FLPR 4.2

“Doyul-ah, it’s time to go!”

“Okay! Just a minute!” Doyul replied, zipping up the bag he’d packed earlier. It was finally the day he was going home, albeit temporarily. There wasn’t much he could do right away, but he planned to sort through things he could throw out.

The day before yesterday, Doyul had told Woohyun he needed to go home for the weekend. Woohyun had insisted on coming along, but Doyul had promised to invite him next time, knowing full well that “next time” would likely never come. Oblivious, Woohyun had made him pinky swear.

Doyul slung the bag over his shoulder and hurried out of the room. Woohyun was waiting for him at the front door.

“You could have gone ahead.”

“I wanted to go with you.” There was a hint of disappointment in Woohyun’s eyes. He looked like a puppy being separated from its owner. Doyul felt a strange sense of satisfaction at Woohyun’s reluctance to see him go. The more Woohyun showed interest and affection, the more important Doyul felt.

“Let’s go. Secretary Lee will be waiting.”

“Okay.”

When I came out of the house, my breath was out of my mouth. It was still the hottest time of the year. Doyul quickly walked to the car. He hadn’t adjusted to the heat because he had been so comfortable at Woohyun’s villa. Now that he was home, he would have to sleep in a room without air conditioning. Just thinking about it made his whole body feel sticky. Doyul opened the trunk, put his bag in, and closed it. In the meantime, Doyul got into the car first. Doyul opened the car door, sat down, and greeted him at the same time.

“Hello, Secretary Lee.”

“Yes, hello.” Sooyeon acknowledged him through the rearview mirror. After confirming Woohyun had fastened his seatbelt, he started the car. Doyul buckled up and took out his phone. Woohyun watched him silently, then spoke.

“I want a phone too.”

“I’m keeping your phone safe, Young Master.”

“I want to use it.”

Sooyeon looked troubled.

“I’ll return it to you later.”

“Um… Secretary Lee, how about we get Hyung a new phone for now? We could just save the numbers for his mother, you, Ms. Yujung, and me. Wouldn’t that be okay?” Doyul spoke carefully. He had always watched Woohyun use his cell phone with envy. When he heard that he would return it later, Woohyun’s expression was so depressed that he couldn’t help but bring it up. Sooyeon seemed lost in thought for a moment as she listened to those words, then nodded.

“That should be acceptable. I’ll get it for you after your hospital checkup.”

“I hope it ends quickly,” Woohyun said, his voice bright with excitement. They had just left the villa, but his mind was already past the checkup. Doyul smiled.

“That’s great.”

“I’m going to text and call Doyul too.”

“Sure, whenever you want.” Doyul figured Woohyun had been envious of him having a phone. Now that Woohyun would have his own, he probably wouldn’t be watching Doyul use his phone so intently. Doyul looked down at his phone. He had plans with Hyunsoo and sent him a text to confirm.

Remember, 6 PM at the pork rind place today, right?

Then he turned off the screen. He wouldn’t get a reply until around lunchtime anyway. Hyunsoo wouldn’t be up and about yet. Once they reached the hospital, Doyul planned to head straight home. He needed to check his mail and sort through things to discard. Then, after his appointment, he’d continue organizing until Saturday, spend one more night, and then meet Sooyeon at the agreed-upon place to go back. Doyul leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.

“Are you going to sleep, Doyul?”

“Why? Are you bored?”

“You seem to like sleeping, Doyul,” Woohyun said, a hint of sulkiness in his voice.  ‘Do I? ‘ Doyul thought back. Other than the first car ride and the initial few days when he’d had trouble sleeping, he hadn’t napped much. He felt a little wronged.

“I don’t think I sleep that much…”

“You always sleep in the car. You just woke up not long ago, and you’re already trying to sleep again.”

That was true. Strangely, he always got drowsy in cars. Doyul sat up straighter.

“No, I’m not sleeping this time.”

“Really?”

“Of course!” He was determined not to fall asleep this time. But less than thirty minutes later, his head was nodding. Woohyun looked at him with a disgruntled expression, then turned to look out the window. It seemed he was the only one disappointed about not seeing Doyul for the next two days. He wanted to talk more.

“Young Master, Doyul-ssi probably gets carsick. Carsickness can make you sleepy.”

“Carsick?”

“Yes. If he doesn’t sleep, he might throw up.”

“That wouldn’t be good…” Woohyun’s eyebrows drooped. Sooyeon glanced at him and continued.

“So, it’s important that he sleeps.”

“Okay.” If he was sleeping because he was sick, then it couldn’t be helped. He was sad they couldn’t play, but he didn’t want Doyul to be sick. He resolved to ask Doyul to play a lot when he returned on Sunday. Truthfully, he’d been struggling to hold back the urge to ask Doyul to skip his plans and play with him instead. Doyul had called him a cool person, and cool people didn’t whine.

“We’ve arrived.”

Doyul opened his eyes at Sooyeon’s words. He’d sworn he wouldn’t sleep, but he’d drifted off without even realizing it. Embarrassed and apologetic, he looked at Woohyun, who was unbuckling his seatbelt. Their eyes met, and Doyul smiled awkwardly.

“I fell asleep.”

“It’s okay. Are you feeling alright?”

