I woke up with a discomfort in my lower body.
The first thing I saw upon waking was, unfortunately, not the ceiling. I had fallen asleep with the bed tilted slightly, so my front view was much closer than the ceiling.
There were two women.
Both were looking at their smartphones with their heads slightly bowed. It was a scene that seemed to fit the description of modern people, disconnected by smartphone addiction.
As I shifted a bit, both women looked up at the same time.
“Are you awake?”
“Did you sleep well, senpai?”
After a moment’s thought, I replied.
“I had a strange dream.”
“What was it about?”
“I don’t remember.”
Ham Yejin was here. I wasn’t surprised, as it was expected. I felt a bit embarrassed, but it wasn’t as shocking as when Hwa-won was present.
“What time is it now?”
“It’s 6 PM.”
“Did you just come in? Isn’t it still not quitting time?”
“I came out a bit early.”
Muk Ha-neul, who seemed slightly upset during the conversation with Ham Yejin, said, “You seem close.”
“Um… does it look that way?”
Muk Ha-neul didn’t respond. She turned her head to look around the room, but Hwa-won was nowhere to be seen.
“Where’s Hwa-won?”
“Hwa-won senpai was kicked out because of the smell of smoke.”
“I thought he was trying to quit?”
“He said he couldn’t.”
“Well, he did smoke the last time I saw him, saying it was his last one. I also had one with him.”
“…You smoked?”
Ah, that was something I shouldn’t have said in front of Ham Yejin.
I spoke with the feeling of a child caught doing something wrong.
“I only did it once.”
“You said that before. This is already the second time.”
“…I did it because I was feeling a bit stressed. I won’t do it anymore.”
“I’ll take your word for it. Please don’t do it again.”
Usually, this would end the conversation, but this time it was different. There was someone right next to me listening in on our discussion.
“Wait, what does it matter if senpai smokes?” Muk Ha-neul interjected.
“They told me not to drink or smoke at the hospital.”
“Is there a hospital that allows drinking and smoking? No matter how old senpai looks now, they are legally an adult, and it seems a bit odd for ‘others’ to manage that freedom. At least it doesn’t seem like a situation for senpai to feel uncomfortable about, does it?”
That wasn’t an incorrect statement. I was an adult, and I had the freedom to drink and smoke, and there was no reason for me to be managed by Ham Yejin. But somehow, our relationship had developed to the point where this kind of conversation felt so natural to me that I hadn’t realized it.
“Well… it’s true that smoking is bad for your health.”
“Senpai, just stay quiet.”
It was my business.
“My job is to help Seol-guk. Helping with your health seems like a natural thing to do.”
“That sounds like a bit of an abuse of power, doesn’t it? Honestly, I don’t think anyone in this country is going to provide that delicate help.”
Muk Ha-neul probably didn’t know what she was saying, but it was true. Ham Yejin wasn’t helping me just because of work.
“It’s a bit strange. Saying not to drink or smoke. It’s common sense, isn’t it? Of course, I wish senpai wouldn’t drink or smoke. But that doesn’t mean I would scold senpai for doing so.”
Senpai is not your child.
For some reason, those words seemed to have made Ham Yejin pause for a moment.
“Do you think I scolded you?”
Ham Yejin asked me. I didn’t think so, but I did feel just a hint, a really slight feeling, that it was the case. As I hesitated, Ham Yejin continued, “I apologize. I didn’t mean to interfere. I’ll be more mindful.”
“No, um… you don’t have to go that far. It’s okay.”
Ham Yejin surprisingly apologized after seeing my reaction. Muk Ha-neul, on the other hand, looked a bit more sulky.
In any case, the first thing I saw upon waking was the openly awkward relationship between the two. I had no idea why their relationship was so strained, but there was nothing I could do to mediate it. If it weren’t for me, they probably wouldn’t have even met.
Meanwhile, I felt a continuous discomfort between my legs. As I kept fidgeting, Muk Ha-neul seemed to notice something and said, “Oh. Senpai, it seems time to go… well, anyway, I think it’s time. I brought a sanitary napkin.”
“Thanks.”
…It felt a bit awkward even after saying it. It was strange to feel the need to thank someone for bringing a sanitary napkin. Come to think of it, Ham Yejin must have figured out that I was menstruating by now.
“Do you want me to help?”
“Do you want to support me?”
Muk Ha-neul and Ham Yejin asked simultaneously. I shook my head without answering and took the sanitary napkin Muk Ha-neul had given me, pulling the IV stand along as I went out. Naturally, they both followed me.
“…It’s unnecessary.”
“No, well, I also need to go to the bathroom.”
“I’ll wait outside just in case.”
I was unsure if Muk Ha-neul’s words were an excuse or genuine. On the other hand, Ham Yejin spoke plainly. There was no way I could stop Muk Ha-neul from going to the bathroom, and it felt a bit rude to refuse Ham Yejin’s suggestion. I took a deep breath and just headed to the bathroom.
There was no one in the hallway outside the hospital room. Of course, it was natural since this wasn’t a regular hospital room. It seemed to be some sort of secret ward that didn’t accept regular patients. I had covered my head with a hat coming in, but thankfully I couldn’t keep wearing it in the hospital.
There was a men’s restroom and a women’s restroom. However, I couldn’t enter the men’s room. I had stubbornly used it before, but I had come to understand that I couldn’t do that anymore.
As if it were familiar, I walked into the women’s restroom… and I didn’t have any further thoughts on that, which made it a bit sadder.
