Chapter 87: Forever Practice

Yeon-chae tossed and turned all night.

Yoonwoo had gone to bed early, but was woken at dawn by the sound of Yeon-chae groaning and gasping for breath.

“Yeon-chae? What’s wrong? Are you sick?”

He asked, his voice thick with sleep, but received no answer. Only faint moans echoed from the darkness.

Yoonwoo reached out an arm towards Yeon-chae. A scorching heat, as if boiling, met his fingertips.

“Yeon-chae?!”

Startled, Yoonwoo shot up and switched on the bedside lamp.

Yeon-chae was curled on their side, trembling uncontrollably. Yoonwoo’s face went ashen.

“Yeon-chae, what’s wrong? Are you sick?”

“Ah… I’m fine… Ugh.”

“No, you’re not fine!”

He scrambled to grab a plastic bag and held it to Yeon-chae’s mouth.

Though Yeon-chae, having regained a little composure, kept waving their hand to insist they were fine, they ultimately couldn’t hold it in and rushed to the bathroom.

Yoonwoo spent a long time patting Yeon-chae’s back as they leaned forward, retching.

Once the vomiting finally subsided, Yeon-chae slid to the floor, collapsing in a heap, and let out a long sigh.

Tears welled in the corners of their long eyes, then streamed down their cheeks. Yoonwoo’s gaze lingered on Yeon-chae’s pale, bluish lips. His heart ached.

“Yeon-chae, are you feeling any better? Are you still in a lot of pain?”

Yoonwoo asked anxiously.

Yeon-chae dropped their head onto Yoonwoo’s shoulder. Their forehead, beaded with cold sweat, was burning hot.

“I’m cold…”

“It must be because your fever is so high. This won’t do; let’s go to the emergency room.”

“The hospital… I don’t want to…”

“No, we can’t. Something serious might happen. I’ll help you up. Put some strength into your legs. That’s it…”

Yoonwoo slipped both arms under Yeon-chae’s armpits and clasped his hands behind their back.

He swayed slightly as Yeon-chae’s heavy body leaned against him.

Yoonwoo helped Yeon-chae to the living room sofa, quickly changed his own clothes, and then dressed Yeon-chae in an outer jacket.

All the while, Yeon-chae couldn’t even properly open their eyes.

As they rode a taxi to the emergency room, Yeon-chae’s fever showed no signs of abating. Yoonwoo’s stomach twisted with dread.

“They weren’t sick before and were perfectly healthy, but suddenly they started vomiting and developed a high fever. I think they’ve been ill all night…”

His voice trembled as he stammered an explanation to the emergency room’s on-call doctor.

Though Yoonwoo told himself it was probably nothing serious, a persistent fear gnawed at him.

The doctor checked Yeon-chae’s records, then examined their condition. A nurse standing nearby spoke up.

“It’s 39.4 degrees Celsius.”

“Hmm.”

Instead of the calm doctor, Yoonwoo jumped in surprise.

“Isn’t that incredibly high? Why are they so sick?”

“You said they’ve been continuously vomiting, correct? And they haven’t shown any cold or flu symptoms before this?”

“Yes, yes.”

“Did you have dinner together? What did you eat?”

“Yes. For dinner, it was abalone porridge…”

He stopped mid-sentence.

Yoonwoo had eaten the abalone porridge, which had traveled a long way to get to him. But Yeon-chae…

“Yeon-chae ate Ganjang Gejang. It was homemade… by me.”

“It seems there was an issue with the food.”

The doctor delivered a crisp conclusion.

Yoonwoo froze, his mouth agape.

The attending physician added a few instructions to the nurse before moving on to another patient’s bedside.

The nurse remained, inserting an IV into the back of Yeon-chae’s hand.

She then subtly glanced at Yoonwoo, who still wore a look of utter bewilderment.

“The patient’s trait is a dominant Alpha, correct?”

“Yes…”

“They’re healthy, so they’ll recover quickly. Don’t worry too much.”

