PHUW 22

The large room had an oversized bed, and next to it a small side table, holding only a sleek lamp and an alarm clock. On the floor by the bed sat a pair of leather slippers, and a large window looking out to the garden was covered with thin curtains. There was no TV, leaving the room bare. The only difference from Haeri’s own room was the faint scent of the room’s owner.

Haeri stepped back quietly and closed the door.

He blinked at the closed door for a moment, then went to the room right next to it. He had already been caught peeking into someone’s room, so he might as well turn this into a secret room-tour segment.

Buoyed by that shameless logic, Haeri boldly flung open the next door. This room was about the same size as his, but instead of a bed, a desk as big as one sat in the center. On the heavy black desk, a computer with a black apple logo, a laptop, and a tablet were all lined up like a display ad.

Behind the desk was a mesh chair, and beyond that, a matching bookcase covered the entire wall. The books were so varied it was obvious they weren’t just for display. Under the desk, a metal filing cabinet stood next to a printer.

It was a workspace both stylish and substantial. In truth, the moment Haeri saw the computer he felt an urge to rush in and turn it on, but the apple logo somehow made him lose his nerve. He didn’t know how to use it anyway.

It was probably password-locked.

For some reason Haeri wanted fruit. Something tart, like unripe grapes.

Since he was already looking around, Haeri decided to check everywhere. He strode into the kitchen and pulled open the refrigerator. Just as he had said before, there was nothing much besides beer and bottled water. Two large appliances sat by the sink, one was an oven-microwave, and he had no idea what the other was. A door in the kitchen led to the back veranda, where an oversized washer and dryer stood.

“Huh?”

After checking every corner, Haeri frowned in confusion. He went back out to the terrace and looked up at the building. There was definitely a second floor. Windows with drawn curtains continued at even intervals. But inside, there were no stairs leading up. He stepped out the front door to check. There were stairs down to the parking lot, but none going up to the second floor. Strange.

They were probably somewhere. Maybe it connected directly from the underground parking.

Once Haeri had satisfied his curiosity, there was nothing else to do. He went to the living room, found the remote, and turned on the TV. Since it was daytime, the only thing playing was that variety show he always saw, the same episode too. He flipped channels and ended up on the news. The odds of finding an orphan through the news were about the same as winning the lottery twice in a row, but still, he held onto a sliver of hope.

He slouched into the sofa, eyes fixed on the enormous TV. Alone in the cool, quiet space, his eyelids began to close. His body leaned to the side, and soon his legs were up on the sofa.

“Ugh.”

His back still ached, and the groan escaped on its own. Jeong Mok would be here soon. But he wasn’t here yet. Maybe he could close his eyes for a bit.

The fatigue from the morning’s troubles rose from his toes to his scalp in an instant. He didn’t have the strength to lift his heavy eyelids. He forced them to blink, but they soon shut and stayed closed. The remote in his hand slipped and dropped to the floor.

In the middle of that sweet sleep, Haeri had a light nightmare.

He was the main character in a horror movie, running for his life from a black bear with blood smeared all over its mouth. He ran, crying, until he suddenly tumbled down a slope and landed inside a damp, foul-smelling cave. The bear loomed closer, raised its huge black hand, and brought it down toward his head—then the world flashed bright.

His body floated upward. When he opened his eyes, he was sitting on a large rubber tube drifting peacefully on a calm lake. The bear was nowhere in sight. In his hand was a blue cocktail, and his toes dipped in and out of the water with each sway of the tube.

It had all been a dream. A natural smile of relief spread across his face.

***

When he opened his eyes, the room was dark. he lifted his head toward the pitch-black space, and his stomach dropped.

“Ah!”

Ahn Haeri jerked upright.

“Ugh.”

A ring shot through his head. Ahn Haeri squeezed his eyes shut, and green sparks flickered in the black. He’d moved too suddenly when he still needed to be careful. He couldn’t breathe.

“Ahh. I’m gonna die.”

He groaned and clutched his head. He felt nauseous. Haeri was so dizzy he could barely lie back down on the bed.

Knock knock.

“Are you awake?”

It was Jeong Mok’s voice from outside.

“Can I come in?”

All Haeri wanted was for him to stop being polite in his own house and just come in already. He held his breath against the rough gasps caused by the headache, then shouted.

“Yes! Ugh.”

At Haeri’s irritable reply, the door opened quietly.

“Dinner’s ready.”

