* * *
“Choa, there’s no need for you to worry. It’s not that serious…”
“What are you talking about? You had surgery!”
“I’m telling you, I’ll be walking in no time with some rest and rehab.”
It was only then that Yeongdeok noticed Seonwoo’s lower body hidden under the covers.
So, it wasn’t his hand—it was his legs that were injured.
“You have someone to take care of you now, so you should head home, Choa.”
“But…”
Seonwoo patted her head, telling her to stop crying. She nodded and wiped her eyes, finally turning to leave.
As Yeongdeok watched the two siblings, he felt a strange unease.
Seonwoo had said he now had someone to look after him, but there wasn’t another person in the room who looked like a caregiver.
“You’re not expecting me to be your caretaker, are you?”
“Of course, Cha Yeongdeok should take care of me. After all, it was your ‘live as you want’ advice that led me here.”
What?
How is him falling down the stairs my fault?
Yeongdeok’s eyes narrowed in exasperation, but Rose spoke up before he could reply.
“I’ll be going now. Please take good care of my brother, Yeongdeok oppa.”
With a respectful bow, she quietly exited the room.
As soon as she left, Yeongdeok raised the question again.
“Don’t you have others who could look after you?”
“I just… wanted to spend this time with you. Can’t you stay with me?”
His pleading eyes were fragile, his gaze imploring.
With a sigh, Yeongdeok relented, taking a seat on the chair next to Seonwoo’s bed.
“So, aside from your legs, your hands are fine, right?”
“You’re worried about my hands? That’s nice to hear.”
Seonwoo grinned, touched.
The reason Yeongdeok was worried about his hands was simply to avoid anything happening as it had in the original story.
Yet, the way Seonwoo looked at him, brimming with gratitude, grated on his nerves.
Seonwoo reached out, gently wrapping his hand around Yeongdeok’s.
“Did you know? Every time you show concern for my hands, I feel like I matter.”
“……”
“So maybe that’s why… even though I’m about to cut ties with my father, I don’t feel so bad. No, actually, I feel light, like I’m about to soar.”
“Cut ties?”
“Oh, Choa didn’t tell you? I fell down the stairs after arguing with my father.”
Seonwoo chuckled to himself, not quite proudly but amused nonetheless.
“As if it’s something to brag about, getting into a shouting match and then falling down the stairs,” he muttered, a smirk on his face.
“Thanks to that, I ended up needing surgery for the first time in my life, and that guy Baek Cheongang didn’t bother to visit me even once while I was in the hospital. But, well, no regrets,” he said, smiling wryly.
“….”
“All thanks to you, Cha Yeongdeok.”
Seonwoo pulled Yeongdeok’s hand to his cheek, rubbing against it playfully.
“Uttering nonsense, aren’t you?”
“Even when I say thank you, you respond so grumpily. Not that I mind.”
Seonwoo’s eyes curved into a mischievous grin as they continued their light-hearted banter.
Soon, it was dinner time, and a neatly arranged patient meal was placed on Seonwoo’s small table.
The dishes looked far from appetizing, and Seonwoo, who stared them down, turned to Yeongdeok.
“Will you feed me, Cha Yeongdeok? I think it might taste better that way.”
Seonwoo opened his mouth with an exaggerated “Ah.”
Faced with this sight, Yeongdeok scowled even at the idea of helping him.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Are you wanting to kiss me?”
“I’m starting to think that head injury really got to you. Use your own hands and eat.”
“Oh, come on. I’m too hurt; I can barely lift a finger.”
Seonwoo dramatically slumped against the bed’s headboard, his face pitiful.
Looking at him pouting like a little creature begging for food, Yeongdeok let out a small sigh.
“You even fed Seo Jihoon back in the day. Can’t you feed me too? How unfair….”
Before Seonwoo could finish his sentence, Yeongdeok shoved a spoonful of rice into his mouth, silencing him.
