DFLT 28

Hastily wiping tears with the back of his hand and clearing his throat with a cough, Yeonoh spoke calmly.

“Thank you. Even with the department transfer, I’ll complete the handover perfectly.”

He could only hope that the saying about distance from the body leading to distance from the heart was true.

“Good. Well done.”

With that, he left the office. Determined to remain detached, he packed his belongings into a box. Having treated the place like home for three years, he had more items than expected, but with Office Manager Kim Jinhwan’s help, he moved them quickly.

“Mr. Yeonoh, you look unwell. Are you okay?”

“Oh, I got caught in the rain yesterday, so I think I caught a cold. I’m planning to visit the hospital during lunch.”

“Once you’ve moved your things, go to the hospital today and start at Management Support tomorrow. I’ll let them know.”

“No, it’s my first day. I should at least go introduce myself.”

“First impressions matter. Wouldn’t it be better to show a bright face?”

Half-pushed by Kim Jinhwan, Yeonoh decided to leave early, said brief goodbyes to the secretarial staff, and stepped out. How many times had he left the company under a blazing sun? Aside from field assignments, probably never. He’d barely used his vacation days, saving them for cash.

He went straight to the hospital from the company. After describing his symptoms and having his temperature taken, he was diagnosed with a cold.

“Um, I have to go to work tomorrow. Could you prescribe the strongest medicine possible?”

The doctor hesitated briefly before prescribing a high-dose antihistamine for the evening, adding that it causes drowsiness and should only be taken before bed.

Since he planned to sleep all day anyway, taking the evening medicine now and again later tonight should help him recover quickly. Back home, Yeonoh took the evening medicine instead of the morning one. Whether it was highly effective, drowsiness hit fast. Too exhausted to change, he collapsed onto the bed.

His vision, blacked out, gradually cleared. Checking the clock, it was 1 a.m. He’d slept over twelve hours straight. The rest of the family was asleep, with no light seeping through the door cracks.

Sitting up, he was drenched in sweat. The body aches were mostly gone, leaving only a slight fever. One more dose should clear the symptoms. Swallowing the evening medicine, he showered with warm water to wash off the sweat. He felt as limp as soggy seaweed.

“Why’s my body like this? Is the medicine that strong?”

Before he could worry, he roughly dried his hair with a towel and lay down, overwhelmed by a haze where he couldn’t move a finger. He’d drunk all the remaining water, sweating so much in his sleep that he’d emptied the half-full bottle.

“…What a hassle.”

Struggling to lift his heavy eyelids, he knew he had to go out, muttering to himself.

Buzz, buzz. His phone vibrated, and checking the caller, it was Dojin. Tapping the answer button, Yeonoh placed the phone on the bed and rested his face on the receiver.

—Tofu, what’re you up to?

Since when was his name Tofu? A fleeting question popped up but faded in his listless mind.

“…Oh, sunbae. I just woke up.”

—Huh? What’s with your voice?

“Because of a cold.”

—What, a cold? How’s your body?

“The medicine’s making me sleepy…”

—Oh, that’s why you didn’t see my messages all day.

He’d messaged him… Feeling his mind being overtaken in real-time, a big yawn escaped, his voice drowsy, as if he’d fall asleep mid-call.

Ugh, I need to get up and go out… His body felt like a ton of bricks.

—Have you eaten? Should I send some porridge?

“No, I’m fine…”

Was the medicine kicking in already? Taking it while still groggy from sleep, combined with a warm shower, seemed to double the drowsiness.

—Yeonoh. Yeonoh?

“…Mmm, yeah…”

Falling asleep during a call was terribly rude, but Yeonoh’s rational thinking crumbled before his urge to sleep.

—Yeonoh, you asleep?

Was this what being drunk on sleep felt like? He needed to get up, end the call, and go to a convenience store. His body, heavy as waterlogged cotton, wouldn’t budge. Instead of answering, Yeonoh’s mouth gaped, and his eyes slowly closed.

Buzz, buzz. The phone pressed against Yeonoh’s cheek vibrated again. Having fallen asleep mid-call, it seemed Dojin had hung up and called back. Stirring, Yeonoh managed to answer.

“…Ugh, sorry. I fell asleep suddenly, sunbae.”

Dojin was silent. Falling asleep mid-call must have annoyed him. Though his head was foggy, Yeonoh wanted to clear the misunderstanding. Dojin had been worried enough to check on him after unanswered messages.

“The medicine, it’s too strong.”

—What are you talking about?

As expected, Dojin’s voice was stiff. His lack of phone manners was clearly bothersome.

“I need to get up and buy water…”

—Ji Yeonoh, snap out of it.

“Should I buy one bottle? I don’t have the energy to carry two today…”

Completely surrendered to the drowsiness, Yeonoh had no idea what nonsense he was spouting.

—Haa, I was wondering about the missed call.

Was Dojin’s voice always this low and firm? It clung to his ear like Seo Heonyoung’s, tickling sweetly. Listening as if to a lullaby, Yeonoh mumbled.

“Sunbae, your voice is nice…”

It was something the usual Ji Yeonoh would never say, but a Yeonoh wandering between reality and dreams was different. He didn’t even realize he’d said it. With that, the call cut off, the screen going black.

Yeonoh’s eyelids twitched as he slept deeply. Squinting, he saw daylight; the room was bright. Sweating profusely from alternating hot and cold spells overnight, his body felt lighter, the metallic weight gone.

Oh, right. I need to buy water. I should get to work early to prepare handover documents. Shaking off sleep, he was pulling on a hoodie when—

Ding-dong, ding-dong. Someone rang the doorbell. A predawn delivery? Did delivery services ring the bell? Yeonoh tiptoed to avoid waking the family and opened the door.

“…Who’s this?”

A stranger stood there.

“Hello? I’m here to install a water purifier.”

“A water purifier?”

“Yes. It says you ordered a TG Electronics water purifier installation. Are you Mr. Ji Yeonoh?”

“I am Ji Yeonoh, but…”

The technician’s tablet showed Yeonoh’s name and address. What was going on? No matter how hard he racked his brain, he hadn’t ordered a water purifier.

“Could there be a mix-up with the order?”

“Let me see… No, you placed the order early this morning with same-day installation.”

Did he impulsively order a purifier while loopy on cold medicine? Yeonoh tilted his head.

“Anyway, it’s paid for, so I need to install it.”

Watching the purifier being installed in a daze, Seowon emerged, rubbing his eyes.

“Seowon, did you order a water purifier?”

“Not me. What’s with the purifier?”

“Exactly. What’s with it?”

Getting ready for work with a giant question mark over his head, a memory clicked.

‘I need to get up and buy water…’

‘Should I buy one bottle? I don’t have the energy to carry two today…’

He remembered mumbling about buying water during his call with Dojin. Did Dojin send it? About to message him, more memories followed like linked sausages.

‘Sunbae, your voice is nice…’

What nonsense did you spout, Ji Yeonoh… Embarrassed, he ran a hand through his bangs. Not even drunk, just sleep-addled, and acting like a fool. He wanted to cry.

“Oh, what do I do…”

Yeonoh couldn’t focus on work. It was his first day in the new department, but Management Support was a familiar environment, closely tied to the secretarial office. What kept nagging him was the nonsense he’d said at dawn.

How embarrassed must Dojin have been? Worrying about a sick junior, only to hear weird remarks. But was Dojin’s voice that nice? Yeonoh had only heard his usual upbeat tone, never having such thoughts before.