Reasonable Loss - 39

“……What?”

“Just… go.”

Eunsoo thrust his chin forward. He didn’t understand what Dokwon wanted him to do. He had never felt Dokwon was indecisive. Was he always such an unpredictable person at thirty?

But Dokwon was also in a difficult situation. The moment Eunsoo entered the bedroom, or rather, the moment Dokwon saw Eunsoo in his bedroom, he was overwhelmed by a severe headache. It felt like the kind of pain one would experience if a drill pierced their temple.

‘Dokwon, have a good sleep.’

‘Relax your arm. I can’t breathe…’

‘Ah… just a little longer. Just a little more… okay?’

‘I’m hungry. What should we have for breakfast?’

‘Ah… Dokwon, um, stop that…’

Fragments of scattered memories made Eunsoo’s eyes sting. At the same time, the scent of Eunsoo, which had seemed bearable in the bathroom, was now pricking his brain like needles. It felt like someone was hammering his nose.

“Just… go away.”

Dokwon, covering his forehead with his hand, spoke in a strained voice. Seeing this, Eunsoo, realizing the situation was serious, lightly gripped Dokwon’s elbow.

“Are you still in pain? Your head? Should we go to the hospital?”

“No… It’s fine.”

Dokwon irritably brushed Eunsoo’s hand away and glared at him with pain-filled eyes.

“It would be better if you just disappeared from my sight. So, just, go away.”

Eunsoo pressed his lips tightly. He knew Dokwon wasn’t saying this because he hated him. The pain must be immense if it was making him faint.

But understanding and hurt are entirely different issues.

Eunsoo’s eyelashes fluttered. He wanted to ask, ‘Why are you in so much pain?’ but couldn’t due to Dokwon’s serious condition.

If he stubbornly tried to demand understanding, Dokwon might end up being taken to the hospital again. He couldn’t let that happen twice in one day. He had already ridden an ambulance once; he didn’t want to end up in the hospital himself.

Eunsoo turned on his heel and left the bedroom. He then hurriedly went to the front door, feeling as if he were being chased. The heavy boxes were cumbersome, but he had no time to worry about that. He quickly put on his sneakers and left Dokwon’s house.

After taking the elevator and stepping out of the apartment building, he finally stopped.

Eunsoo sank onto a bench, throwing the heavy box to the ground as if he were thrown out of the house. It was utterly ridiculous.

Eunsoo took a deep breath in the cold wind. He couldn’t get used to Dokwon being in pain because of him. It seemed unlikely he would see him often due to the obstacle of treatment, which made his throat tighten.

How long had he been sitting on the dark bench? The cold wind slapped his body. The early spring weather was still harsh. Especially on a night past midnight. His breath was visible between his lips.

Eunsoo gathered his box and stood up. He then walked out to the main road, realizing something.

He couldn’t drive.

Watching the sporadic cars pass by, he couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.

Eunsoo set the box down again and took out his phone. It was 1 a.m. Obviously, there was no subway. He would need to take a taxi. But he wasn’t confident about driving today. He had already taken a taxi twice. If he took another, he might end up in the hospital instead of Dokwon.

Eunsoo urgently searched for motels and hotels. However, since it was an area with luxury apartment complexes, there were neither motels nor hotels. Even if there were, they were a 30-minute walk away.

30 minutes. The thought of wandering the cold night streets with the box made him feel nauseous.

Then, suddenly, a good idea struck him.