PSY CH 86

After glancing once at Jooyoung lying on the bed, Dohyun stepped out of the room. Miyoung approached him as if she had been waiting.

“Did he say he didn’t want to eat?”

“Yes, I’m sorry.”

“There’s nothing for you to apologize for, Dohyun.”

Miyoung sighed with her arms crossed. Her gaze, directed at the closed door, was filled with concern.

“How about you? You must be hungry. Should I order something for you?”

“No, I’m fine.”

Despite Dohyun’s polite refusal, Miyoung began pulling out fruits, bread, and various snacks. She knew Jooyoung wouldn’t eat anything under stress, so she didn’t force him—but she couldn’t bear to let Dohyun go hungry as well.

As she neatly prepared the food, she asked Dohyun about how he’d been, commenting on how much he’d grown and saying she wouldn’t have recognized him if he hadn’t said anything. Dohyun answered everything quietly, without showing even a hint of discomfort.

Since Jooyoung hadn’t left the room once since going in, not even by sunset, naturally it fell to Dohyun to speak with Miyoung.

“Make sure you eat, Dohyun. Jooyoung…”

Miyoung trailed off, her gaze shifting down the hallway as she gently set a fork on the plate.

“If he says he doesn’t want to eat, just leave him be. If you try to force him, he’ll throw up.”

“…”

“He’s… sensitive.”

Dohyun lowered his gaze to the tray. In one corner, there were antipyretics, painkillers, and a handful of other basic medications.

“There really isn’t something going on, right?” 

Dohyun paused just as he was about to lift the tray. A short silence passed, and Miyoung spoke again in a lighter voice, as if trying to ease the mood.

“It’s just… there’s no reason to come all that way out of nowhere. I guess I’m just a little worried.”

When Jooyoung had come through the door, Miyoung hadn’t looked happy or even relieved to see him. Worry and unease had been written all over her face. It was clear enough that even Dohyun noticed, so Jooyoung must have realized it the moment he saw her.

“It’s because I had something to take care of.” 

“Hmm?”

“Hyung knows Seoul well, so I asked him to come with me.”

“Oh, really?”

Miyoung looked relieved, then chuckled awkwardly like she was embarrassed for showing it. She averted her gaze as she brushed her face with the back of her hand.

If she truly understood the situation, she might have asked about Jooyoung’s condition or what he’d been up to, but she didn’t. It was like the only thing she cared about was whether something had happened or not.

“…”

Dohyun’s gaze gradually darkened. Maybe it was because he remembered young Jooyoung, unable to hide his excitement over his parents visiting.

“I’m embarrassed to let you see him like this,” Miyoung said, gently tapping Dohyun’s arm to wrap up the conversation. “Jooyoung’s probably just not feeling well, so try to be understanding, okay?”

“…Yes.”

Dohyun gave a small bow and returned to Jooyoung’s room.

Click. He made sure to lock the door behind him, then carefully stepped toward the bed. Jooyoung was lying there with the blanket pulled up to his shoulders, eyes closed. Dohyun set the tray on the desk with a soft clink and brought the back of his hand to Jooyoung’s forehead. Fortunately, there was no fever.

“What do you want to do about dinner?”

He’d told Miyoung Jooyoung had no appetite, but he couldn’t just let him go hungry. With a sigh, he added, “Just eat a little before sleeping.”

Silence followed.

He debated whether to force Jooyoung to eat something when Jooyoung slowly rolled over and opened his eyes. He said nothing, just stared at Dohyun. Thanks to whatever effort he’d made to stop himself from crying, there were no visible signs of tears left.

Seeing that face twisted something deep in Dohyun’s gut. It was the kind of frustration one feels when watching someone pour affection into all the wrong places.

“Should we just go?”

His cold voice sliced through the silence. Jooyoung’s eyes widened slightly, clearly not expecting that.

“That’s enough, right?”

At those words, Jooyoung slowly sat up in bed. The blanket slipped from his shoulders.

“What do you mean, enough?”

“…”

“Huh? What’s ‘enough’?”

His tone sharpened instantly, the atmosphere turning tense.

“…Ha.”

Despite not having left the room even once since coming home, Jooyoung was now being stubborn about the strangest thing.

Up until dinner, Miyoung had occasionally knocked or called for Dohyun, checking on Jooyoung’s condition,but that was the extent of it. She was clearly concerned about him, but her real worries seemed to lie elsewhere.

