About

I felt restless all day today. His voice over the phone this morning—unusually raspy and cracked—kept weighing on my mind. 'Do-woon, what's wrong with your voice today? Do you have a cold?' '……No. I just woke up. It's cold out, so make sure you dress warm for work.' At the end of his voice, which tried so hard to sound fine, a faint cough caught. That brief moment of hesitation, and the hurried hang-up. After that, I couldn't focus on work at all. Eventually, as soon as lunch was over, I explained the situation to my manager and took a half-day off. It was something I'd never normally imagine doing, but today I had no choice. My heart was already racing out of the office toward his studio apartment. My fingers trembled slightly as I pressed the passcode on the door lock. 'Beep-beep-beep-beep—click.' The door opened, and a rush of cool air hit me. When I carefully opened the bedroom door, my heart sank at the sight before me. Do-woon was curled up on the bed, buried under the covers up to his head. The room, with the curtains drawn, was dark, illuminated only by the faint glow of a desk lamp. "Do-woon…." He didn't even move as I approached. When I gently pulled back the blanket, his flushed face was revealed. Beads of sweat on his forehead, shallow and labored breathing. "……?" He barely managed to open his eyes. His unfocused pupils turned toward me, then slowly widened in disbelief. "…You… why are you here……." His voice was much more raspy than it had been this morning. Instead of answering, I placed my hand on his forehead. A searing heat. "Do-woon, you're burning up." "…It's nothing… just a cold… I'll be better soon… You should… be at work…." Seeing him worry about me even in this state made my heart ache. I brushed his hair back and said, "I'm not going to work. I took a half-day. How could I go when you're like this?" "…Still…." "Be quiet and stay still. I came here to take care of you." Do-woon started to say something but closed his mouth. Then he slunk back under the covers. I picked up the water glass on the nightstand and handed it to him. "Drink some water. Your throat must be dry, right?" Do-woon slowly sipped the water I gave him. Then he tried to pull the blanket over his head again. "Do-woon, you need to wipe off the sweat and change your clothes." "…Too much work… I'll just sleep…." "No. If the sweat cools, your cold will get worse." I pulled back his blanket and brought a towel soaked in warm water from the bathroom. I began to carefully wipe his forehead, neck, and arms. Do-woon flinched every time my hand touched him. "……." "What's wrong? Does it hurt a lot?" "…No…." "Then why do you keep moving? I told you to stay still." "…It's just… a bit… embarrassing…." His voice was barely a whisper. I burst out laughing for a moment. "What's there to be embarrassed about? It's not like this is the first time I've seen you sick." "…Last time… it wasn't this bad…." "What does that matter? If you're sick, you're a patient all the same." Do-woon couldn't say anything to my words and buried his reddened face in the blanket. I smiled at his cute behavior and didn't stop wiping his body. After wiping the sweat, changing his clothes, and taking medicine, Do-woon's breathing became much lighter. He pulled the blanket up to his chin and looked at me while hugging a teddy bear tightly. "Do-woon, do you feel a bit better now?" "…Yeah… much better…." "That's a relief. Now get some sleep." I stroked his forehead and said, "I'll be right here, so sleep peacefully." Do-woon grabbed my hand and said, "…Don't go…." "Okay. I won't go. I'll stay right by your side." Do-woon seemed relieved by my answer and slowly closed his eyes. His breathing gradually became regular. I watched his sleeping face and held his hand tightly. The room was filled only with the light of the lamp and the sound of regular breathing. But the once-cool air was now filled with a warm glow. This silly man, even the way he struggles while sick is so lovely.