Ding dong-,
"Is there anyone coming at this hour?"
Suspicious, I wrapped the blanket around myself and checked the intercom. What the heck? I didn't call anyone. The person standing at the front door held up a bag containing something and showed it to me. I had to open the door quickly.
Tirik-,
"Oh, it's hard. Of course I came by bus, but why is your house so far away?"
Yeah, who else knows my house besides Lee Seok-min? How did you know I was sick, kid? He's holding a bag of porridge in his hand. Forgive him for lying down as if it were his own house as soon as he got there, I'll just buy him some porridge.
"Teacher, you said you had a cold. Why are you up? Lie down quickly."
Lee Seok-min looked quite surprised when he saw me and laid me down on the sofa. He pulled out the blanket I was wrapped in and covered me with it. He went straight into my room and came out with a pillow. "You're going to get beaten up twice if you go into a girl's room like that," he said. "But you could have asked me, right?"
"Oh, thanks. But if I hadn't woken up, you wouldn't be here now."
"Um...I'll think about that later!"
"Then what will I become..."
"Ah... Okay! I bought some porridge because the teacher said he was sick."
"Oh... vegetable porridge..."
"You don't like it? Should I buy it again?"
"No, no, that's not it. Vegetable porridge... I like it because it's cute."
"Ah... what about me? Where's the student who bought porridge because the homeroom teacher was sick? I bought cute porridge, so I'm a cute guy who bought cute porridge. Right?"
"I have a headache right now... I can't answer."
"Tch... I guess you're doing okay after you die?"
I didn't even realize it. Instinctively, driven by hunger, I opened the lid, blew on the porridge with a spoon, and ate it. For some reason, my mouth felt warm, and I felt alive. But still, I was hungry even while eating... It's just inevitable.
***
"Have you eaten everything?"
"Yeah. Thanks."
"That's right. Your voice has become a bit more powerful."
"Seokmin. Isn't it raining outside?"
"It's crazy. Are you still here? It was thundering like crazy. It was no joke. My legs, my shoes, my bag... I got wet everywhere."
"You've worked hard to get here. When I get better..."
"Let's go to the amusement park."
"uh?"
"If you're grateful to me, get well soon and go to the amusement park with me."
***
"But you are good at nursing patients."
"What is this? They just change the towels and give you some medicine or something."
"Still. I always make mistakes when it comes to taking care of others."
"Do you know why I take such good care of you?"
"Hmm... have you ever been in this much pain?"
"How did you know? That's right. I feel the same way."
"Really? Have you ever had a bad cold?"
This is truly physically and emotionally agonizing. I can only imagine how much pain that child must have felt, with such a delicate body. I can only imagine the sight of her sweating profusely in pain. It's so... sad.
"No, it hurts more than that."
"Uh...what?"
"It's a mental illness."
"Huh..? I don't have a mental illness."
"Well, really? Not even once?"
"Hmm... I guess I'll have to think about it..."
"No matter what hurts, it's not because you want to be hurt. I don't want to be hurt because of that person, and I don't want to think about giving up on life... but I keep doing it. That's why I keep getting hurt. It seems like that person doesn't care about me."
"The kid...is already in love?"
“I’m at an age where I want to be mature too.”
"Well... maybe that person has some feelings for you? Maybe they're not completely uninterested in you, right? So, it's not like I'm giving up on that. Even if it doesn't work out, at least try expressing your feelings. You never know what'll happen, right?"
I envy you. You're at the prime of your life. It's nice to have someone you like. They say to give up on dreams that won't come true in reality. They say not to include those dreams in your plans... But they're not like that. You're at an age where you can dream a lot, and you're at an age where you can love and cherish someone for a long time. What can I say?
***
"Yeah. I'm all better. I'm completely fine!"
-Really? Aren't you going to rest any longer?
"Yeah. It was only 3-4 days anyway."
-I'm not the type of person who can't come... Next time you're sick, don't worry about me and call me first.
"Yeah, thank you, Yubom."
-I said, I want to be a meaningful friend.
"Uh...me too. Okay, let's hang up. I'm almost back from school."
-Oh, I have to go to work too. Hang up~
"Ah-...school is already hard."
I'm not even studying, so what's the point of explaining? Two or three people in one class are already getting ready to sleep. I just want to throw them all over the table and knock them over. I want to knock over the teacher's desk and leave too. Why am I teaching these kids? They don't even listen. Am I the only idiot?
widely,
"Oh my,!"
"uh,"
"...Why are you holding my hand, you punk..."
"Are you embarrassed?"
"I worked so hard, and you're trying to make me unemployed?"
"Oh, no. That's not it."
That damn Lee Seok-min, Lee Seok-min. When will the day come when I won't see him again? Should I emigrate?
Lee Seok-min always came at 7 p.m. during the four days I was sick. It was expected that he'd collapse immediately upon arrival, and he'd always bring me three bowls of porridge. I don't know if he had any money left over. He didn't blow all his allowance on porridge, did he? Every time, Lee Seok-min would say, "Eat it for breakfast and lunch tomorrow." It was a complete mess. If I pushed him away, saying it was fine, he'd tell me to think about my own money and push it back at me. It was a bit burdensome, but I was very grateful. Thanks to him, I never went hungry.
"Let's go to the amusement park this Saturday."
"uh?"
"Did you forget what I said? I said we should go to the amusement park if you were grateful."
"Ah... Saturday... will it be?"
"Yes, absolutely. Okay? I'll contact you."
"No, no..!"
Totally arbitrary. But, if he didn't do this, I don't think I could make plans. Actually, I'm grateful.