Every time a conversation between Miyoung and Joomin drifted in from beyond the closed door, Jooyoung would pull the blanket over his head or turn his back. Dohyun understood all too well what those small gestures meant.

“You just needed to confirm you could still come home. That’s all, right?”

What was the point of staying here any longer? In this uncomfortable situation, for what?

Jooyoung didn’t look at ease mentally or physically while at home.

“There’s no reason for us to stay here any longer.” 

“If you want to leave, go by yourself.”

“Ha, damn it. Seriously…”

Dohyun pressed his forehead into his palm like he was suffocating from frustration. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself.

“I’m not going.”

As soon as he saw Jooyoung trying to pull the blanket back over himself, Dohyun decided not to hold back any longer. He yanked the blanket away and tossed it out of reach. Jooyoung shot upright.

“Hwang Dohyun!”

As if he’d been waiting, Dohyun grabbed Jooyoung’s wrist. Jooyoung, who had been getting dragged along, finally came to his senses and stopped in place.

“What the hell are you doing…!”

His expression was startled, like he hadn’t expected Dohyun to be so forceful. Just a few hours ago, Dohyun had been coaxing and comforting him, so this sudden shift must’ve thrown him off even more. Jooyoung pressed his free hand hard against Dohyun’s shoulder.

“If you’re leaving, go alo—”

“Didn’t you tell me not to let you feel lonely?”

Jooyoung’s hand froze in midair at the words he hadn’t expected.

“Haa…”

Dohyun ran a hand through his messy hair. His usually smooth forehead was scrunched up tight. 

“Then how the hell am I supposed to just leave you here?”

Right before they came to Seoul, it wasn’t that long ago when Jooyoung had told him not to let him feel lonely. He had said it because he needed Dohyun by his side, to somehow drag him into coming with him. Half of it was manipulation, but the other half had been sincere.

“…”

As Jooyoung stared at him blankly, Dohyun spoke with indifference.

“You don’t have anything to pack, right?”

He didn’t wait for an answer. After watching him silently for a moment, Dohyun turned without hesitation, still gripping Jooyoung’s wrist tightly, like he had no intention of letting go.

The sound of the door opening brought Miyoung hurrying out from the living room. Her eyes widened at the sight of Jooyoung stepping out with Dohyun. 

“We’ll head down now.”

“Huh?”

Miyoung checked her watch.

“The traffic’s going to be bad… Just leave in the morning. I’ll make you breakfast, so eat befo—”

“It’s urgent.”

“Ah…”

Miyoung’s gaze shifted to Jooyoung. She looked at him for a long moment, as if weighing something, before finally speaking. Jooyoung had assumed she would say something like, “Why don’t you just go ahead without Jooyoung?”

But instead, what came out of her mouth was—

“Then… do you want to at least see Joomin’s face before you go?” 

Jooyoung flinched at those words, though his eyes were fixed on the floor.

“You’re already here—you should at least see your brother. He’s missed you a lot. You haven’t even gone to a single one of his matches.” Miyoung smiled gently as she added.

“…”

The light slowly faded. Dohyun watched as every last flicker of hope drained from Jooyoung’s face. He gripped the thin wrist in his hand even tighter.

“He’s wearing a mask, so—”

“I’m sorry, but…” Dohyun cut her off, locking eyes with her. “We’re really in a rush.”

“Ah…”

Even though his voice wasn’t raised, the air around Dohyun carried enough force to make Miyoung falter. She backed down with a stiff smile.

“Right, well… it can’t be helped.”

“We’ll get going.”

“Y-Yeah…”

Dohyun crouched down and slipped Jooyoung’s shoes on for him, then grabbed his wrist again. It was a bit forceful, but a flicker of gentleness peeked through. Watching them with a complicated look, Miyoung called out to Jooyoung as he turned away.

“Oh, right—Jooyoung. You know Joomin will have a match soon, don’t you?”

For the first time, Jooyoung looked Miyoung in the eye. She waited with a warm, tender smile.

“We’re going to be late.”

That’s when it happened.

Dohyun abruptly cut in, speaking firmly to Jooyoung. Jooyoung looked up at him, stunned, then, after a few seconds passed, he simply turned away again. He didn’t say a word to Miyoung.

“Don’t skip meals just because you’re sick!”

Miyoung called after him like she didn’t mind, tossing out this and that with her usual sweet voice. There was sincere concern in her words—but for some reason, not a single one reached Jooyoung.

The only thing Jooyoung could feel at that moment was the heat of Dohyun’s hand gripping his wrist. That was all.