“Happy now?”
Yeongdeok expected some peace, thinking Seonwoo would stay quiet while he chewed, but as soon as he swallowed, Seonwoo started up again.
“You’re feeding me, but with no care at all. Be a little gentler, will you?”
“You sure are demanding.”
Yeongdeok ignored Seonwoo’s complaints, shoving a large spoonful into his mouth, then adding side dishes until his mouth was too full to speak.
Silencing this chatterbox has its perks, thought Yeongdeok, with a slight, satisfied smile.
“Mm-mmm….”
“Enjoy it, Baek Seonwoo.”
Yeongdeok fed him every bit of food on the tray, not leaving a single grain of rice behind.
When Seonwoo finished his meal, he looked dissatisfied.
“Who shoves food down an injured person’s throat like that?”
“Apparently, I do.”
“Ugh, Cha Yeongdeok, you’re making me feel even more sore. Especially at the back of my neck.”
“You’re really stretching things here.”
Despite the complaint, Seonwoo looked at Yeongdeok with an oddly relieved expression, as if he found comfort in his presence.
Before Yeongdeok could dwell on it, Seonwoo spoke again.
“Cha Yeongdeok, I need to take my meds now. Could you get me some water?”
“…….”
“Please? Look at my poor ankle,” he said, pulling back the blanket to reveal his ankle in a white cast.
Yeongdeok furrowed his brow at the thought of being at Seonwoo’s beck and call, but when Seonwoo gave him a pleading look, he reluctantly went to fetch some water.
“Thanks, Cha Yeongdeok,” Seonwoo said with feigned gratitude, swallowing his medicine in one gulp.
“I heard from Baek Choa that you’re healing well. Are you still in pain?”
Yeongdeok’s question was purely about Seonwoo’s health, but Seonwoo’s expression softened, a warmth settling over him.
“As long as you’re here, I’m fine.”
Yeongdeok didn’t think of himself as having some miraculous pain-relieving presence.
He couldn’t understand Seonwoo’s words, but if he said he was fine, there was no need to question it further.
As Yeongdeok stayed with Seonwoo, the light outside began to fade.
Soon, the room was draped in the early onset of evening.
He checked on Seonwoo’s condition one last time, then spoke up.
“I think I should head home now.”
As Yeongdeok started to stand, Seonwoo grabbed his sleeve, holding him back.
“Don’t go.”
“…….”
“Stay with me.”
Seonwoo’s voice was filled with a longing that was evident in his eyes too.
His gaze was earnest, almost pleading.
“I’m getting discharged in a few days. Just until then.”
“…….”
“Let me be a bit selfish.”
Seonwoo reminded him that he’d stayed by Yeongdeok’s side in the past when he was feeling down.
Yeongdeok recalled how Seonwoo had been there for him, and decided he ought to repay the kindness.
Besides, going home now would mean… Yeongdeok remembered who his new neighbor was.
Perhaps it would be easier to stay with Seonwoo for a while.
Reluctantly, Yeongdeok gave in, settling back down in the chair.
“Fine.”
With that small nod of agreement, a faint but content smile spread across Seonwoo’s face.
ꔚ
Yeongdeok was now bound to stay by Seonwoo’s side until he was discharged.
Though he didn’t do anything extraordinary as a caretaker, just handling small tasks and calling the nurse if needed.
Seonwoo had not only his younger sister Choa but also two younger brothers, whom Yeongdeok had a chance to meet again when they visited.
The last time he’d seen them, they’d been teens going through the throes of adolescence, but now they’d grown into young adults.
Seonwoo’s eyes were filled with affection as he talked to his brothers, a sight that Yeongdeok found oddly fascinating.
They came as a group and left as one, like a passing storm.
“You and Choa, and even with your brothers, you all seem pretty close.”
“Are you jealous?”
The suggestion seemed absurd, and Yeongdeok’s expression hardened.
* * *
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