This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 99

Honestly, I felt a bit… flustered.

Having bought the renowned fast-acting medicine and porridge to take before the pills, I figured we had just arrived at Yoonseo’s house, and I only needed to hand over the care to the uncle. Given that, it was only natural to feel that way.

“Um, do you know where he went?”

“He, cough, he said he had work… left in the morning…”

“Did he mention when he would be back?”

“He said he’d probably come back late at night…”

“And, um… what about the aunt?”

I threw out another question, half-hoping for a better response, but as expected…

She was someone who got busier on weekends than weekdays, so it was an unavoidable aspect of things.

Anyway, this meant there was only one way to go.

With such a high fever and body aches overwhelming him, I couldn’t leave a child who was completely out of it all alone, so I needed to stay close by.

The issue was… whether he’d be okay with that…

Given how things had escalated, there was indeed a sense that things had become vague, but Yoonseo and I had been in a cold war only hours ago.

Of course, when he was on my back earlier and in the hospital ER, he kept mumbling apologies, hinting that he wanted to untangle the mess, but… all those days avoiding me wouldn’t just disappear.

In a situation like this, if the person who’d been dodging you suddenly said, “Since you’re sick, I’ll take care of you,” wouldn’t that feel uncomfortable rather than thankful?

Because of that, even while trying to rest, my nerves were still tense, making it impossible to relax properly.

For a moment, those worries wriggled in my heart, but—

“I’m… okay now…”

Strangely enough, as soon as those words slipped from Yoonseo’s lips, my head cleared as if the worries had never existed.

‘…What?’

Okay?

If you’re going to say that, at least put some strength into your voice! Saying that in a voice so weak that it feels like you’re on the verge of collapse—who would believe that?

“Forget it, just open the door when you arrive. I’ll take care of the rest.”

As I said that, I pressed my hand firmly against Yoonseo’s forehead out of annoyance.

When you feel like you’re dying, does just asking for help really hurt you?

When I first realized that Yoonseo was avoiding me, it made me feel like my pride got in the way and I foolishly tried to prove a point.

Sigh…

It was so absurd that I let out a sigh internally while our taxi came to a stop in front of a familiar house.

Needless to say, it was Yoonseo’s house.

To be honest, I briefly considered taking him to my house, but… for a sick person, their own home, their own bed seems like the best place, so I decided to come here first.

Well, saying “here” means, in reality, there’s only about a 20-meter difference from my house.

Regardless, after getting out of the cab and bringing the still dizzy Yoonseo toward the front door of his house.

So far, I used the owner’s luck to get through without any issues, but… the next part was the problem.

Even though he had received an IV drip, I thought his condition would improve over time, but it seemed that maybe one pack wasn’t enough, since Yoonseo still seemed so weak.

“This won’t do. Get on my back.”

“Huh, no… I can walk…”

“Walk my foot! If you fall over, we’ll both be in trouble.”

Normally, he would have definitely argued against me here, either stubbornly refusing or putting up some pathetic fight, but maybe because he was drained from the fever, he didn’t have the strength for that either.

After hesitating behind me for a moment, Yoonseo finally leaned on me again.

And the moment I lifted him onto my back, I realized he was much lighter than I had imagined.

When I was running from the arcade to the hospital, I had been so disoriented that I hadn’t noticed… Was he really this light because he was so sick?

It should be heavy to carry someone up the stairs, but it felt ridiculously easy, and it left a sour taste in my mouth.

“Alright, I’ll let you down, so just lie still. I’ll grab a few things from downstairs.”

But I tried not to show it.

If I revealed my discomfort here, it would only make him, who needed rest, feel uneasy.

So for now, I had to put all that aside… and create a comfortable environment for him to rest in.

I could nag him later; I had plenty of chances for that.

*

When Dogun left for a moment to gather the supplies needed for nursing, Yoonseo, lying on the bed as instructed by him, found herself enveloped in an indescribably complex feeling.

It was strange…

If I were to slightly exaggerate, this was the first time in my life I had been this sick.

My head was spinning, my entire body ached, and my sore throat made every swallow feel like I was swallowing thorns… With all that, it should’ve been tough to handle, yet oddly, it didn’t feel awful.

No, it did feel tough, but… at the same time, it didn’t?

This strange state surely changed because of how Dogun was treating me differently.

Being cared for by Dogun, his eyes filled with worry, felt reminiscent of old times, just before we quarreled in front of the house.

Especially when being carried on Dogun’s back… it almost felt like we were both elementary school students again.

More specifically, perhaps it was during our early elementary school years.

At that time, I would often get hurt and rely on Dogun to carry me around…

Although every time he would wear a upset expression and bombard me with nagging to stop fighting with other kids… looking back now, I feel like I appreciated that side of him too.

That was why I couldn’t just let others pick on Dogun either.

Perhaps it was rare to feel traces of that era so strongly.

Even though it’s highly unlikely to happen again now… I suddenly realized that what almost slipped away was something incredibly precious.

That’s why I didn’t want to miss this opportunity.

Of course, I knew that taking this chance to apologize was almost like exploiting Dogun’s sympathy.

But… I couldn’t gather the courage unless I did it in some way.

You could call me a coward.

I’d be more than willing to hear that a hundred times if it meant I could grasp what I wanted.

While I was fortifying my resolve, a knock echoed at the door, and soon Dogun opened the door, stepping inside, holding a tray with a glass on it.

Noticing that, I tried to raise my upper body from the bed.

Of course, due to the fever, I had no strength, and just as I tried to lean on the bed, I slipped back down again.

“Just lie back.”

Did my trying to get up make an impact on him?

Dogun’s gaze towards me was filled with pity.

“How’s your head? Still dizzy?”

“I’m… okay now.”

Maybe it was the throat swelling, but my voice came out all dry and raspy even to my own ears.

And perhaps it sounded the same to Dogun as well.

“This won’t do. Let’s drink some water first.”

Dogun quickly set the tray down beside him and picked up the cup that was on it, extending it toward me.

“I brought lukewarm water. If you don’t like it, I can get you cold water instead.”

Receiving such extravagant treatment from Dogun made me realize something.

I understood now why kids sometimes pretend to be sick.

Sure, some might do it just because they don’t want to go to school… but most likely, they were just craving attention.

Even though it felt so embarrassing to be acting like a child, blushing uncontrollably…

“This won’t do. If you keep this up, you’ll spill it all over the blanket. I’ll feed you little by little, so just open your mouth when it’s time.”

“What…?”

“Why? Feeling shy? Who’s asking you to be stubborn when you’re sick?”

Dogun’s concern felt so delightful.