Archive of Our Own

Lee No-eul paces around her tiny studio apartment, unable to stand still. She's home at last after spending the entire day in the hospital. Her body usually collapses in exhaustion during shifts like these, but not tonight.

She vacuums the place and takes a bath, yet her mind continues to race for a reason she doesn't want to admit bothers her. Her phone is silent for the first time today... no urgent calls or summons to be at the nurse's station or the bedside—

And not a single call from Gu Seung-hyo yet.

Talk to you after work, his brief text promises her— time-stamped at 9:40 a.m., almost 12 hours ago. No-eul understands his situation; she's seen it firsthand back at Sangook University Hospital. Besides, she's not the type to demand his undivided attention at the expense of his duties. All she asks from him is to balance his work and personal life— not for her sake, but for his.

Something must have come up that he's still fixing. She wills herself to sit on the couch when her phone buzzes and rings. No-eul jumps up and clicks to receive the call without checking who it is.

"Hi," she gasps.

"Noeul-ssi, it's me." Ms. Kang could tell from the anticipation in the younger woman's voice that she's been expecting someone else.

"Ms. Kang, it's been a while since we last spoke." Maybe I'll ask her about Seung-hyo....

"I know it's too late in the evening—"

"No, it's not." No-eul smiles anyway. In the short time they had spent in Sangook together, Ms. Kang had become one of her trusted friends. "How are you?"

"I'm okay," Ms. Kang sounds hesitant. "But... Mr. Gu isn't."

"What's wrong?" No-eul's grip on her handphone tightens.

"I'm not sure, that's why I called you. He cancelled his afternoon appointments because he was unwell... but he remained in the office, reviewing documents—"

"Is he still working?"

"Mr. Choi told me they're almost home," says Ms. Kang. "In all his years of driving for Mr. Gu, he's never once seen him fall asleep in the car until now—"

"I'll be there!" No-eul grabs her jacket and car keys without a second thought.

"I'm home," Gu Seung-hyo calls out as he puts on his slippers at the door.

His mother, nodding off in the living room with Nighty lounging in her lap, responds upon hearing her son's voice. "Have you eaten?"

"Yes," he says. I've eaten lunch, that is. Dinner is the last thing on my mind— I want to sleep. Seung-hyo's headache worsens, and he couldn't bend down to pet Nighty as it trots over to sniff him. "See you tomorrow," he tells the eager dog as he shuts the door of his room. He shrugs off his suit, drops it on the floor and buries himself under the sheets. Why was it so cold when it was the middle of spring?

Seung-hyo closes his eyes, basking in the dark silence. He's holding a folder of GPE's annual summary report and decides to browse through it. Most of the numbers were in red, the charts and graphs displaying a sudden downward crash. What's happening? He scans the papers in his hand, some of them news articles. One announces GPE filing for bankruptcy; another one details an investigation accusing him of defrauding the company.

Andwae...

His father leans against a stack of boxes— their belongings— as he struggles to remain upright. Next to the elderly Gu is his wife, who hands the keys of their apartment back to the building owner. Where are my parents going?

Someone squeezes his shoulder from behind and he sees No-eul carrying Nighty in her arms. She begins to walk away from him, sobbing. Why is she leaving me?

Andwae— "No-eul, don't!" he screams.

"Adeul!"

Gu Seung-hyo jolts back into consciousness, his mother shaking him. He sits up, panting and searching around his bedroom. "Eomoni..."

"How long have you been sick?" She untangles the blankets from his legs and tucks him in again. "Did you drink medicine before you slept?"

He avoids his mother's eyes.

"Stubborn boy," she tells him. "I'll go and—" The doorbell ringing interrupts Mrs. Gu and she leaves his son momentarily. Seung-hyo, having moved so suddenly after the horrendous nightmare, feels his stomach turn. He runs to the ensuite bathroom next to his closet.

"Who could it be at this hour?" Mr. Gu, stirred by the sound at the door, checks the security screen showing who's outside. He and his wife are stunned to see their son's girlfriend waiting.

"No-eul, are you all right?" Mrs. Gu asks. "What brings you here?"

The doctor bows at his boyfriend's parents. "Ms. Kang told me Seunghyo-ssi was unwell, so—"

"You didn't drive all this way from Gangneung, did you?"

"N-no, I was nearby—"

"Our son mentioned you had an 18-hour shift today." Mr. Gu sighs. "You didn't have to go this far, aigo...."

"I'm sorry for bothering you." No-eul bows at them again. "I'm worried about him."

"You're never a bother, dear," Mrs. Gu comforts her. "We could use your help since you're here." She leads No-eul to Seung-hyo's room, but he's no longer in bed. They find him in the bathroom, his back slumped and his head resting on the toilet seat.

"Seunghyo-ssi!" No-eul kneels beside him and wipes the sweat forming on his forehead. "Can you hear me?"

He whispers in a hoarse voice, "I'm okay."

Mr. and Mrs. Gu return to the kitchen to prepare something to eat. No-eul waits for Seung-hyo outside the bathroom as he changes into a clean set of clothes. As he steps back into the room barefoot, he now wears a cottony baggy shirt and sweatpants.

"Still nauseous?" No-eul finishes preparing a small basin with water to help lower Seung-hyo's temperature. "You must have eaten something bad at lunch."

He leans against the headboard. "Did Ms. Kang..."

No-eul nods. "You never would've told me."

"You'd be too worried, as you are now."

"Can't I be concerned about my boyfriend?"

"Boyfriend?" Seung-hyo bites back a smile and pretends to be clueless. "Who's this lucky guy?"

"Hmm... not sure if you've met him." She plays along with his silly antics, wiping his arms with a damp towel. "You probably wouldn't like him, though."

"How so?"

"He can be quite grumpy. And makes this face a lot—" No-eul puckers her lips and furrows her eyebrows together. "But he's a filial son and sweet owner to his dog. I couldn't ask for more."

Seung-hyo finally smiles. "I'm not too bad, huh?"

"Just don't pull this stunt on me again. Tell me if you're sick so I can fuss about you." No-eul cups his face in her hands and pouts. "You don't always have to be strong."

"How do you stay so pretty after working all day?" He likewise places a hand on his girlfriend's cheek, rubbing his thumb against her cool skin. "I'd kiss you if I wasn't down with a fever."

The door opens without warning and Mrs. Gu enters with a tray of food. She's momentarily stunned upon seeing the two. Seung-hyo's face flushes red and he puts his hand down; No-eul squeezes his cheeks and giggles.

"Have some porridge and drink your medicine," Mrs. Gu tells her son, who grunts in acknowledgement. She turns to No-eul, her voice softening. "Thank you for taking care of him."

"This is nothing, Eomoni," the cheery pediatrician answers. "Glad I could help."

"Do you need anything else, dear?"

No-eul shakes her head. "Please get some rest," she urges.

"I will." Mrs. Gu glances at her son, who avoids her gaze. "Aigo, you're like your father."

As soon as they're alone in the room, No-eul bursts out laughing. "You're unbelievable!"

"What's so funny?" Seung-hyo grumbles, rubbing the back of his head.

"I never would've imagined you'd be so shy around your mother. You always had it together when you were at work."

"Well to be fair, I'm not the boss in this house," he defends himself.

"You're right." No-eul scoops a spoonful of abalone porridge and blows on it. "Open up before this gets cold."

Seung-hyo promptly obeys and eats. "Gomawo," he says.

"I know you are."

"Saranghae," Seung-hyo adds, smiling serenely.

"I know," No-eul giggles. She leans forward to kiss him on the cheek. "I love you too."