PIA 135 END

It was late winter, with spring just around the corner.

As usual, Jeong Hee-seo woke up before sunrise to exercise and prepare to take care of his family.

He checked the thoroughly sterilized baby bottles and boiled water to cool down. While gathering clothes and diapers to change the baby, he also took out a few gauze handkerchiefs nearby.

Lastly, he moistened a towel with warm water and wiped the face of Ji-an, who was sleeping like the dead on the bed. With that, the morning preparations were complete.

“Ji-an.”

He believed Ji-an could hear his voice. He called his name countless times every day.

“…Seo Ji-an.”

He could vividly picture the expression Ji-an used to make whenever his name was called.

More than three months had passed since Ji-an suddenly fell asleep without warning or any signs. In that time, Poggles was born, and the two of them had spent the entire winter without Ji-an.

He didn’t think anything was wrong with Ji-an. As always, he greeted him in the morning and just took care of him sincerely. He believed that Ji-an would suddenly wake up, just like when he normally slept.

With a knock, the housekeeper opened the door. The sound of a small yawn and whimper from the housekeeper’s arms called to Jeong Hee-seo.

“Poggles is awake.”

“A human alarm clock, indeed.”

Jeong Hee-seo glanced at the clock and smiled faintly. Waking up at exactly the same time and looking for food – just like someone he knew.

Keeping up with the baby’s routine kept him so busy during the day that waiting for Ji-an became more bearable.  So he decided to take on the daytime routine entirely by himself.

“He’s getting prettier by the day. Look at him smacking his lips because he’s hungry. The Chairman misses him a lot too…”

Jeong Hee-seo’s expression stiffened slightly as he took Poggles.

“When he’s a little bigger…”

It had been quite a while since he’d let visitors into the house, using the newborn as an excuse.

“The first 21 days have long passed, Director.”

“I’ll ask Grandmother to prepare for the 100th-day celebration.”

The housekeeper, who had been with Jeong Hee-seo for a long time since his days at the family’s main house, smiled warmly and comforted him.

“I guess I spoke out of turn again. Making you worry… Don’t mind it and just focus on feeding the baby. I’ll leave after seeing the doctor arrive later.”

“Was today Ji-an’s check-up day?”

“No, it’s the baby’s vaccination day. Did you forget? That’s unusual.”

As Jeong Hee-seo tried to make an excuse, the housekeeper chuckled and turned away. As if not paying much attention, he picked up a fallen gauze handkerchief and left the bedroom. Jeong Hee-seo stared blankly at her round back before glancing at Ji-an.

“…”

In his arms, as he stood like a statue, Poggles squirmed and made bubbles with his saliva. Prompted by his gestures asking for food, Jeong Hee-seo suddenly started moving. He was gradually losing himself without realizing it, but the child in his arms kept bringing him back to his senses – a daily repetition.

Soft, bustling sounds filled the bedroom, creating a warm atmosphere. The rustling of blinds being drawn, faint whimpers, the crinkling of disposable diapers, the gentle shaking of a baby bottle, and the bubbling of rising air—these sounds surrounded Ji-an like a comforting cocoon.

Occasional quiet laughter and soft whispers piqued curiosity. At such times, weight would shift on the mattress, tilting the body. Soon after came the ticklish moisture touching the cheek. A soft kiss, then it would withdraw. His hair would graze Ji-an’s forehead, tickling it lightly.

It felt as though Ji-an’s consciousness floated in the sunlight as if drifting in water. He could feel the sparkling dust falling on the bridge of his nose.

‘Enough already. Isn’t it time to wake up? How long are you going to sleep?’

It was as if someone was scolding loudly in his ear. When he opened his eyes abruptly, the light seemed to pour in, making him close his eyes again.

Ji-an sat up suddenly.

“…Huh.”

The soft white bedding and familiar bed greeted Ji-an. The direction of the morning sun, even the shape of the shadows – everything in the bedroom was exactly as Ji-an remembered.

Ji-an habitually tried to brush back his hair but discovered a tube attached to the back of his hand. It was connected to an IV drip hanging from a tall pole next to the bed head.

A ring on the left ring finger caught his eye. The ring he must have carefully chosen for him was now on his finger, having missed the perfect timing. It was hard to imagine how he must have felt putting this on his hand while he was in a death-like sleep.

“…Ah—”

A cracked sound came from his parched throat. Ji-an took the water glass from the bedside and drank, then carefully pulled out the needle from the back of his hand. As he put his feet out of bed, his whole body trembled.

Come to think of it, his body felt unfamiliar.

‘Poggles…’

Just as an eerie uneasiness crept into his now-empty belly — he faintly heard a baby’s cry.

How much time had passed? Days, or weeks? A month? How had Jeong Hee-seo been living while watching over his unconscious form?

Following the small, lovely cry that sounded almost like a bird’s, Ji-an took a step. Slowly, one foot at a time, savoring the feel of his home under his bare feet, he set out to find Jeong Hee-seo.

Quietly opening the door and stepping into the hallway, the crying became louder. Ji-an gripped the railing tightly and carefully descended the stairs one step at a time.

“Shh… there, there.”

At the soft voice, his legs almost gave way. His heart pounded, and his face flushed hot. It felt like his chest might burst as he clutched his shirtfront and continued down the stairs.