Despite the kind voice, Yoonwoo’s mood didn’t improve.

Watching him nod disconsolately, the nurse wore a sympathetic expression.

“We’ve administered antipyretics and a gastric sedative, so they should be fine once the fever goes down. Even if the patient feels cold, please don’t cover them with a blanket. Use this ice pack to bring their fever down.”

“They’re so cold, and I should use an ice pack?”

“Their fever is extremely high right now. It’s dangerous if it continues like this.”

“Isn’t the antipyretic enough? They’re trembling so much…”

“That’s due to chills. Once the fever subsides, the chills will disappear too. The fever is too high for just antipyretics, so please make sure to apply the ice pack. And try not to worry too much.”

With a choked voice, Yoonwoo barely managed to reply, “Yes.”

The nurse gave a slight nod and then departed.

Yoonwoo slumped onto the foldable chair and gazed down at Yeon-chae.

Yeon-chae’s pale face was utterly devoid of color. Their bluish lips occasionally let out faint moans.

When Yoonwoo placed the ice pack, given by the nurse, on their forehead, Yeon-chae shivered. Their closed eyelids fluttered.

Seemingly regaining some consciousness, Yeon-chae’s lips parted, and they mumbled.

“Ugh, I’m cold.”

“…Are you very cold?”

‘I’m sorry.’

“Hyung, I’m so cold. A blanket…”

“They said a blanket will raise your fever, so we can’t use one. Just bear with it until your fever goes down, okay?”

‘I’m sorry, Yeon-chae.’

“Ugh… What’s that? An ice pack?”

“Yes. They said we have to use this. It’s very cold, isn’t it?”

“It’s so cold…”

Every time Yoonwoo gently touched Yeon-chae’s fever-flushed forehead and cheeks with the ice pack, Yeon-chae whimpered, unable to even open their eyes.

Yoonwoo felt his heart shatter, as if it would melt away entirely.

Yet, there was nothing he could do.

Yoonwoo bowed his head, resting his forehead on Yeon-chae’s trembling hand.

There was nothing he could say either.

‘I’m sorry.’

‘I won’t cook again.’

Unable to voice such words, he barely managed to swallow the tears welling in his eyes.

Yeon-chae dreamt. It must have been a dream.

“I’m sorry, Yeon-chae. You don’t have to like me. Just get better quickly…”

Even in his dream, Yeon-chae felt a contrary thought arise.

‘Why is he telling me not to like him? What does getting better have to do with me liking Hyung?’

But the Yoonwoo in his dream didn’t stop talking.

“Because I foolishly made that… I won’t make anything strange again, asking you to like me. I won’t be greedy…”

The conversation grew stranger and stranger.

However, Yeon-chae couldn’t bring himself to scold Yoonwoo, who slumped his shoulders weakly with a world-weary expression, so he bit his lower lip tightly.

“I won’t wish for such things. You don’t have to like me, just please don’t be sick.”

Yeon-chae almost shot up in his dream.

‘Hyung, what did you just say? Put a subject, object, and predicate together and say it properly!’

‘Who wished what from whom?’

However, he couldn’t fight off the drowsiness that came with the medication.

Yeon-chae couldn’t sit up abruptly, nor could he press Yoonwoo for answers. His flickering consciousness suddenly extinguished, like a light switching off.

When he awoke, a white ceiling came into his hazy vision.

The wallpaper in their bedroom, newly applied when they moved in, was a light mint color.

Staring at the unfamiliar ceiling, he pondered for a while where he was, then remembered coming to the emergency room.

Yeon-chae raised a hand to his forehead. He felt no fever, and his body felt refreshed and comfortable.

Turning his head, he saw Yoonwoo, asleep with his cheek resting on the bed.

Sitting on a folding chair, bent at the waist, Yoonwoo looked uncomfortable.

Yeon-chae reached out to wake Yoonwoo but paused.

Yoonwoo’s eyes were red. They were also slightly swollen.

“Hyung?”

The Yoonwoo from his dream overlapped with the Yoonwoo before him.