Unlike the bedroom, the living room was bright, and because of that, Jeong Mok’s shadow stretched long, reaching the edge of the bed. Haeri, still unable to open his eyes properly from the bursts of green sparks, tried to lift his head that had been drooping forward.

“What’s wrong all of a sudden?”

Startled, Jeong Mok hurried over and steadied his swaying upper body.

“I stood up too quickly, so my head’s a bit… ugh.”

“Come on. Let’s go to the ER.”

Jeong Mok yanked the blanket off Haeri’s knees and, in one motion, scooped him up in his arms.

“Wha—!”

The moment he was lifted like a princess in a fairy tale.

‘Are you kidding me?’

It was the first time in his life being held like this. Probably not many people, even women, got to be carried this way unless they were movie stars.

Embarrassed, Haeri instinctively looked at Jeong Mok. With his angular jaw and prominent nose right in front of him, it felt even more strange. Jeong Mok didn’t look his way and strode toward the living room. At this rate, he was going to carry him straight to the ER.

“Uh, wait.”

“Don’t talk. You’ll just get dizzier.”

He clearly wasn’t listening. Haeri was so flustered that he broke into a cold sweat.

“No, that’s not it. I don’t need to go to the ER.”

And especially not in this state.

“Your face is really pale. You’re sweating, too.”

Who did he think was responsible for that?

Jeong Mok crossed the wide living room in no time and kicked open the door to the inner hall. Without even putting on shoes, he strode past the shoe cabinet and pressed the door lock with his hip. The urgency was like a seasoned firefighter rescuing a child from a burning house.

“Wait, hold on! Hyung-nim!”

Ahn Haeri couldn’t take it anymore and raised his voice, he smacked Jeong Mok’s shoulder like a cornered boxer.

“It’s just because I stood up too fast! I’ve been getting treatment and taking medication for headaches since before I was discharged last time.”

Halfway through the hall, Jeong Mok, who had been heading straight for the stairs instead of the elevator, finally looked down at him.

“The hospital will just give me more medicine. I don’t need to go to the ER. Really.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

He had no reason to lie to Jeong Mok.

Even in the hospital, he had nightmares constantly, and every time, he’d shoot up in bed and be hit with severe headaches. When it was too much to bear, he’d press the nurse call button, and the nurse would come with painkillers, then scold him to get up and lie down slowly.

“There should be painkillers in the prescription bag from the hospital. I can just take one of those.”

“You’re sure?” Jeong Mok asked again.

“Why would I lie?”

“You might pretend you’re fine because you don’t want to go to the hospital.”

“…Do I look like a kid to you?”

Haeri asked, in disbelief. Sure, he didn’t like hospitals. But if it were something serious, why wouldn’t he go? It wasn’t like he was a little kid scared of injections.

If he had to pick a reason, it was that he’d just been discharged earlier today, and if he showed up at the ER again within twenty-four hours, they’d probably suggest readmitting him. It wasn’t like he’d get any special treatment in the hospital, either, just lying in bed all day. This quiet, free house was far better. Plus, there was this strangely kind hyung-nim, and he could say hi to the handsome dog across the street.

“If it happens again, we’re going straight to the hospital.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Jeong Mok turned around.

“Put me down. I can walk.”

“Your feet will get dirty. I’ll put you down after we pass the entryway.”

And his own feet? Was it fine for them to get dirty? Haeri decided not to bother asking.

Even while holding someone, Jeong Mok somehow managed to unlock the door. He only set Haeri down after passing the shoe cabinet, but his arm still lingered around his waist, which made Haeri’s embarrassment double.

Whether Haeri was flustered or not, Jeong Mok peeled off his socks and tossed them aside, then led him toward the sofa.

“I’ll get the medicine. Sit down.”

He pressed Haeri’s shoulders until he sat, then pulled a bulging prescription bag from the upper kitchen cabinet. He checked each packet carefully before tearing one open and bringing it over with a glass of water.

“Here, medicine and water.”

“Thank you.”

Inside the translucent packet was the same painkiller he’d taken at the hospital. After watching him swallow it with water, Jeong Mok took the half-empty glass from his hand.

“Since you’ve just taken the painkiller, if you feel better in thirty minutes, eat first, then take your evening medicine after dinner.”

After this one-sided notice, Jeong Mok gathered the prescription bag spread on the kitchen island and went to put it back in the upper cabinet. Haeri wondered why he was the one putting it away when it was Haeri’s medicine.