CHDY 35

“Is it because you want to eat something like snacks?”

“No.”

“It is okay to eat a little bit of greasy food, so tell me anything you want.”

As Inha persistently asked, Jaeon let out a troubled sigh and spoke.

“Then… are fruits okay.”

“Of course, they are. What should I buy for you.”

“…If, if by any chance they have them, strawberries… But you really do not have to get them.”

A faint smile appeared. The answer he gave after hesitating for so long was strawberries, which was cute.

The moment Jaeon lifted his head, Inha hurriedly changed his expression. He wiped the lingering smile from his face with his hand and picked up his outerwear.

“I will be right back with them. Wait for me.”

It was a long time after that when he finally got his hands on the strawberries. Unable to find them at a nearby grocery store, Inha drove all the way to a large supermarket far away.

But he could not buy strawberries there either, so he wandered for a while. He drove around the entire unfamiliar neighborhood. Only after his back was soaked with sweat did he find a shabby fruit store.

By the time he had carefully placed the styrofoam box of strawberries on the passenger seat, 40 minutes had passed since he had left. He thought he would be back in 15 minutes at the most, which was a complete mess.

He got into his car, which he had parked in an alley, and drove out of the neighborhood. He sped down the main road and then stopped at a red light. Hmmm, he let out a sigh like a groan and leaned his body against the backrest.

Tap, tap, tap, he drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, then let out a small scoff. It was because he remembered what had happened at the fruit store.

‘You came to buy them all drenched in sweat. Is your wife having morning sickness?’

He had been momentarily unable to answer the question. It was a preposterous misunderstanding, but looking back on it, it somehow felt strange.

Inha glanced sideways at the strawberries placed on the passenger seat. The flesh of the strawberries was well-ripened and had a beautiful color. The way they were secured with a seatbelt to keep them from moving made them look like a very important item.

When he arrived at the hospital room with the strawberries, Jaeon, who he thought would be reading a book, was on the phone with someone. He hung up quickly, but from the little Inha overheard, he knew it was his mother.

Inha went to the sink and carefully, carefully transferred the easily bruised fruit. After washing each one cleanly, he cut off the stems and brought them to Jaeon in a ready-to-eat form.

“…Eat with me.”

Instead of eating them right away, Jaeon offered them to Inha first.

“I ate some while I was washing them. Mr. Jaeon, you eat all of them.”

When Inha handed him one speared with a fork, Jaeon accepted it, though he hesitated.

“…Thank you.”

Jaeon, who had been studying his expression, finally took a bite.

“It is delicious.”

Jaeon offered his review, perhaps thinking that Inha was staring at him because he was curious about the taste. Inha smiled faintly and nodded his head, saying that was a relief.

“Please have one more.”

Jaeon, who was offering it, looked up with his eyes like a puppy. And just as Inha had done, he held out a strawberry speared with a fork. Inha, who had been looking down at it, lowered his head. He cupped the hand holding the fork and put it in his mouth.

“…It is delicious.”

I enjoyed it. He added quietly and turned around.

In the strange, flowing silence, Inha turned on some music. Light jazz piano began to play. He seemed to tidy the sink for a moment, then approached a shelf on one side of the hospital room. He pointlessly rearranged the positions of the items on the well-organized shelf, taking them out one by one.

While he was tidying up, he could hear the small sounds of Jaeon eating strawberries from behind him. Imagining the lips biting and munching, Inha smiled faintly.

“Do you want to brush your teeth and go for a walk?”

Inha asked as he cleared away the plate Jaeon had finished.

Jaeon immediately nodded, as if he had been waiting only for the walk. Inha, who had been watching him blankly, tightened the corners of his loosening mouth.

“Hold on to me to get up.”

Inha supported him and helped him up. After helping him move to the sink and brush his teeth, he meticulously helped him put on his outdoor clothes.

“…Why do you keep…”

It was after he had zipped up the jumper to his neck and even put the hood on. Jaeon looked at Inha with a strange expression.

“Why?”