“Why are you not coming in?”
“…I thought about it, but it feels a bit… awkward to go to the bathroom with senpai right next to me.”
Ah, that’s true. It was a sensitive matter. Even if it wasn’t something I should worry about, it felt that way. It was hard to explain why it felt that way, but it just did.
I pulled the IV stand into the bathroom, changed the sanitary napkin, and took care of other matters simultaneously. It indeed felt a bit uncomfortable doing such things with this attached. Still, I finished without any issues. I threw the used napkin into the disposal bin in the bathroom, washed my hands, and exited.
“Ah, was it okay?”
“What could possibly be wrong?”
“Then that’s fine.”
As soon as I came out, Muk Ha-neul asked that and entered the bathroom. When Ham Yejin saw Muk Ha-neul enter the bathroom, she said, “Then shall we go back to the hospital room first?”
Seeing this side of Ham Yejin felt a bit refreshing. She never showed this sort of self before.
A short while later, Muk Ha-neul came out, and the three of us returned to the hospital room together.
Inside, Hwa-won was there.
“Where did you go? Did you take them along?”
“To the bathroom.”
“You’re quite popular.”
“Shut up.”
Even though I responded to Hwa-won’s usual joke with a curse, I felt a bit good. I didn’t mean that being called popular made me feel good. It just felt nice to be reminded of the old days.
I lay back down on the bed. Naturally, Hwa-won, Ham Yejin, and Muk Ha-neul sat in chairs. Ham Yejin and Muk Ha-neul set their chairs around my bed, while Hwa-won sat in a chair against the wall.
Is it… natural?
“Um, have you two introduced yourselves? This is my friend, Gang Hwa-won…”
“You don’t need to introduce me. We already did.”
Looking at Hwa-won, he nodded as well. Suddenly, a conversation from before about Hwa-won and Ham Yejin crossed my mind.
‘Did you get permission?’
…Suddenly, I felt a strong dislike wash over me. It was an unpleasant feeling that I could hardly put into words. It was similar to the sensation I had when I observed the conversation between Muk Ha-neul and Hwa-won before I fell asleep. But it was a bit different.
It was an unnecessary thought. I shook my head to chase off the pointless idea and looked at Ham Yejin to ask any question that came to mind.
“By the way, how long are you going to stay?”
It was a mundane question, but it was something I had to ask.
“I can stay until tomorrow since I have a day off.”
Now that I think about it, tomorrow is Saturday. I looked at Muk Ha-neul, whose expression had been strange all along, and asked,
“How about you, Muk Ha-neul? Can you stay here for a while?”
“…Um, I can stay until tomorrow. It’s my day off. It’s fine.”
“Your expression seems strange.”
“It’s just my mood.”
It was very suspicious, but I didn’t press for answers. There was only one person left.
“And you?”
“I take breaks all the time.”
“Didn’t you just come from your father? Isn’t it okay to not go back right away?”
“My dad is a bit cold-hearted, but he wouldn’t tell me to leave my sick friend behind in a situation like this. I already told him I would be staying out.”
I ignored the pointless story about how Hwa-won’s dad asked if he was a woman. Anyway, it meant that Hwa-won would also be here until tomorrow. And with that, a somewhat strange conclusion came to light.
“…So, all three of you will be here until tomorrow?”
The bed in the hospital room had a low pull-out bed so that family members could sleep. Naturally, it was a single-person bed, and it was impossible for all three of us to use it. Moreover, I wouldn’t want to spend a night in a room with these three.
Logically, there was no reason for all three of them to be there. In fact, thinking about it, there wasn’t a reason for even one person to stay, really.
So, one of the three had to stay, but how the hell were we supposed to decide that? I felt like a man caught in the love triangle of a cheap romance novel.
However, my thoughts might have just been foolish fantasy, as the agreement was reached easily.
Surprisingly, it was Ham Yejin who spoke first.
“Then I’ll step back.”
“What?”
That voice didn’t come from me but from Muk Ha-neul.
“I would have liked to stay, but since your friend has already mentioned it, I’ll concede this time.”
Ham Yejin spoke naturally while looking at Gang Hwa-won. This implied that the one she was conceding to was Hwa-won, not Muk Ha-neul. Whether she understood that or not, Muk Ha-neul let out a deep sigh and said,
“I’ll step back too. I’m sorry, senpai. Actually, I have plans, so I think I should go back tonight.”
“You don’t have to apologize… You could have just said that in the first place.”
I could easily guess the reason for their stubbornness, but I didn’t need to voice it.
When the two gave up, naturally the only person left was Hwa-won. However, Hwa-won seemed unconcerned from the start, showing no change in expression. Well, I don’t know why, but that irritated me a bit.
“They said they’d decide on discharge based on the situation, so if the admission is prolonged, I’ll come again.”
“So will I!”
Hwa-won whistled. When I glared at him, he turned away.
It was slightly, but still a bit messy.
~
Muk Ha-neul and Ham Yejin left after I had my dinner served in hospital-style a little while later. First, Ham Yejin stood up, and then Muk Ha-neul followed. They both left with the usual polite farewells, leaving only Hwa-won and me behind.
With the four of us reduced to just two, the awkwardness that I had felt earlier completely vanished. Even though it had been a chaotic scene and the situation had changed, being alone with Hwa-won felt comfortable.
At least it felt that way after I heard those words.
Hwa-won looked at me and said,
“So, who do you like more?”
