to teach me.”
“I’m sorry… I don’t know this stuff.” Doyul decided honesty was the best policy. There was no point pretending. He’d rather face the embarrassment now than be exposed later. Woohyun hummed thoughtfully, then selected a new problem on the tablet and smiled.
“I’ll teach you.”
“Uh… what? ”
‘No, it’s okay. Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division are all you need to survive in this world,’ Doyul screamed internally, desperately wanting to stop him. But he couldn’t bring himself to refuse when Woohyun, looking like his middle-school self, his eyes shining with enthusiasm, was so eager to teach.

So Doyul had to pretend to listen attentively while Woohyun explained the problem in what sounded like a foreign language. ‘How does a middle schooler know so much about cubic functions?’  he wondered.
“Which part don’t you understand? ”
“All of it… from the beginning.”
Woohyun’s expression turned serious, making Doyul feel like a student who’d failed a test. Woohyun sighed dramatically.
“This is bad. We need to start with division.”
“Huh?”
“Your fundamentals are weak. You’re at an elementary school level.”
Doyul was taken aback. Woohyun’s serious expression showed he wasn’t joking.

Doyul had agreed to care for Woohyun, but he was starting to lose confidence. He wasn’t qualified to teach him anything. He felt a tightness in his chest. With despair, he said,“I want to go home…”
“You can’t,” Woohyun said with a smile.
“Why?”
Woohyun’s lips curved into a mischievous grin.