Bathed in sunlight, Jeong Hee-seo stood with his back turned to him. His head bowed and body moving slowly as he soothed and comforted the precious bundle in his arms.

“…”

Ji-an should call out, but the words wouldn’t come out. Ji-an just gripped his pajama tightly.

As he stood there blankly watching him, his broad shoulders suddenly jerked. Startled along with him, he saw Jeong Hee-seo slowly turn around. His face went pale with shock, eyes wide open. His expression twisted into something Ji-an had never seen before, raw and unrestrained.

“Hyung!”

The next moment, as Jeong Hee-seo began to crumple to the floor, Ji-an shouted. Despite his body weakened from lying down so long, he found strength from somewhere, calling out loudly as he ran to embrace him.

His wide-open arms encircled both Jeong Hee-seo and Poggles. The startled baby turned bright red and wailed loudly. He was enveloped in the scent of the baby and Jeong Hee-seo’s own fragrance. Finally feeling that he had truly returned, Ji-an sobbed, rubbing his cheek against his chest.

“…Hyung, hyung.”

Jeong Hee-seo said nothing. Holding Poggles with one arm, he used his free arm to pull Ji-an tightly against him. The cold that had lingered even after crossing worlds melted away in his warm embrace.

Ji-an felt with his whole body the sensation of coming back to life.

“…I’m sorry. You waited a long time, didn’t you?”

“…”

Feeling his arms tremble, he looked up to see Jeong Hee-seo crying. His thick eyebrows were deeply furrowed, his face contorted in an expression he had never seen before, as he silently shed tears.

“…Hyung.”

When Ji-an raised his hand to touch his cheek, he leaned into it, closing his eyes. Hot tears pooled in his palm before running down his arm. Ji-an wiped his face with both hands.

Jeong Hee-seo buried his forehead in Ji-an’s shoulder.

“…Ji-an.”

It was the name he had whispered countless times alone into the ear of the sleeping figure, afraid that if he didn’t keep calling and holding on, he might never wake up.

“Seo Ji-an.”

Jeong Hee-seo savored the heartbeat felt through their touching bodies, deeply inhaling the pheromones flowing from him. He made no attempt to hide his tear-stained face.

Afraid to let go even for a moment, Jeong Hee-seo faced his young lover with blurred vision as he diligently wiped away his tears.

Through the gaps between his fingers, he could see his glass-like brown eyes looking at him. Perhaps crying along with him foolishly, the corners of his eyes quickly turned red, and his eyes were moist.

Fearing Ji-an might close those eyes again, Jeong Hee-seo raised his hand to touch his cheek and pressed his lips to Ji-an’s. Ji-an wrapped his arms around his neck, pressing his body tightly against him without a gap.

Their breaths mingled as if confirming each other’s presence. They were as desperate as people brought back to life.

“I tried to come back quickly— I ran so hard, but I was too late. I’m sorry for making you worry so much.”

Jeong Hee-seo previously embraced the trembling Ji-an. He continued to let out inarticulate sighs.

“You told me to sleep quietly, but…”

Amidst his incoherent words, Poggles’s tiny hand reached out to Ji-an. The perceptive child, sensing Ji-an’s presence, had stopped crying on his own. He was the admirable child who had protected Jeong Hee-seo while Ji-an slept a death-like sleep.

“Say hello. He doesn’t have a name yet, so he’s Jeong Poggles.”

Jeong Hee-seo said in a deeply hoarse voice. He managed to mix in a hint of laughter, but his eyes were still anxious, examining Ji-an. He whispered that this was the child he had almost given up on, thinking something was wrong, and asked Ji-an to praise him for protecting the baby.

“You’ve always protected me, so I knew you’d protect Poggles too.”

That moment of running through the light while crossing worlds had truly felt like an eternity. Ji-an sobbed that during every anxious and impatient moment, it was Jeong Hee-seo who had been his guiding light.

“I’m sorry I’m late, Poggles.”

The baby firmly grasped Ji-an’s outstretched finger. His paper-thin nails turned white as the baby gripped and pulled with all his might.

Ji-an felt that this touch would firmly bind him to this place. And that these arms holding him were his nest.

“Don’t worry anymore. I’m a person of this place now.”

Jeong Hee-seo looked at Ji-an. He was the one he had held in his heart from the moment he first saw him. Even when Ji-an was asleep, even when his heart ached, there was never a moment when Jeong Hee-seo doubted he would return to him.

“Don’t go anywhere anymore.”

“I won’t. No, I never left. This is where I belong.”

Jeong Hee-seo hugged Ji-an in his arms and kissed his forehead.

Each time Ji-an trembled with joy, the familiar scent he had longed for washed over him. It was the fragrance that had seemed to brush past his forehead like a breeze when he dozed off vaguely at dawn, or when Jeong Hee-seo wandered the empty house holding Poggles.

Ji-an had thought he was experiencing hallucinations, but it seems Jeong Hee-seo had been by his side all along.

They had a child together as soon as they met, and the time they had to nurture their feelings was short. To some, it might seem laughable, but in that fleeting moment, Ji-an felt destiny. Though some might think it absurd, Ji-an even had the strange thought that Jeong Hee-seo was his other half that was finally found after a long journey through time and dozens of failures.

By holding you in my arms, my drama finally reaches its happy ending.

Clear smiles spread across the faces of the two who at last faced each other.

<The End>