“…No. I was just wondering why you keep smiling…”

“Was I smiling?”

“…”

He might have fleetingly thought he was cute after putting the hood on. No, he definitely thought so. But he did not realize he was smiling enough for it to be noticeable.

“I guess I was just smiling without thinking.”

“…”

It had not been long since Jaeon had emphasized that he was the older one. He could not bring himself to say that he was smiling because he was cute. In the first place, it was not the kind of situation where he could utter such words.

Just because he knew his age did not mean he could feel that Jaeon was his superior. Jaeon could not be a hyung, an elder, or anything similar to Inha.

From the very beginning, Jaeon was a being who had entered a unique territory.

And now…

“Let’s go now.”

Jaeon said, gently pushing away Inha’s hand, which had remained there even after putting on the hood. Watching him avoid his gaze, Inha also stepped back sheepishly.

Once outside the hospital, they walked along the walking path. He moved slowly, matching the pace of Jaeon, who still could not walk perfectly.

The walking path, which they walked along a set course every day, had almost no people on it today. After a patient in a wheelchair and their guardian, there were only Jaeon and Inha around.

“Are you not cold?”

“No. It feels just right.”

Jaeon was walking while holding onto Inha’s forearm. At first, he had refused and tried to walk alone, but after Inha forcefully pulled him and made him hold on, he did not resist anymore.

“I think walking has gotten a lot more comfortable.”

“Yes… it has gotten a lot more comfortable.”

“That is a relief.”

Spotting a bench as they walked, Inha asked, “Shall we rest for a bit?” Jaeon agreed, and the two headed for a place to sit. When Inha spread out a blanket he had brought just in case, Jaeon sat on it, though he hesitated.

“They are cute.”

“Pardon?”

Their eyes met. Inha looked at Jaeon’s surprised expression and pointed to the opposite side.

“Ah, the kids over there are cute.”

On the walking path across from them, two children were squatting and playing. They were small children who looked to be about four or five years old.

“Ah… Yes.”

Jaeon, who glanced over in that direction, quickly turned red. Once his face began to change color, the blood rushed uncontrollably all the way to his earlobes.

“…”

Inha turned his head. He realized what misunderstanding Jaeon had. He pointlessly rubbed his chest and changed the subject.

“…These days, I find kids so cute.”

“…Yes.”

“When I was younger, I just thought they were kids, but I do not know if I have gotten older, but now I cannot take my eyes off them even when I just see them toddling around.”

As he spoke and smiled, Jaeon also smiled faintly and agreed.

“That is right. Kids are cute. Like puppies.”

Just then, the sound of the children’s giggling laughter carried over from the other side.

In the tranquil air, free of any pressure, the scenery was serene. It felt unbelievably relaxed and peaceful. So much so that the fact they were sharing such a daily routine suddenly felt like a lie.

Until just a short while ago, he did not know they would be having a conversation like this. It was a situation where he could not even have imagined that they would be spending time together without any sense of rejection or tension like this.

For this moment, it felt, at least faintly, like they had returned to the past. It seemed like they had briefly gone back to the time when there was no distance between them, a time when they could face each other and smile.

After finishing their short walk, they went straight back to the hospital, worried he might catch a cold. As he supported the carefully walking Jaeon and entered the lobby, many people were coming and going, just as when they had left.

Inha and Jaeon headed for the elevator to go up to the hospital room. They were mixed in a group of patients and guardians, waiting for an elevator to arrive.

“Oh, Jaeon-ah.”

The moment his name was called, Inha’s and Jaeon’s heads turned at the same time.

“Uh…, Sanghyub-hyung?”

“Wow, to see you here. It has been so long!”

A man with short hair like a soldier’s embraced Jaeon. Inha’s hand, which had reflexively risen, stopped in mid-air.

“How can I see you in a place like this. The world is really small.”

“I know.”

Jaeon looked at the unfamiliar man with a rather pleased expression. The man, too, had a surprised look on his face as he repeatedly patted Jaeon’s shoulder. Next to them, Inha alone hardened his expression.