‘Was it not a dream?’

‘It was definitely a dream…’

“Yeon-chae? You’re awake?”

However, there was no time for deep thought.

Yoonwoo abruptly lifted his head, his eyes bloodshot as he peered at Yeon-chae.

Yeon-chae flinched in surprise, his eyes widening.

Yoonwoo asked frantically.

“How are you feeling? Are you a bit better? Your fever seems to have gone down. The IV is all done too. Has the nausea subsided?”

“Uh, yes, yes. Hyung, but earlier, perhaps…”

“Excuse me, Doctor! Doctor, please look here. They’re awake!”

“Earlier, perhaps…”

Yeon-chae moved his lips, trying to get Yoonwoo’s attention, but failed.

At Yoonwoo’s urging, the nurse hurried over and took Yeon-chae’s temperature.

“It’s 36.5 degrees Celsius. Your fever has completely broken. I’ll remove the IV.”

“Yes, thank you!”

“Hyung…”

“Hm? What is it? Are you not feeling well somewhere?”

“Ah, no. I’m fine. Completely normal. I feel like I could even walk home.”

“Really? Are you sure?”

His face brightened into a wide smile as he looked back at Yeon-chae.

At the same moment, tears welled in the long creases at the corners of Yoonwoo’s eyes, falling to the floor before they could even touch his cheeks.

“Ah, thank goodness, truly. What a relief…”

Yeon-chae opened his mouth once more, then closed it.

Yoonwoo’s tear-dampened eyelashes fluttered.

Unaware that his cheeks were wet, he smiled gently, like a soft breeze on a clear day.

A small wave swelled in Yeon-chae’s chest. It felt as if the water was rising and lapping.

His heart felt ticklish and overwhelmed.

Yeon-chae wanted to ask Yoonwoo, ‘Hyung, were those words you said earlier just a dream of mine?’

It could have been a dream, or it might not have been.

Yet, as he gazed at Yoonwoo’s tear-filled eyes, Yeon-chae felt as though it didn’t matter either way.

‘I hope it wasn’t a dream. But if it was, I can just make it not a dream.’

At any rate, he didn’t want to think about anything right now. He simply wanted to be pampered.

Yeon-chae stretched out his arms, pulling Yoonwoo into a hug.

He then nestled his cheek against Yoonwoo’s shoulder, fidgeting slightly.

Yoonwoo’s body, drawn weakly into the embrace, gave a startled twitch.

Soon, however, Yoonwoo gently stroked Yeon-chae’s back.

The warmth from his palm transferred, making Yeon-chae’s chest glow with heat.

“I was really sick. So, so sick.”

Yeon-chae mumbled, his lips pressed near Yoonwoo’s collarbone.

Yoonwoo flinched, perhaps ticklish, but didn’t push Yeon-chae away. He only responded weakly in a small voice.

“I’m so sorry, truly. I’ll never again…”

“I’m pitiful, aren’t I?”

“Yes…”

“Then, next time, make something for me again.”

“Huh?”

“Not Ganjang Gejang… but any cooked dish is fine.”

“Can I really cook again? What if you end up in the emergency room again?”

Yoonwoo’s frightened voice was audible near Yeon-chae’s ear.

Yeon-chae tightened his arms around Yoonwoo. Their touching skin felt warm. Perhaps his fever was rising again.

Yet, it didn’t matter. Because Yoonwoo had cried and smiled for him.

Yeon-chae shook his head gently and spoke with a hint of a whine.

“You said I could do well if I practiced, Hyung.”

“But what if I can’t do it well my whole life?”

“Then you just have to practice your whole life.”

‘So live with me forever.’

Yeon-chae couldn’t voice the words he wanted to add.

There was no opportunity to speak.

This was because Yoonwoo had hugged Yeon-chae tightly and mumbled in a choked voice.

“Yes, I will. I’ll practice… forever.”

It was fine that Yeon-chae hadn’t said it. Yoonwoo had said it for him.