“Huh? Yeah. I’m fine.” He felt perfectly fine. His neck was a little stiff from sleeping sitting up, but other than that, he was comfortable. Woohyun smiled.

“That’s good.”

Doyul turned his head, pretending to check his phone. Every time Woohyun smiled like that, he felt his face flush.

“I should get going.” He said, putting his phone in his pocket. Woohyun nodded with a sullen face. Seeing that, he absentmindedly raised his hand to pat Sooyeon’s head, but he quietly lowered it after looking at Sooyeon’s expression. Instead, he pressed the hat he had prepared in advance onto Woohyun’s head and opened his mouth.

“Do well on your tests, Hyung.”

“Okay.”

“I’m going. See you on Sunday!”

“See you on Sunday,” Woohyun replied cheerfully. Doyul gave Sooyeon a brief nod.

“I’ll be going now.”

“Travel safely.”

He opened the car door and got out. Woohyun watched Doyul’s retreating figure, then turned away. It was time for his tests at the hospital.

He went into the hospital with Sooyeon and was shuttled between various examination rooms. Then, he waited in a private room for the results. Sooyeon, true to his word, left to buy him a phone.

“I’m bored,” Woohyun muttered, watching TV. Sooyeon had strictly forbidden him from leaving the room, so he was stuck. Nothing was interesting on TV. It was strange. When Doyul was around, he never felt bored, even if they were just reading or sitting quietly. Just looking at Doyul was enough to make time fly.

“I miss Doyul.”

In just over a month, Doyul’s presence by his side had become a given. He’d even dreamed about Doyul. Thinking about the dream, Woohyun’s face flushed slightly.

The video he’d watched a few days ago said that what happened in his dream was how people who loved each other made babies. Doyul had said men couldn’t make babies together, but they could get married. Not in Korea, but they could in Hawaii. He would ask Doyul to go to Hawaii with him later.

He’d heard that if you got married, you could live together forever. Woohyun naturally assumed he would always be with Doyul. Then, a thought struck him: what if Doyul didn’t want to go with him? He shook his head. Doyul had said he liked him best. So, he would agree to go. Woohyun smiled contentedly.

“What brings you here?” Sooyeon’s voice came from outside. He must have brought the phone. Woohyun jumped up and headed for the door.

“Why else would I be at a hospital? I’m here because I’m sick. Is someone admitted to this room?”

Woohyun froze at the unfamiliar voice. He had a bad feeling. He felt like if he opened the door, he’d encounter someone unpleasant.

Meanwhile, Sooyeon tried to maintain his composure as he looked at Changhyun standing in front of him. Was it really a coincidence that this man came to the hospital at this hour? He must have planted his eyes somewhere. Changhyun smiled leisurely and pointed to the hospital room with his finger.

“Is Mother hospitalized?”

“…No. Someone I know is hospitalized.”

“Are you preparing for a new job? This isn’t the kind of room an ordinary person would be admitted to.”

“Chairman Lee took care of it.”

At that, Changhyun’s eyebrow twitched slightly.

“Oh? Who? A man or a woman?”

“That’s a private matter, so I’m afraid I can’t answer.”

“The gender of Secretary Lee’s acquaintance is private?” Changhyun scoffed. He wasn’t going to back down easily. Sooyeon’s mouth felt dry. Woohyun was inside the room. He’d probably heard his voice by now and might open the door. It would be dangerous if Changhyun found out about Woohyun’s condition here.

“Yes.”

“Perhaps Mother has found a new husband and is hiding him away?”

“No.”

“Well, it’s been about two years since Father passed away. I think it’s about time she found a new husband.”

Sooyeon clenched his jaw. Those words were meant to provoke him, to gauge his reaction and figure out who was inside. Changhyun tapped the door with the back of his hand.

“Well, I suppose I’ll find out eventually. Take care.”

“Yes. Goodbye.”

Only after Changhyun had walked away did Sooyeon open the door to the hospital room and go inside. He was so tense his back was damp with sweat. Woohyun was sitting on the sofa, looking anxious. Sooyeon was relieved Woohyun hadn’t opened the door. He approached him and handed him the paper bag he was carrying.

“I bought you a phone.”

Woohyun took the bag and asked,

“Who was that person outside?”

Sooyeon took a deep breath.

“That was Min Changhyun-ssi.”

“Changhyun Hyung?” Woohyun’s eyes widened in surprise. The voice was so different from what he remembered. And something felt off. He hadn’t felt this urge to avoid him when he was younger, but now he felt uncomfortable. And from what Sooyeon had said earlier, it seemed his condition shouldn’t be known to his brother. Instead of asking Sooyeon more about his brother, he looked down at the paper bag. It wouldn’t do any good to be more curious here.

Woohyun took the box out of the paper bag. He removed the plastic wrap and opened the lid. He took out the new phone and pressed the power button. Sooyeon, who was plugging the charger into an outlet, said,

“It won’t turn on yet. You need to charge it.”

“Okay.” Woohyun obediently connected the phone to the charger. He wanted to charge it quickly and turn it on so he could contact Doyul. He stared at the phone with a serious expression.

Sooyeon watched him for a moment, then took out his own phone. He needed to report that Changhyun had appeared at the hospital.