Reasonable Loss - 7

“What’s going on? What’s happening?”

Eunsoo’s voice was barely audible. He felt a chill down his spine every time the needle pierced Dokwon’s skin.

Eunsoo washed his face with lukewarm water. His eyes were dry, and his skin was rough. He knew his body wasn’t in good shape, but there wasn’t much he could do about it.

Eunsoo absentmindedly stroked his still flat stomach. He couldn’t tell if it was growing well or not. It was almost funny to hope for it to grow well while living like this.

Doctors rambled on in front of Eunsoo. The same words they said the day before, and the day before that. His recovery speed was good. He would open his eyes soon. Let’s wait a little longer. Those words.

Eunsoo, who used to smile gratefully a few days ago, didn’t react at all. The doctors seemed useless. According to Dokwon’s parents, the hospital was full of doctors who were considered the best in the country. It made me wonder if it was just a den of scammers.

The doctors hurriedly left the room as if they were being chased by something. Only Eunsoo and Dokwon were left in the narrow hospital room.

Eunsoo sat by Dokwon’s side, passing time meaninglessly. Sometimes he held Dokwon’s hand, kissed his face with dry lips, and continued to talk to himself like a dialogue.

As he did so, a bright red sunset suddenly appeared outside the window. It was already the end of the day.

The day after the accident felt both too short and too long. Living with hopes like “he’ll wake up today, the car will be here today,” made the day short. Living with hopes like “he’ll wake up tomorrow, at least the day after tomorrow,” made the day long.

A week passed, and after two weeks, I couldn’t smell the hospital’s distinctive disinfectant anymore. Despite the entire room, corridor, and even the bathroom being white spaces, they looked dark. I felt a sudden chill from the pain and death that seemed to be everywhere.

Eunsoo buried his forehead in Dokwon’s limp hand. Then he took a deep breath. His heart, filled with Dokwon’s pheromones, felt a bit relieved.

Then he fell asleep. His recent long sleep made him fall into a deep sleep every time he relaxed for a moment.

How long had it been? As Eunsoo wandered aimlessly in his dreams, a soft blanket settled over his shoulders. He blinked quickly, wondering if it was Dokwon.

“Eunsoo.”

Eunsoo’s face showed disappointment when he confirmed the owner of the gesture. Nevertheless, he quickly put on a smile as if nothing was wrong. It was Dokwon’s father, Kiho.

“Oh… Father, you’re here.”

Eunsoo got up with a creak. Despite his age, Kiho, with no gray hair, patted Eunsoo’s shoulder.

“Rest. I’m here.”

“It’s okay.”

Eunsoo shook his head. Kiho scratched his red nose.

“He won’t die. His bones have already healed. He’s just sleeping heavily because he usually doesn’t get much sleep.”

“So don’t worry too much. Go in early today and come back tomorrow.”

“This is killer. There’s abalone porridge and pumpkin porridge. Some fruits are also sliced. Don’t skip meals and eat well. Oh? Kiho handed Eunsoo a sturdy paper bag.

Eunsoo looked inside the bag. There were two warm porridges, well-prepared fruits, and even disposable utensils wrapped in tissue. He also saw cookies and chocolates.

Eunsoo licked his lips.

Dokwon’s parents were strange. Their son was lying in a coma due to a traffic accident, not waking up for nearly two weeks, yet they seemed overly calm. Was it an act, or were they really not worried? It felt like they were pretending, or maybe they truly weren’t concerned. Perhaps he was imagining that they were less worried than he was.

“Go, quickly. You’ll get hurt if you stay like this.”

Kiho led Eunsoo to the door. He didn’t forget to hand him his coat. Eunsoo reluctantly lifted his foot. As he did, he glanced briefly at Dokwon. There was no movement even as I left.

Every time they parted ways, they hugged for a few minutes. Even when they stayed up all night together and went to work in the same building, the moment of parting was always difficult, like parting lovers.